As Seen on TV: 50 Amazing Products and the Commercials That Made Them Famous - Softcover

Do you want thicker, fuller, more lustrous hair? How about a bigger bustline? A six-pack of abs? Are you troubled by messy stains, garden pests, or an inexplicable desire to look like Richard Simmons? If you've answered "Yes!" to any of these questions, we can't really help you. But you might be amused by As Seen on TV - a treasure trove of all the gadgets, wizardry, and time-saving devices that have been on sale through TV in the United States. Here are real-life, behind-the-scenes stories of the Veg-O-Matic, K-Tel Records, Ginsu Knives, the Chia-Pet, the Thighmaster, Time-Life Books, The Clapper, The Greak Wok of China, and many, many others. Featured throughout are more than 100 colour photographs of all the goodies, plus expert analysis of the products and interviews with celebrity pitchmen like Ron Popeil (inventor of GLH System 9, which is basically spray paint "hair in a can"). To research this project, authors Lou Harry and Sam Stall spared no expense. They attended the taping of an infomercial. They became hooked on phonics. They listened to audio tapes of Zamphir, Master of the Pan Flute, and they watched videotapes of Charlton Heston explaining the Bible. As Seen on TV is an inspiration to entrepreneurs of all ages - and a wacky nostalgia trip for couch potatoes everywhere. Call now - operators are standing by!

Lou Harry has written for This Old House, Dramatics, Men's Health, Children's Digest, Art & Antique, and other publications. He's also the author of It's Slinky!, The Voodoo Kit, The Office Voodoo Kit, and The Love Voodoo Kit (all from Running Press). The first album he ever bought was K-Tel's Believe in Music. He lives in Indianapolis. Sam Stall has written for Reader's Digest, America West Airlines Magazine, Wildlife Journal, and Meridian Magazine. Stall also cowrote the book Special Delivery (Random House, 1995), which chronicled the birth of America's first sextuplets. Sam lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Jami, and he works on his abs for eight minutes every day.