Nathan Morris immigrated to the United States in the late 1880s and called Asbury Park, New Jersey his new home. Nathan was a pitchman who worked the boardwalk and traveled up and down the east coast selling kitchen gadgets that were made by Acme Metal. Nathan founded N.K.Morris Manufacturing in the early 1940s which produced the KwiKi-Pi and the Morris Metric Slicer. Slowly, his family members began to join him in business. His two sons, Lester and Morris became his salesmen.
Prior to the war, he hired Samuel Jacob Popeil or S.J. – his nephew, to become his apprentice. S.J. was very inspired by Nathan, which spurred him later to go ahead and found The Popeil Brothers which called Chicago its home.
The Popeil family used a combination of vaudevillian showmanship along with innovative product design, starting with modest kitchen gadgets such as the glass knife and progressing on to the Ronco’s Showtime Rotisserie and Barbecue. The world was then soon introduced to the Chop-O-Matic, Dial-O-Matic and the Veg-O-Matic. Sameul Popeil had two sons, Jerry and Ron. Jerry passed away young. The younger son, Ron, is familiar to those of you who watch infomercials on television.
The Popeils used attention-grabbing manners and motions to gather people around them at markets, fairs and auto shows. Over time the Popeil Brothers’ products became easier to sell on television and they products all were given very catchy names that were easy to remember.
In the years following the war, many Americans made the kitchen their life work. The Morris-Popeil clan was considered the first family of the kitchen in the United States. The brothers were high spirited, successful and would ponder late into the nights about ways to chop an onion without crying. They believed that product development and marketing were one in the same. The men were brilliant and Ron was the most spirited and intelligent of them all.
Nathan Morris and Ron Popeil’s relationship as uncle and nephew was not without its controversies. The two were in court in 1958 because Ron felt that Nathan had stole his idea for the Chop-O-Matic with the release of the Roto-Chop. The courtroom scene was dramatic and Nathan had a sudden heart attack while in court. The case was settled the next day.
The story of the Popeils is nothing short of fascinating and compelling. The mark that was made by this family on the modern kitchen is undeniable and one that makes for some interesting reading.
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