Two-page ad for Fuller Brushes in “The Saturday Evening Post,” January 28, 1922.
The Fuller Brush Man wasn’t just a salesman; he was a fixture of American domestic life from 1909 through the 1980s. Alfred Carl Fuller, founder of the Fuller Brush Company, started making brushes in his sister’s basement and selling them door-to-door. By 1909, he had recruited a national sales force. From the 1920s through the 1950s, the Fuller Brush Man became a household name. His visits were so common that “The Saturday Evening Post,” coined the term “Fuller Brush Man” in 1922.
The Fuller Brush Man was even portrayed in film and satire by Red Skelton and Lucille Ball. In “The Fuller Brush Man” (1948), Red Skelton plays Red Jones, a hapless street cleaner who becomes a door-to-door Fuller Brush salesman to impress his sweetheart. But instead of selling brushes, he stumbles into a murder mystery involving racketeering, sabotage, and a brush handle reshaped into a dagger. Red’s slapstick antics include setting trash cans ablaze, dodging gangsters, and broadcasting nonsense over every radio in town. The finale unfolds in a war surplus warehouse, with Red triggering fireworks and radio interference in a Looney Tunes-style sequence. The film was so successful it helped cement the Fuller Brush Man as a pop culture icon—and even inspired a sequel.
In “The Fuller Brush Girl” (1950), Lucille Ball stars as Sally Elliott, a fired switchboard operator who tries her hand at selling cosmetics for Fuller Brush. Her misadventures quickly spiral into a smuggling plot and double homicide, with Lucy as the prime suspect. Lucy gets steamed like a dumpling, tangled in burlesque costumes, and chased through a foggy ship’s hold by gangsters. In one standout scene, she infiltrates a nightclub in full glam disguise—complete with exaggerated lashes and chaotic dance moves. Red pops in briefly, passing the baton (or brush) to Lucy in a wink to the original film.
Both films were written by Frank Tashlin, a former Looney Tunes animator, which explains the cartoonish timing and visual gags. Together, they turned the Fuller Brush franchise into a slapstick detective universe.
The door-to-door sales practice waned in the late 20th century, especially after the 1980s. Fewer people were home during the day due to the rise of two-income households, and ordinances restricting door-to-door solicitations were being passed. So, catalog and online sales replaced personal visits. In 2012, the Fuller Brush Company filed for bankruptcy, marking the symbolic end of the era.
[Sources: Fuller.com, AmericaComesAlive.com, Discover.Hubpages.com, NewEnglandHistoricalSociety.com, SocialMediaToday.com, and Wikipedia]
Two-page ad for Fuller Brushes in “The Saturday Evening Post,” January 28, 1922.
The Fuller Brush Man wasn’t just a salesman; he was a fixture of American domestic life from 1909 through the 1980s. Alfred Carl Fuller, founder of the Fuller Brush Company, started making brushes in his sister’s basement and selling them door-to-door. By 1909, he had recruited a national sales force. From the 1920s through the 1950s, the Fuller Brush Man became a household name. His visits were so common that “The Saturday Evening Post,” coined the term “Fuller Brush Man” in 1922.
The Fuller Brush Man was even portrayed in film and satire by Red Skelton and Lucille Ball. In “The Fuller Brush Man” (1948), Red Skelton plays Red Jones, a hapless street cleaner who becomes a door-to-door Fuller Brush salesman to impress his sweetheart. But instead of selling brushes, he stumbles into a murder mystery involving racketeering, sabotage, and a brush handle reshaped into a dagger. Red’s slapstick antics include setting trash cans ablaze, dodging gangsters, and broadcasting nonsense over every radio in town. The finale unfolds in a war surplus warehouse, with Red triggering fireworks and radio interference in a Looney Tunes-style sequence. The film was so successful it helped cement the Fuller Brush Man as a pop culture icon—and even inspired a sequel.
In “The Fuller Brush Girl” (1950), Lucille Ball stars as Sally Elliott, a fired switchboard operator who tries her hand at selling cosmetics for Fuller Brush. Her misadventures quickly spiral into a smuggling plot and double homicide, with Lucy as the prime suspect. Lucy gets steamed like a dumpling, tangled in burlesque costumes, and chased through a foggy ship’s hold by gangsters. In one standout scene, she infiltrates a nightclub in full glam disguise—complete with exaggerated lashes and chaotic dance moves. Red pops in briefly, passing the baton (or brush) to Lucy in a wink to the original film.
Both films were written by Frank Tashlin, a former Looney Tunes animator, which explains the cartoonish timing and visual gags. Together, they turned the Fuller Brush franchise into a slapstick detective universe.
The door-to-door sales practice waned in the late 20th century, especially after the 1980s. Fewer people were home during the day due to the rise of two-income households, and ordinances restricting door-to-door solicitations were being passed. So, catalog and online sales replaced personal visits. In 2012, the Fuller Brush Company filed for bankruptcy, marking the symbolic end of the era.
[Sources: Fuller.com, AmericaComesAlive.com, Discover.Hubpages.com, NewEnglandHistoricalSociety.com, SocialMediaToday.com, and Wikipedia]