The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe - 299: NEW STORY—He Delivered the Message

Episode Date: February 10, 2023

Back by popular demand is a brand-new story for the curious mind with a short attention span.  And here's your only clue – When people needed to be stopped, the agency counted on Dick to stop them.  

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Do do do do do do do dumb. Well, are you sick of it yet? Are you sick of AI hogging up all the headlines and sucking up all the bandwidth? You find yourself wishing we lived in a simpler time? Do you miss the rotary phone? Well, get over it. The genie is out of the bottle. The poop is out of the goose, I'm afraid.

AI is here to stay. And every business in the country is asking themselves the same question. How do we make it work for us? Well, the answer to that question varies, but you'll find it in a free guide that you can get right now at net suite.com slash Mike. It's called demystifying AI. It's totally free. It's essential reading for anybody trying to make sense of a future that appears to have arrived yesterday. NetSuite, of course, is the number one AI enterprise resource planning software out there, trusted by over 43,000 businesses. with NetSuite, you can use the AI of your choice, GROC or Claude or chat GPT,

whatever else is out there to connect to your actual business data, all of it, and automate all of those tiresome, time-sucking, soul-deaddening manual processes. This is AI built into the system that's currently running your business. Learn more at NetSuite.com slash Mike. And while you're there, pick up their free business guide,

demystifying AI. It's filled with sorts of, super useful information. And again, it's free at netseweet.com slash mike. That's net suite.com. NetSuite. Well, look what you've done. You've clicked on a bonus episode of the way I heard it.

Congratulations. It's episode number 299. And it's called He Delivered the Message. Woo! Easy. Easy. Chuck is very excited. Chuck, tell them why you're so excited.

I'm super excited because this is. is us bringing back the original format of you writing a story and delivering it in that classic the way I heard it style. And I can't wait for this episode to come out and see what people's reaction is to it because their heads are going to explode like mine is exploding now. It's been well over a year since I've been able to say a story for the curious mind with a short attention span. But that's what these are. If you're new to the podcast, I don't want to bore you, but I used to do one of these a week, and it took a lot of time because writing takes time. But the stories themselves are easy to listen to. In fact, you'll be done with this

whole thing in 10 minutes, and you'll have a little story to ruminate upon and perhaps share, I hope. I don't know what the future holds, but I'm going to try and do one of these a month, Chuck, if you can contain your excitement. Say it, Mike. Say it. Back by popular demand. Say it, Mike, say it. this is the way I heard it. Dick was recruited by the agency at the height of the Cold War.

He didn't look like a spy or an assassin or a man to be afraid of. He looked like an accountant, which is probably why Dick was so good at his job. As a former fighter pilot, he had distinguished himself during the Second World War, but it was his work on the ground

that made Dick the most valuable asset the agency had ever deployed. His first assignment came in the fall of 1964. A man at the agency called John Chervacus provided Dick with an address in Flushing, New York, and instructed him to go there and deliver a message to a woman called Mrs. Logan. Dick didn't know who Mrs. Logan was, but he didn't particularly care. He understood the chain of command and was not inclined to ask a lot of questions. So Dick drove to flushing New York.

He found the address, the agency provided. He found the woman called Mrs. Logan. And then he delivered the message firmly. John Chavacus was pleased. The agency was pleased. And later that month, a cardboard box arrived at Dick's home address. Inside the box was a bonus for a job well done. and so began a career like no other.

The flushing job led to another and another after that and another after that. Dick was on a roll, and 20 years later, the former fighter pilot who looked like an accountant was credited with 500 confirmed hits. He retired from the agency with honor and stayed that way for the next 14 years until his phone rang during breakfast in the fall of 19. 1999. His wife answered, Hello. Oh, John. Yes, my goodness. It has been quite a while. Dick didn't have to wonder who was calling. Meg's expression said it all. It was John Chervochus

from the agency. He's eating breakfast, John. Can he call you back? Oh, I see. Meg looked at her husband and covered the phone. He says it's urgent. Dick frowned and gestured for the phone after 14 years of retirement. What could the agency possibly want with an old veteran like him? Hello, John. Dick, how are you? I'm old, said Dick. How are you? Still standing, said John. Look, I'll get right to the point.

We got a situation. It's delicate, and I think you're the man for the job. Dick nearly spit his coffee back into his cup. I'm sorry, John, but I'm out of the game. I play golf these days. I'm 82 years old for crying out loud. I don't think you understand the stakes, Dick. Meet me for lunch. Let me walk you through it.

John, I'm sorry, but there's just no way. Dick, please. Just a lunch, for old time's sake. Dick's side. Well, I've got a tea time at 10. I assume you know where I play. I do, said John. Well, meet me at the club then. Say, 1 p.m.? I'll be there, said John.

Dick hung up and handed the phone back to Meg. You don't have to do this, Dick. You don't owe them anything. Dick wasn't so sure. Are we still getting the deliveries? Every month, said Meg, but you already earned those boxes and everything inside them. Don't let them suck you back in. Dick told his wife not to worry and promised to be home for dinner. Then he dragged his clubs from the garage and put them into his trunk and drove to the golf course where he proceeded to shoot the worst round of his life.

His mind was simply not on the game. His mind was on that first job in flushing way back in 1964. He could still see the woman in his mind's eye, Mrs. Logan, they called her. He never knew her. real name, and she had never known his, but he would never forget her face, or the faces of all the others, the faces of those who needed to be stopped. After a truly dismal round, Dick left his golf buddies and walked over to the restaurant to meet the man who had recruited him all those years

ago. My God, said John, look at you. You don't look at day over 60. You're a liar, said Dick. of the job, said John. The two men laughed and shook hands. John ordered a couple drinks and toasted the old days. You remember our first job, Dick? I was just thinking about it. Flushing. 1964. Maybe it was fate, laughed John. Flushing. I mean really. How perfect is that? Tell me something. Are you still getting the packages? Every month, said Dick. Meg doesn't know. what to do with it all. Well, said John, that was part of the deal, right? A lifetime supply for a job well done? The two men laughed some more and caught up like the old friends they were. Then they got down the business. Here's the situation, said John. None of the new stuff is working. It's 1999.

People are freaked out about Y2K. They want nostalgia. They want a familiar face. Dick, understood. He recalled how excited the agency had been back in 1978 when a national poll revealed that the only faces more familiar than his were Richard Nixon's and Billy Graham's. In fact, more people recognized Dick's face in 1978 than Muhammad Ali's, Evil Canevels, and Mary Tyler Moores. What about the colonel? asked Dick. Have you reached out? Oh, the colonel will be back, said John, no doubt about it. And Charlie? asked Dick. Yeah, Charlie's back too. Wow, said Dick, I guess things are pretty bad when you have to rely on a talking fish. John laughed. You have no idea. But look, Colonel Sanders and Charlie the tuna, they don't

have what you have. Trust me, old friend, this is your second act. We need you. And America hasn't forgotten your face. As usual, John Travacus was right. That's why his agency offered Dick a new contract, a talent contract from an advertising agency called Benton and Bowles, the same advertising agency that launched one of the most successful campaigns in the history of television, way back in 1964, a campaign that featured a former fighter pilot named Ricardo de Gogh Lee Elmo, who changed his name to Dick Wilson and went on to become a very successful character actor

appearing in nine Broadway productions, 37 feature films, and over 50 TV shows, an incredible body of work that would be forever eclipsed by the role he made famous, the role that required him to deliver a message dreamed up by a copywriter named John Chavocas. message he first delivered in an actual grocery store in flushing, New York, at the height of the Cold War. A message he repeated in 504 other hit commercials, including the ones he recorded in 1999 at the tender age of 82. The message that earned him decades of residuals, along with a monthly bonus for a job well done. A soft and fragrant bonus that arrived at Dick Wilson's home in large cardboard boxes every month for 40 years, a lifetime supply of toilet paper. For a man who

really was on a role, millions and millions and millions of roles. Thanks to his unforgettable portrayal of Mr. Whipple, the persnickety grocer who delivered the same message over and over and over again. A simple message that everyone who heard ignored, including him. Please don't squeeze the Charmin. Anyway, that's the way I heard it. If you work in University Maintenance, Granger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is all. Always ready for tip off. And Granger is your trusted partner. Offering the products you need all in one place,

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