THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411110302
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
It was probably the most unusual business page The Sun ever had. The date was March 28, 1989.
The subjects were a 12-year-old Wilmington, Mass., company and 20-year-old Michelle Boudnier of Carrollton.
Before she got involved with that company, she had sold sportswear and furniture, leaving those jobs ``because I don't like high-pressure sales.''
The employees of the company she worked for in '89 usually spent about two hours a night at their job, two or three times a week.
Part of their job was to ask very intimate questions - the kind that would get the questioner's face slapped under most circumstances.
What was the name of the company? Who would remember? You might have an educated guess as to the product.
If you are still in a guessing mood, try these on for size:
1. There is very little new in the way of situation comedies. For instance, television's Steve Urkel - played by Jaleel White - has made a name for himself with the catch-phrase, ``Did I do that?'' Both the question and his intonation were borrowed from an earlier comedian. Who?
2. Which president walked two miles every morning at the rapid rate of 128 steps per minute?
3. In the 1920s and '30s, the highest-paid show-business performer was Charlie Chaplin. Who came in second? The answer might surprise you. Hint: it was not Shirley Temple.
4. The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants both exited New York City at the same time. What year?
5. Hard-core movie buffs will probably tell you the first 3-D movie was 1952's ``Bwana Devil'' starring Robert Stack, now busy with TV's ``Unsolved Mysteries.'' Solve this mystery: What was the first 3-D flick? It ran for five long reels. That's a lot of time spent pushing glasses back on your nose. And what year was it released?
You've purused today's trivia questions. Now, peruse the answers.
Questions are on Page 4 To start with, the mystery lady and her mystery company are Michelle Boudnier and UndercoverWear.
Into your usually staid living room came Boudnier with such products as Blue Hawaii, Captivating You, Waiting on You, Razzle Dazzle, Working Wonders and the wildest wonder of them all, Shining Star, a glow-in-the-dark chemise.
The lingerie party was operated much like a Tupperware party - but a lot more fascinating.
It was a his-hers thing - a togetherness shopping venture. There was also his-hers lingerie including panties for men in nylon and velvet.
``Men like to look at women in lingerie and - well - it can work both ways,'' said Boudnier, a San Fernando Valley native who worked the Suffolk-Smithfield area.
She did well.
``Most people average $200 a show,'' said Trudy Nelson of Hampton, who was junior chief executive in the area between Gloucester on the Peninsula and the North Carolina border. ``Michelle does better than that.''
These were some of the questions she had to ask her customers: ``Have you ever slept in satin sheets?'' ``Ladies, have you ever greeted him at the door in sexy lingerie?'' ``Has he ever bought you a sexy nightgown?''
Send all replies to me, c/o The Sun. Only kidding!
Let's see, there were some other questions to answer:
1. ``Did I do that?'' The line that creates such heavy soundtrack laughter on ``Family Matters'' originated in the 1930s with nightclub and movie comedian Joe E. Brown.
2. President Harry Truman was the speedwalker.
3. The second highest-paid performer in the 1920s and '30s - second only to Chaplin - was Harold Lloyd. They made the money because their comedy styles were unique and in demand - and because both of them owned a good part of their own product.
4. The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants left New York in 1958.
5. ``Bwana Devil'' was a kick in 1952 with jungle animals and Robert Stack seemingly bouncing in your lap. But it happened before, in the days of silent films. The year was 1922, and the movie sported the enticing title, ``The Power of Love.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Charlie Chaplin, shown in a scene from the movie ``Easy Street,''
was the highest-paid show business performer in the 1920s and '30s.
Can you name the second?
Nightclub and movie comedian Joe E. Brown was first to ask, ``Did I
do that?''
by CNB