Ron Popeil was an incomparable huckster — but wait! There’s more!

People bought it. We always do. For Americans, being talked into buying unneeded crap is a national pastime, a form of entertainment. Popeil actually got his start pitching products at state fairs as a teenager, where hucksters were all part of the fun. In colder months, he set up inside a Chicago Woolworth’s store, and according to one source, young women in nearby office buildings would spend their lunch breaks watching him. Later, as he refined his techniques, he began shooting infomercials in front of live studio audiences, who applauded and cheered the dripping meats from his countertop rotisseries as if they were movie stars.