LEOMINSTER PREMIERE OF TUPPERWARE!

LEOMINSTER, MA (October 15, 2003) – The Leominster Historical Society, the Leominster Public Library and the National Plastics Center and Museum would like to invite the public to a special sneak preview of the film, TUPPERWARE! on Friday evening, November 14 in the Keville Room at the Museum. TUPPERWARE! tells the remarkable story of Earl Silas Tupper, a central Massachusetts native and Leominster plastic manufacturer and inventor, and Brownie Wise, the self taught saleswoman who built him an empire out of bowls that burped. Brownie was an intuitive marketing genius who trained a small army of Tupperware Ladies to host Tupperware parties in living rooms across America in the 1950s. She rewarded her sales force with minks and modern appliances at extravagant annual jubilees which were filmed by the company. Her sales force earned thousands, even millions, selling Tupperware, and the experience changed their lives.

  The film's writer, director, and producer Laurie Kahn-Leavitt, will be at the preview to introduce her film and answer audience questions after the screening. The film is narrated by Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates and includes rare footage collected

from basements, attics, and back rooms; color home movies taken by Tupperware Ladies and Jubilee footage shot by Tupperware Home Parties, as well as ads and television excerpts from the period. The footage is interwoven with fabulous and funny stories told by Tupperware Ladies who witnessed the company's early years.

  To make TUPPERWARE! Ms. Kahn-Leavitt and her crew interviewed approximately 300 people including relatives of both Earl Tupper and Brownie Wise. They spoke to Tupperware dealers, managers and distributors who worked in the field in the 1940s and 50s. They sifted through and looked at hundreds of hours of film and documents found in private attics, barns, historical societies and state archives throughout the country. “It was a mammoth task” reports Kahn-Leavitt, “and it was exciting historical detective work. I hope TUPPERWARE! is widely seen by kids, intellectuals, ordinary folks, history classes, history buffs, women's advocates, direct sellers, business people, and Tupperware Ladies. I hope this film makes everyone who sees it laugh, but also leaves them thinking more deeply about the lives of women in the 1950s, which turns out to be far more interesting than our common stereotypes.”

  Before making TUPPERWARE! Ms. Kahn-Leavitt conceived of, wrote, and produced the film, A Midwife's Tale , based on the diary of 18 th century midwife, Martha Ballard and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's Pulitzer Prize-winning book. A Midwife's Tale was the opening show of the 10 th season of the PBS series The American Experience in 1998. It won numerous awards, as well as an Emmy for outstanding non-fiction as part of The American Experience's 10 th season. TUPPERWARE! will also air on The American Experience in February 2004, and was funded by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The American Experience /WGBH, and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.

  The program begins at 6:30 with light refreshments in the galleries of the museum. The screening begins at 7 p.m. As seating is limited, the Leominster Historical Society, the Leominster Public Library and the National Plastics Center and Museum are asking people to call ahead to reserve a seat. The screening is free and reservations are accepted on a first come first serve basis. Please call the museum at (978) 537-9529.

About NPC

The National Plastics Center is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the past, addressing the present, and promoting the future of plastics through public education and awareness. Established in 1982, the NPC opened its headquarters and museum at Leominster, Massachusetts in 1992. The educational staff of the NPC conducts hands-on science programming for schools and organizations, as well as demonstrations for visitors to the museum.

For more information please contact the National Plastics Center at (978) 537-9529, via website at www.plasticsmuseum.org, or via email at npcinfo@plasticsindustry.org.