USA Today: Made in America Gift Boxes
Ask an Expert: Turning a hobby into business Published on USA Today, December 8, 2014, by Steve Strauss. Today’s tip: One of the best advocates out there for American made products and manufacturing is actor John Ratzenberger, who not only of course played Cliff on Cheers, but is the only actor to be in every Pixar film (he’s shooting Toy Story 4 right now.) This year, John has teamed up with the Made in America Store to offer some great holiday gift boxes as a “way to bring attention to this critical issue of putting our country back to work, keeping manufacturing alive and buying domestic made merchandise.” You can support this great cause, and buy some quality made in American-made products, by going here. Steve Strauss, @Steve Strauss on Twitter, is a lawyer specializing in small business and entrepreneurship. E-mail Steve at: [email protected]. His website...
Handyman, ‘Cheers’ and Pixar star John Ratzenberger visits Made in America stores
Interview by Joshua Maloni. View full article online >> John Ratzenberger’s reason for getting into acting was simple. “You didn’t have to pound nails in the middle of August on a rooftop,” he said. “It was indoor work. That’s what attracted me.” Fair enough. But it was those nail-pounding days as a journeyman carpenter in the late 1960s that made Ratzenberger successful at whatever he’s put his hands to, including a starring role as know-it-all mailman Cliff Clavin on “Cheers.” “When I was very, very young, I used to take apart old appliances; always wondered how things worked; and how deep does a telephone pole go into the ground, kind of thing. My curiosity always took me there,” Ratzenberger said in a phone interview Friday. “Luckily, I grew up in a factory town – Bridgeport, Connecticut – and there was a lot of people around me that knew how to do things – knew how to make things and fix things.” Unfortunately, the actor said, “Slowly, you realize that that doesn’t happen anymore. “How many people under 35 years old are handy with a toolbox? Can change their own car tire? Or plant a garden for that matter? I think it might’ve been in the last generation. But that’s what we did. “When we went outside to play, we thought we were playing. But we were actually problem-solving. We were climbing trees, building treehouses, fixing our own bicycles. So, by the time we got to be adults, we were pretty handy. We sort of knew how to use tools. “But we’ve taken that away from our kids 30 years ago when we started cancelling shop classes and home-ec classes. That’s why it’s important to buy things made in America, because the more we manufacture here, the more those skills will stay here.” To that end, Ratzenberger is touting products made locally at the Made in America Store. He will appear at three locations Wednesday, signing men’s, women’s and children’s giftboxes that are bursting with domestically made goods. “Buy a gift for America,” Ratzenberger said. “If you buy it from the Made in America store, these giftboxes, you know, for mom, dad or the kids, whoever it is, you’re helping your neighbors – you’re helping America stay strong, because you’re supporting companies that make things in America.” Ratzenberger said buying products made overseas may save one a couple dollars now, but will ultimately lead to a loss of U.S. jobs, businesses, business locations and tax money. In promoting Ratzenberger’s appearance, Made in America founder Mark Andol said, “My business grew rapidly until we were caught in the crosshairs between the...
Every Pixar Movie Character John Ratzenberger has Played
If you’re a fan of Pixar movies such as Toy Story and The Incredibles, you may have noticed a familiar voice. John Ratzenberger has been in every single Pixar movie to date, starting with Toy Story in 1995 and continuing all the way through the next Finding Nemo movie. Click here to view the full list with photos of all of John Ratzenberger’s characters >> Writer/producer Andrew Stanton said they had so much fun hanging out with him at the first Toy Story press junkets, they decided to work with him as much as possible in the future. And director Pete Docter just thinks Ratzenberger’s vocal work is recognizable. “He’s someone so clear, I know that guy after only two lines of dialogue. Having him in every film is like our Hitchcock...
Cheers Vet John Ratzenberger to Play Ball With CBS’ The McCarthys
John Ratzenberger is saying “Cheers” to The McCarthys. The TV vet has landed a potentially recurring role on CBS’ freshman sitcom, TVLine has learned exclusively. The McCarthys centers on openly gay (and athletically challenged) Ronny, who is hired as the assistant to his father, a high-school basketball coach. Ratzenberger will play Charlie Ellis, the school’s athletics director. In addition to playing Cliff Clavin on Cheers from 1982 to 1993, Ratzenberger has also landed recurring roles on 8 Simple Rules, Legit and Drop Dead Diva. The McCarthys premieres Thursday, Oct. 30, at 9:30/8:30c on...
Former ‘Cheers’ Star Advocates for Manufacturing Jobs
When John Ratzenberger spoke at the Wentworth By The Sea Hotel, it was about a topic he feels very passionate about, that being how important it is for this country to recognize the need for, and to provide the training to produce skilled laborers. Before he was a star on the sitcom “Cheers,” and before he went on to other roles that included being a voice in every Pixar movie ever made, Ratzenberger had a number of jobs, among them as a journeyed carpenter. His most recent stint has been as the producer and star of the show “Made in America,” featured on the Travel Channel. “My mother used to give us old radios and toasters, with the cords cut off,” said Ratzenberger. “She told us to take them apart. Growing up, everyone we knew could make something, knew how to fix things. We are losing that and we need to get it back.” Ratzenberger was the featured speaker at Great Bay Community College’s “Advanced Manufacturing’s Night Out,” their third annual Distinguished Leaders Awards night and fundraiser. Proceeds from the annual event, about $400,000, go to support scholarships for Great Bay Community College students enrolled at the college’s Portsmouth campus and its new Advanced Technology & Academic Center in Rochester, which offers industry-based programs in advanced composites manufacturing developed in partnership with Albany Engineered Composites and Safran Aerospace Composites. To date, 168 students have received over $335,500 in scholarship from funds raised at the annual event. Ratzenberger talked about growing up in a thriving factory town. He likened the sights and sounds of his childhood to the crickets and bullfrogs of a farm family’s life. “Kids today are not making things,” he said. “Instead they are going to college to get degrees and can’t get a job. There are plenty of jobs out there. We just need to teach kids the skills. Many today, do not even know how to use simple tools, hammers and screwdrivers. Manufacturers say they can’t even read a ruler. How are they going to build airplanes?” The average age of today’s skilled laborer is 58, said Ratzenberger. He wonders what will happen when they all retire. “I did a talk at a high school and asked how many were going to college,” said Ratzenberger. “Everyone raised their hand, except one boy. I asked what he was going to do and he said he was going to be an auto mechanic. The kids laughed. I said laugh, but you are going to college and will come out in great debt. He will already own a house and you will be paying him to fix your...
In the News: Screen star John Ratzenberger stumps for Tripp
This article was written by Donald Eng and published on TheValleyGazette.com on October 21, 2014. Click here to read the full article online. The Phil Tripp Senate campaign brought in a familiar face (and voice) to drum up support for his campaign Monday, with actor John Ratzenberger the guest of honor at a meet-and-greet at Ansonia’s St. Sebastian Club. Ratzenberger is best known for his portrayal of postal worker Cliff Clavin in the long-running show Cheers. He also has voiced numerous characters in Pixar movies Toy Story and Cars, and hosts the Travel Channel show Made in America, a documentary series that takes viewers inside modern factories. During the two-hour event, Ratzenberger shook hands with fans of all ages, speaking to children in his Pixar character voices and spending time speaking to veterans about how humbling it was to portray military men in such movies as A Bridge Too Far and Yanks. Ratzenberger said he supported Tripp because the two shared a common outlook, particularly about the role of industry in the state and national economy. “He’s like Mr. Made in America,” Raztenberger said. “He’s a big supporter of trade schools, and that’s the real strength of America, our manufacturing base.” Tripp’s life experience also was attractive to Ratzenberger. “He’s not like a lot of politicians that have a background in theory. Phil comes from a place that’s real,” Ratzenberger said. “He’s a lietenant colonel that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It doesn’t get any more real than...