Charley the Tuna
Charley the Tuna is the mascot of the Starkist brand of tuna products, serving as its spokesfish since he was created by the Leo Burnet advertising company in 1961. Originally voiced by actor Herschel Bernardi, Charlie was used to market Starkist products until he was retired in the 1980s after appearing in more than eighty advertisements. He was revived in 1999 and is still being used as the primary advertising vehicle today.
Charley was created by Burnet advertising executive Tom Rogers, who used his friend Henry Nemo as the inspiration for Charley’s manner and style of speech. Nemo was a songwriter, musician, and occasional film actor who has been referred to as the creator of jive. In the 1947 film Song of the Thin Man Nemo performed a scene in which he demonstrated this style.
Nemo performed at New York’s famous Cotton Club in the 1930s, working with others including Duke Ellington. Ellington once sent Nemo a telegram written in jive, which is preserved as part of Nemo’s extensive collection of recordings, sheet music, and other memorabilia from the era. Nemo also composed with Ellington.
In the course of his career of more than sixty years, Nemo worked with luminaries such as Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, and Artie Shaw. He contributed songs and/or lyrics films and Broadway shows, and also wrote incidental (background) music for some productions.
In the early 1940s Nemo formed a 19 piece band featuring four singers, all of whom were Chinese. In advertising for appearances with this ensemble Nemo used his nickname, “the Neme” in the slogan “Hit the beam with the Neme.” Video of some of his performances is available today, and his composition, Tis Autumn, has become a standard. Lena Horne had a major hit with his song Don’t Take Your Love From Me when she recorded it with Artie Shaw in 1941.