Against the Grain by: Andy Sullivan
It’s Hot Don. Everyone says that phrase these days as summer rolls around. Do you know where the phrase originated? Flash back 25 years ago to Evansville car dealership owner Don Moore. “Typical TV spots are 30 seconds long”, begins Moore. “It was in the Summer of either ’86 or ’87. We had finished a spot that ran 25.5 seconds. Don Aldridge and I were doing post-edit and the spot was (4.5 seconds) too short”. Moore was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Aldridge said “give me your shirt”. “He was a lot bigger than me, but he put it on and put an orange filter over the lights so it would look like the sun. He looked like he was burning up and miserable. And he said “It’s hot Don!”
“He had me put the shirt back on and say, “You can say that again.” Moore said that nobody remembered anything else about the spot except for the catchphrase. The phrase has become so popular that they had to copyright it. “We had to because some other companies were using it in their radio spots.” For Moore, the phrase is guaranteed free advertisement as long as the hot weather lasts.
In fact, the company’s website is www.itshotdon.com. Well, it was. I typed it in and it takes you to the new site name, www.mooredeals.com. What makes it even funnier is that, since my dad’s name is Don, it’s not uncommon to hear people say “It’s Hot Don” to him! So, if you find yourself saying “It’s Hot, Don”, in everyday conversation, you have Don Moore and Don Aldridge to thank.
Hello, my name is Andy Sullivan. I received my bachelor’s degree in business from Mid-Continent University in May 2009. I began writing for Beech Tree News in July 2009. I enjoy playing guitar, the occasional Wii game, writing, and listening to music. I write a sports blog that can be found at http://www.tumblr.com/blog/sports-news-and-views. If you have a comment, feel free to leave it in the space below.
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