Cal Worthington
| Cal Worthington | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Calvin Coolidge Worthington November 27, 1920 Shidler, Oklahoma or Bly, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died |
September 8, 2013 (aged 92) Orland, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Calvin Coolidge Worthington Calvin Worthington Cal Coolidge Worthington |
| Occupation | Car dealer |
| Known for | A long-standing series of offbeat television commercials featuring "my dog Spot" |
| Spouse(s) | four divorces |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Benjamin Franklin Worthington |
| Relatives | 8 siblings |
| Website | calworthingtonford |
| Military career | |
| Service/branch | U.S. Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | c:a 1942-1945 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 390th Bombardment Group |
| Battles/wars | World War II pilot, 29 bombing missions over Germany |
| Awards | |
| Notes | |
Calvin Coolidge "Cal" Worthington (November 27, 1920 – September 8, 2013) was an American car dealer, best known on the West Coast of the United States, and to a more limited extent elsewhere, from minor appearances and parodies in a number of movies. He was best known for his unique radio and television advertisements for the Worthington Dealership Group, most of which began with the announcement "Here's Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!"—though "Spot" was never a dog. Often, Spot was a tiger, a seal, an elephant, a chimpanzee, or a bear. In one ad, "Spot" was a hippopotamus, which Worthington rode in the commercial. On some occasions, "Spot" was a vehicle, such as an airplane that Worthington would be seen standing atop the wings of while airborne. "Spot" was officially retired in the mid-1980s; however he was mentioned occasionally in his later commercials.
According to a profile published in the Sacramento Bee in 1990, Worthington grossed $316.8 million in 1988, making him at the time the largest single owner of a car dealership chain. His advertising agency, named Spot Advertising, had Worthington as its only client and spent $15 million on commercials, the most of any auto dealer at the time. He sold automobiles from 1945 until his death and owned a 24,000-acre (9,700 ha; 38 sq mi) ranch located in Orland, California, north of Sacramento.
Calvin Coolidge Worthington was born on November 27, 1920 in the now-defunct town of Bly, Oklahoma, three weeks after his namesake, Calvin Coolidge, had been elected Vice President of the United States. Worthington grew up in grinding poverty, one of nine children, and dropped out of school at the age of 13. His first job was as a water boy on a road construction crew for 15 cents an hour. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps at age 15.
At the beginning of World War II, Worthington enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant, he was the aerobatics champion at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas. He saw combat as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 390th Bomb Group, flying 29 missions over Germany. He was discharged after the war as a captain. Worthington was awarded the Air Medal five times, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was presented to him by General Jimmy Doolittle.
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Wikipedia