Finding Michael Vale

Sam Breakstone is proving to be an elusive target.  But the man who portrayed him is a little more accessible.

It's actor Michael Vale.  You probably know him better like this:

He was Fred the Baker for fifteen straight years of Dunkin Donuts commercials.  It's hard to find a longer-running ad campaign that featured live actors.  Absolut Vodka has been running the same campaign since 1980.  But there print ads star a bottle ... a bottle that doesn't age.  Or star in The Graduate.

Vale was born in Brooklyn in 1922, the son of non-practicing Eastern European Jews.  Even as a child, his friends called him "the actor."  He served in the European theater in World War II. He went on to study acting at the Dramatic Workshop in New York City.  He appeared on Broadway in plays like California Suite and in films like this one:

Hey, it's my second Dustin Hoffman reference!

But Vale was best known for his acting in more than 1,300 television commercials.  Vale passed away in 2005 at the age of 83.  But I had the good fortune of speaking to his wife, Nancy.  I also traded emails with his daughter, Ivy.

Visit here to learn about the fine charity
supported by the Vale family.

What emerged was a picture of a devoted family man who enjoyed his work.  Mrs. Vale told me that Michael liked doing the Breakstone's commercials for several reasons.  First, he really was a fan of the products.  She called him a foodie who felt good about the quality of the foods he was selling.

She remembered a food show on the Chelsea Piers when he was asked by the marketing firm to make an appearance.  At the end  of the event, they were throwing away unused product.  Michael came back to their apartment carrying two 40-gallon containers of Breakstone's sour cream.  

Another reason Michael was happy with Breakstone's was that he respected the ad agency doing the campaign, Geers Gross.  In fact, he felt a lot of mutual respect.  Michael found that the agency was very responsive to his needs and opinions as an actor.  

The Internet seems to think this
is Nancy Vale, too.

Vale even liked the little dog who would bite at his cuffs at the end of every commercial.  He overcame an terrible allergy to pets before starring in a dog food commercial, and then being harassed by one for the length of the Breakstone's run.  Though they went through several dogs, Nancy remembers the first one as being very smart.  They called him "Jack the nipper."  At one point, Vale was bitten by one of the Breakstone's dogs.  According to his wife, he blamed himself completely.  But after that, he wore padding under his costume.

Vale taught seminars in commercial acting, especially how to audition for commercials.  He spoke of capturing the product in a very intense way.  It appears to have worked.  He was believable and relatible in his ads, while delivering the main marketing message - our sour cream has a historic pedigree; we work tirelessly to make fresh donuts for you every morning.

Both Nancy Vale and her her daughter Ivy (with whom I've traded emails), spoke with great fondness for Michael.  They both agree that he loved his fans and that he was warm and generous with his time.

The Vale's children both stayed in the arts.  And Nancy Vale says that's how they wanted it to be.  They prayed and hoped their children wouldn't be doctors or lawyers (which hurt my lawyer feelings a little).  Their son is a writer and dealer in Rock and Roll memorabilia. in Los Angeles.  Their daughter, Ivy, and her husband, Rick Reil, are musicians.  Their band, The Wyld Old Souls, just released a new album.

Go to the CD Release Party June 11 in New York City

The reason I embarked upon this project was because Michael Vale made me believe in Sam Breakstone.  He did his job superbly.  It was gratifying to know that the warmth in his eyes, even as Breakstone, was not an act.  He was as good and loving as I had hoped.

Mrs. Vale has promised to look for some memorabilia of the Breakstone's campaign.  Come back for updates.