Betty Furness-whose first regular television appearances were in I945 and whose last were in 1992--enjoyed one of the most diverse, remarkable careers in U.S. television, both as a commercial spokeswoman and, later, as a pioneering consumer reporter.

     Born Elizabeth Mary Furness in New York City in 1916, Furness was raised in upper-class fashion by a Park Avenue family. Her first job was in 1930 when, at the age of 14, she began modeling for the Powers Agency. Her pert and pretty looks, and her educated speaking voice, soon gained the attention of Hollywood. She was signed by RKO movie studios in 1932 and moved with her mother to California. While taking her senior year of school on the studio lot, Furness starred in her first film. She would go on to act in more than 30 films, the majority of them forgettable. After seeking greater fulfillment in stage roles on the West Coast, and after the birth of her daughter and the failure of her first marriage, Furness journeyed with her daughter to New York, hoping to land theater parts. A self-described "out of work actress," Furness found herself able and willing to break into the very infant medium of television.

     For a few months in the spring of 1945, Furness endured the blistering heat of the lights needed to illuminate the set, and the inconveniences of other primitive technologies, to host DuMont's Fashions Coming and Becoming. By 1948 she was in front of the television cameras again, as an actress for an episode of Studio One, an anthology program sponsored by Westinghouse appliances. In that era of live television, many commercials were also done live, frequently performed to the side of the main set. Furness was unimpressed with the actor hired to perform the commercial and offered to take a stab at it. Company executives were impressed and offered her $150 per week to pitch their products. Following her philosophy of never turning down a job, Furness signed on.

     At this point in the history of television, audiences had not yet grown jaded about TV commercials and the people who appeared in them. Furness's blend of "soft sell" and common sense was soon moving the merchandise. Her delivery was always smooth and memorable (she refused cue cards), her tone pleasant and direct, and her look pretty and approachable. In little time, the company signed her to be its sole pitch­ woman, and soon her pitches were selling out stores and she was receiving, on average, 1,000 pieces of fan mail a week.

     Furness's place in the popular culture canon was assured after her work for Westinghouse at the 1952 national political conventions. Westinghouse was the conventions' sole sponsor, and, as the company spokesperson, Furness was in every ad. By the end of the conventions, she had logged more airtime than any speaker from either party and made her tagline, "You can be SURE if it's Westinghouse," into a national catchphrase. From January to July 1953, Furness hosted Meet Betty Furness, a lively, informative daily talk show-sponsored by Westinghouse-on NBC. Later she acted as hostess on the Westinghouse­ sponsored Best of Broadway and made regular appearances on What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret.

     Furness's affiliation with Westinghouse ended (by mutual agreement) in 1960. Though financially well­ off, Furness wanted to keep working. She attempted to obtain jobs at the networks as an interviewer but found the going rough. Furness was facing the challenge of putting her commercialized past behind her-an experience shared by Hugh Downs and Mike Wallace. While waiting for another break in TV, Furness worked in radio and for Democratic political causes. She also entered the last of her three marriages when she married news producer Leslie Midgely in 1967.

     While preparing for that wedding, Furness received a call from President Lyndon B. Johnson. Familiar with her work on behalf of Democrats, and impressed with her work ethic, Johnson offered her the job of special assistant for consumer affairs. Furness, again following her job philosophy, took the position and with it transformed herself from actor-spokeswoman into political figure. She later recalled it as the best decision of her life.

     Still in the public mind as the "Westinghouse lady," consumer groups voiced criticism of her appointment. However, Furness threw herself into learning consumer issues, testifying before Congress, and traveling the country. Within the year she had silenced her critics and won over such forces as Ralph Nader and the influential consumer affairs magazine Consumer Reports. Furness held her White House position until the end of the Johnson administration in 1969. Later she headed the consumer affairs departments of both New York City and New York State. Then she reentered broadcasting for the second act of her television career. She was signed by WNBC in New York specifically to cover consumer issues, the first full-time assignment of its kind. At age 58, Furness found herself pioneering a new type of TV journalism.

     Over the next 18 years, Furness took a hard line against consumer fraud and business abuse. Her reports criticized Macy's and Sears department stores, and the women's clothing chain Lane Bryant, among other businesses. She was also the first to report on the Cabbage Patch Doll craze and on defective Audi automobiles. In I 977 her local show Buyline: Betty Fur­ ness won the Peabody Award.

     Earlier, in 1976, Furness filled in as co-host on Today, between the tenures of Barbara Walters and Jane Pauley. From that time on, she contributed regular consumerist pieces to the program. Furness made her last TV appearances in 1992. Since battling cancer in 1990, Furness had abbreviated her workweek to four days. NBC used that reason to oust her, and she was given notice in March in one of the most blatant examples of ageism in media history. Both Today and WNBC aired tributes to her during her last week, but Furness did not keep her frustration out of the press, nor did she hide her desire to keep working. A reemergence of cancer prevented the resumption of her career, however, and she passed away in April 1994.

     It is hard to place Furness's career in a historical context because it was so eccentrically one of a kind. Of the legions who pitched products from the 1950s and 1960s, hers remains the only name still very much a part of popular history. In her movement from political insider to TV commentator, she laid the groundwork for Diane Sawyer and Mary Matalin. In her work as a consumer advocate, she predated John Stossel and others who have since adopted that as their beat.

     In assessing the career of Furness, one stumbles upon a feminist retelling of the Cinderella story: a smart, savvy woman who turned her back on TV make-believe and soft sell to embrace hard news and tough issues. That one individual's life encompasses such breadth and depth speaks well not only for the far-reaching talents of one woman but also for the progression of women's roles in the latter half of the 20th century and for the dynamic development of television.