Iron Eyes Cody and Lady Bird

[riverwalker]

When I heard the news of Lady Birds passing, I thought of Iron Eyes Cody, forever known as "the weeping Indian" of the anti-pollution commercial. For those of us "of a certain age" the now famous and stunning PSA which aired on the first Earth Day in 1970 started a revolution. Without Lady Bird, there would not have been a Keep America Beautiful movement which led to the first Earth Day, which in turn led to the beginnings of the EPA or the passage of the Clean Air Act. Lady Bird was very environmentally active in quiet and humble ways, behind the scenes. She would get things done, promote laws, and declined the credit. As first lady she would take rafting trips into wilderness areas to learn about preservation!. This is incredible for the sixties. Many of these things I was not aware of until tonight but I am now aware of what a national treasure she was.

Iron Eyes Cody:
http://americaremembers.com/Products/IECTRI/IECTRI_info.htm

[Mind_your_head]

1. First Ladies 'used' to be more than 'political hacks' for their men......

RIP Lady Bird.

[XOKCowboy]

2. She was a great lady. You're forgetting her biggest contribution though..

She was a calming influence and possibly a voice of reason to LBJ when he was going through a hard time with Vietnam. I had/have a tremendous amount of respect for her.

[dysfunctional press]

3. iron eyes cody...? oh- you mean espera dicorti-

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mindiantear.html

...According to an article in the April 8 Los Angeles New Times, the entire persona was exacty that--merely a persona. "Iron Eyes" Cody was actually Espera DiCorti, born of two Italian immigrants in Gueydan, Louisiana. DiCorti had loved playing Indians as a child and always said he was going to be an actor one day. After a move to Texas, he shortened his name to Cody and headed off for Los Angeles to make his fortune. According to Mae Abshire Duhon, his only living sibling, "The next thing we heard was that he had turned Indian."

The story is verified by a 1996 article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune that also established Cody's Italian-American roots. Apparently, it was a not-so-closely guarded secret around the Gueydan community where he grew up. None of the wire sevices picked up the article, so it remained a local historical curiosity rather than becoming a nationwide story. In fact, because of the local notoriety, folks in Gueydan seemed more interested in supporting the fictional legacy of "Iron Eyes" Cody.

In Hollywood, appearance is always more important than reality. Even the tear than ran down his cheek wasn't real; it was glycerine.

[datadiva]

7. Well, whatever it was

It got my attention. I was never conservation conscious until then.

[H2O Man]

10. It was still

a good commercial. A funny thing was that when making the commercial, the role came down to two "finalists." One was Iron Eyes, the other was someone I was friends with. Those who made the final decision felt that Cody looked "more Indian," whatever the heck that means. But there were no hard feelings, because it was an important commercial.

The only real "problem" with it, as some pointed out, was that it may have put too much focus on the individuals who threw trash on the ground, rather than the industries that caused more severe environmental damage.

[Bitwit1234]

4. She truly had class.

A person does not have class because they are rich and famous. They have class because of what they do and how they conduct themselves.

Could anybody in their wildest dreams say Laura Bush has class. She is a perfect person for bush they both deserve each other.

[AlGore-08.com]

5. The "Keep America Beautiful" PSA with Iron Eyes Cody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3QKvEy0AIk

[lpbk2713]

6. She did it because it was the right thing to do. Not for recognition.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a First Lady like that today.


Here's to ya, Lady Bird. :patriot:

[dysfunctional press]

8. she was disparaged recently on an episode of "big love" on hbo...

the main characters have one of their billboards defaced, and when they go to the billboard company's headquarters to speak to the ceo about it, he has a picture of ladybird mounted above the garbage can so that he can throw things at her, and constantly refers to her as 'old pruneface'. he explains his hatred for her being because her highway beautification work almost destroyed the billboard industry...

i wonder how that actor feels today?

btw- in the episode, bill paxton's character comes to ladybird's defense, and he admonishes the ceo for his disparagement.

[a kennedy]

9. Just heard on "The Black Eagle" radio program that

Lady Bird pushed the "war on poverty" title to her husband. Was mentioned in their bottom of the hour news. :patriot: