(submitted by http://enteejameela.tumblr.com/)
My grandmother, Lucille Schroeder, was the original “Mabel Black Label” when Carling Black Label beer was here in Cleveland. According to the website “Hey Mabel Black Label”, “Mabel” has been an integral part of Carling Black Label. Even on the Pabst.com web site today, Mabel is still there with her tray of Black Labels and that lovely smile.Since then, millions of people through the United States and abroad have acquired a speaking acquaintance with “Mabel”. The Carling Brewing Company credited her with playing a significant role in its rapid, steady climb from the ranks of the also-rans to leadership in sales of beer and ale.The consumers attention captured by the simple rhyme, beer drinkers by the thousands tried Carling Black Label Beer and found they liked it. They bought more Black Label, and Black Label sales began their spectacular growth.
My parents provided the web site with a background story on my grandmother:
“Lucille was a receptionist at WXEL Television Channel 9 in the early 1950’’s when she caught the eye of the news director Chuck Ranallo. Lucille was a divorced mother of a son Lee who also supplemented her income doing some modeling.Chuck had already failed in getting Lucille out on a date but convinced her to audition for the Mabel role with the sports announcer,John Fitzgerald. The president of Carlings,Ian Dowie, was brought in and agreed that Lucille should be the very first Mabel. The commercials were an immediate success and romance eventually did bloom between Chuck and Lucille. They were to eventually marry and I believe she stepped down as Mabel wanting to instead settle into married life and not go on national tour as Mabel.”
http://heymabelblacklabel.com/id39.htm