Joe Sedelmaier, 1933 – 2026

TV commercial writer and director Joe Sedelmaier, 92, died on May 8. Working at at Young & Rubicam and J. Walter Thompson, Sedelmaier was the brain behind Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?!” ad, and the Fed-Ex “fast-talking guy” (the stars of which were Clara Peller and John Moschitta, Jr., respectively). The Wendy’s “Russian Fashion Show” was another spot that always made me laugh (though I must add, neither the fashion show nor Clara Peller got me to actually eat at Wendy’s). His other clients included Godfather’s Pizza, Alaska Airlines, and Smokehouse Steak Sauce. Sedelmaier told AdAge, “What’s the idea behind ‘Where’s the Beef?’ Very little. … We’re saying we have more meat than the other person. OK, but what made the spot work was Clara. And if some other older woman said it, forget about it. Clara made that spot and so often this is what I’m talking about—casting, you’ve got to be involved in the casting. Humor doesn’t come from funny lines. It comes from the situation. In ‘Fast Talking Man,’ it’s all the other people trying to keep up, trying to keep their cool. That’s funny. … To me, it’s not funny when a guy slips on a banana peel. What’s funny is trying to pretend that you didn’t trip up.”