The Table Cloth...

by Gordon Krantz

The year was 1944, and just three years prior, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor thrust America into World War II. Throughout America, everyone was forced to make sacrifices to help the massive War effort and items were scarce. Many modern luxuries such as ladies’ stockings, household items and even diapers were in short supply and most folks simply learned to do without, or substituted home made items to replace what they could no longer buy in stores. Rationing of most items was the norm, but somehow everyone was able to survive.

Such was the case in the small town of Kingsport in East Tennessee where a young couple (Ann and Bud) were trying to make ends meet and keep food on the table during these troubled times. The couple had a young son of four and a half, plus a second child still in diapers, all of which added to the problems they faced with limited resources available. The young family was more fortunate than some, however, since Bud was in the age group that normally would have been drafted into the military service but had earlier received a job-related deferment from active duty. His employer was one of the few companies chosen to provide Government assistance for a top-secret project. Much of the details centered around the neighboring community of Oak Ridge and a project that would later be identified as the “Manhattan Project”. As a young printer employed by a large commercial printing company, Bud was sometimes on call 24-7 and spent many days and nights working on “top secret” documents. He later revealed that the work he was involved in was so classified that even he had no idea what he was printing or photographing. Most of the time, he related, he would be blindfolded and escorted by armed guards into a dark room, given a document to reproduce, and the document (or photograph) would then be taken by the guard...never to be seen again. The job was demanding and stressful due it’s ‘top-secret nature’, and partly to help ease the stress and hopefully earn additional income, Bud started “free-lancing” as a commercial artist in his limited spare time.

Ann on the other hand, did her share by creating a happy home life for her husband and young family and cutting back wherever possible. She managed to keep the household neat and clean, and always kept a cheerful bright Red and White checkered table cloth (a wedding gift and her pride and joy) on the dining room table. This table because of it’s size, became Bud’s desk at nights when he would come home, spread out his work and do his layouts and designs there on the large family table.

It was no surprise that one evening as Ann returned from shopping, she had no place to put her groceries, since Bud had taken up most of the table with his drawings and designs for a project he was working on at the time. Casually, she asked him if he could move some of his designs so she could find a place to stack the groceries until she could put them up. Naturally, Bud moved his work to one side of the table, leaving a space for the groceries.

Before putting up the food, Ann asked him…”What are you working on?”

“Nothing much”, Bud replied, “some magazine company wants to change the design on their cookbook, and I thought I’d play with it just for the heck of it.” He added, “It’s a national company, and they have people all over the country working on it. I probably don’t have a prayer at coming up with a design they’ll like, but I figured what the heck”.

“That one looks pretty good...” Ann said, glancing down at the pile of layouts and artwork on the table.

“What are you talking about?” Bud replied, “I haven’t even started any designs yet!”

“That one…right there!” as Ann pointed to a clear sheet of plastic with the name of the “magazine” printed in black letters and laying face down on the table.

Both stared at the letters outlined against the table cloth background for a few seconds, until Bud finally said...”Hmmm, you may be right”, as he reached for a pair of scissors laying on the table.

“Oh no you’re not....don’t you even think about it!”, Ann said, as Bud casually drew an outline of the plastic sheet on the table cloth, “that is my best table cloth, and I’ll never find another one like it”.

After many promises to replace the table cloth, Bud was finally able to convince Ann to sacrifice her favorite “Red and White” checkered table cloth… whereupon he proceeded to demolish it by cutting out several small squares to use as background for the design.

The rest is history! Bud turned in his simple design the next day, the magazine loved it, and from that time way back in 1944, the Red and White checkerboard design of the BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS COOKBOOK, has remained basically unchanged, and become the defining trademark of the book, for 60 years an easily recognized American icon found in most every American kitchen.

and as Paul Harvey would say...”Now you know the rest of the story”....

The next time you see a familiar Red and White “checkered” Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook....I hope you handle it with care, cause that’s my Dad’s design and my Mom’s Tablecloth you’re looking at.

Dedicated to my Dad (S. M. “Bud” Krantz), whom I lost in 1990 and to Ann (my Mom)… who until her death last month, still downplayed her role in the design of the cookbook.

“We’ll miss you Mom”

April 2003  

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