NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's been nearly 50 years since a certain commercial hit the air. If you lived in Tennessee at the time, I bet you remember it. Well, that classic commercial is getting something of a renaissance.
People in Nashville tend to wear many hats. I mean that both literally and figuratively.
Take Jenny Littleton. She's a singer, voice-over artist, tour guide, fitness instructor, theater actress, and radio personality.
"I used to do this show here; The Doyle and Debbie Show," Jenny said.
Jenny does many gigs, meaning she wears many hats. Jenny has just been asked to wear another hat.
"When they said, 'We thought of you!', I didn't know how to take that," she laughed.
To explain the new gig, we're going to need to go back a bit. In 1976, the Tennessee Department of Transportation rolled out a commercial looking to take on littering. It showed a man driving down the road, gleefully throwing trash onto the road.
Now, the Nashville Department of Transportation is doing a sort of sequel to that 1976 commercial. The idea is: What if that guy in the original commercial had a daughter?
Jenny is playing that daughter: Trashley. During the commercial shoot, I decided to sit down with Trashley in character for a little trash talk.
"My name's Trashley," she said. "What is it that they call you?"
"Forrest?"
"Oh, Forrest. Yeah, I saw that movie."
"What do you think people say when they drive by and see all this trash you've put there?" I asked Trashley.
"I think they say, 'I give that an A+!'"
The new commercial shows Trashley plowing over trash cans in her truck and flinging trash from the windows. See, Trashley sees herself as a sort of da Vinci, but her art is trash.
"Trashley, is it that hard to find a trash can?" I asked her.
"That ain't no fun," Trashley answered.
"What would it take to get you to change?"
"Change what?"
"All this trash you're putting everywhere!"
"That ain't gonna happen."
The new commercial even features a cameo by Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell.
"What's your motivation in this scene?" I asked him on the set.
"I am expressing dismay that someone would litter on our great streets of Nashville!" he answered. "We have responsibility just as individuals to keep our streets clean."
In the commercial, Trashley's truck pulls by the mayor as she tosses trash out of the window.
Between the back story and the character's sheer gall, Jenny's never worn a hat quite like Trashley's.
"It was kinda fun," she laughed. "It's been great to get to be a jerk for a good cause!"
"Don't give a hoot! Pollute!" Trashley said.
If this can get someone to throw away their trash, then, hats off to you, Trashley.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Owning a small business is not for the faint of heart, especially in this economy. Jason Lamb's story with Uncle Pete reminds us of where our dollars are spent truly impacts our community and neighbors. But beware -- you'll be hungry for some home cookin' after watching this story!
-Carrie Sharp
