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S31 Ep4: James Beard: America's First Foodie | Clip

Caroline Stuart explains the story of the short-lived James Beard doll

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Caroline Stuart, a friend of James Beard, discovered a doll that was designed to look like James Beard. The toy was only available for a short time, and very few remain today.

Major funding for James Beard: America’s First Foodie is provided by Feast it Forward. Additional funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Art Works.

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Major support for American Masters is provided by AARP. Additional funding is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rosalind P. Walter, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Ellen and James S. Marcus, Vital Projects Fund, Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Cheryl and Philip Milstein Family, The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation and public television viewers.

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TRANSCRIPT

The Associated Press contacted Jim one time and told him that they had seen a Julia Child doll and a James Beard doll.

And they wanted to write a story about it.

And they would love to come down and have him put one on each knee for the photo.

And he had never heard of it.

So he called Julia and Julia had never heard of such a thing either.

And so they contacted their lawyers and I can't remember the company that was selling them but anyway so they stopped it immediately.

And the company said that they assumed that the maker of the of the doll had had permission.

And they liked it.

And they thought it was a good likeness and very well made well. Well, so, of course it was was all stopped. And they said, and in the meantime ,I knew a place in California where these dolls were being sold.

And I called and I asked them if I could buy one of them.

And they said that they weren't supposed to sell them.

But what they would do is to put one in a brown box without any address and mail it to me.

And that's how I got this doll.

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