There's no denying that the Magic Bullet deserves a place in the pantheon of great infomercials, sharing company with the Ronco Electric Food Dehydrator and the Showtime Rotisserie. After its launch, the infomercial for the Magic Bullet quickly gained popularity beyond the usual audience for paid programming: invalids, the elderly and people with dead batteries in their remote controls. It became a mainstay on early  Saturday and Sunday mornings, taunting its hungover viewers with promises of 10-second omelets and muffins. The siren song that comes from the Magic Bullet infomercial is so strong that it is nearly impossible to turn off, no matter how many times I've seen it before. After about a dozen viewings I came to the realization that the only thing that kicked more ass than the Magic Bullet was the infomercial for the Magic Bullet.

And the more I watched the Magic Bullet infomerical, the more I came to appreciate it. Like the complex story line of a (possibly swinging) couple that needed to juggle all the needs of their eclectic guests in order to ensure a successful brunch (that possibly capped off a wild, no-holds-barred key party.) And how the actors managed to take their one-note characters and stretch them into two-, sometimes three-note characters.

 

This talented collection of actors really made me believe that they had to have this wonderful invention. Did I detect a hint of jealousy among the house guests? Or was that just the smell of the alfredo sauce warming up in the microwave? I'll never know for sure, because the director left some loose ends untied, which was a bold move, but one that paid off.

 

Of course, the star of the production was the party host and inventor of the Magic Bullet, Mick Hastie. With his confident manner, charming accent and witty banter, Mick worked his way through the kitchen, feeding his guests while also teaching them about the three different blades that come with the apparatus. All that without even breaking a sweat. Suffice to say, I became a fan of his.

So, I did what any fan would do; I tried to write Mick Hastie a fan letter. I began my search for contact information by exploring the Magic Bullet website, but there was only general info on the product itself, no way to get a hold of Mick or his agency. I settled on sending an email to their customer support center to see if they could answer any of my other questions concerning the infomercial. Here is that email:

From: Jim
To: customerservice@homelandhousewares.com
Subject: The Magic Bullet Infomercial

Hello,

I am trying to find casting info for "The Magic Bullet" infomercial and for Mick Hastie.
Is there anyway you could give me a cast list of the actors who worked
in "The Magic Bullet" project? Specifically, I am interested in the
actor who played Berman, the drunk with a heart of gold, and Hazel,
the pack-a-day smoker who has seen it all. I have searched the
internet in vain to find any morsel of info on these two under
appreciated actors.

If for some reason you can't pass any pertinent information to me,
hopefully you can answer the following questions for me:

1. Was the guy who played Berman a "method" actor? (I'm making a
drinking motion as I type this)

2. Does the lady who played Hazel really have an accent? Did she ever
consider taking the character in a different direction? ( i.e. wearing
a robe instead of a muu-muu)

3. Why didn't Mick Hastie use his "Perfect Omelet Maker" after he
mixed the eggs in "The Magic Bullet?" Are we to assume that "The
Magic Bullet" surpasses The Perfect Omelet Maker in ease of use and,
dare I say, perfection?

4. Was the premise of the commercial a take off of "The Big Chill"?
That'd be pretty morbid if all those guys had such a good time making
nachos in light of their friend dying.

5. Any off-screen romances?

Thanks for your time, and congratulations on the fine work you all
did. "The Magic Bullet" is truly a classic infomercial and will leave
quite a legacy.

-Jim
------

Other than a automatic response saying they received my email, I never heard back from them. I tried again, this time to the production company that produced the infomercial. I sent them an email similar to one above and again got no response. So I wrote them another email:

From: Jim
To: info@csquaredproductions.com
Subject: Magic Bullet Info

Hello,

A while back I tried contacting your company in regards to production
work they did on an infomercial featuring the revolutionary Magic
Bullet. I have yet to hear any reply back. I realize that the day to
day operations of infomercial production is quite hectic, so I'm not
upset that my questions have thus far gone unanswered. But if someone
could find the time to get back to me, or put me in contact with
someone who could be of service, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm not
looking to discuss trade secrets or anything like that, I just would
like to find as much information as possible about the Magic Bullet.

-Jim

p.s. - Does everyone at your company get a discounted or free Magic
Bullet for all the heart and soul you put into the making of the best
infomercial ever produced? Because you should have.

-----

Still, nothing in return. No response at all. Apparently no one working in customer service at C Squared Productions could take the time to write me an email. A simple "I don't know" or "Beat it, geek" would have been better than silence.

 

I had to take it a step further. I contacted the production company that produced the Perfect Omelet infomercial, which was hosted by the inventor of the Perfect Omelet, Mick Hastie. With this email, I took a different approach and tried to show them how important it was for them to provide me with contact info for Mick Hastie. I don't think it worked. Weeks have gone by and I haven't heard a peep back from any of the people I sent the email to. For posterity, here is the final email:

From: Jim
To: arobbins@t2.tv
Bcc: pmeyer@t2.tv, lweitzel@t2.tv
Subject: Production Info

Hello,

I am trying to find casting and contact info for an infomercial I
believe your company produced. The infomercial was entitled "The
Perfect Omelet" and featured Mick Hastie. You may know him from
such other infomercials as "The Red Devil Grill" and "The Magic
Bullet." He has also been known to appear on various home shopping
channels peddling other wares.

Unfortunately, those are the only points of reference I can use to try
and identify him and familiarize you with him. Which is the reason I
am writing to you. I'm hoping your company has information on

how to contact Mr. Hastie. I have scoured the internet looking for
contact info for him or for his company and I have come up empty.
From what I can gather (or can't gather, actually) the man has never
done a single interview with any media outlet. How unbelievable is
that? I mean, Ron Popeil was interviewed by Larry King on national

television, and all he ever did was dry out some fruit and spray paint

on the bald spots of desperate men. Yet, Mick, the man who invented products

that are both "magic" AND "perfect," is, to this day, being ignored.

Magical perfection doesn't pique the public's interest
anymore? My, have we become cynical.

Anyway, I'm trying to do my part in getting Mr. Hastie the credit and
accolades he deserves. For too long he has been an enigma wrapped in
a puzzle cloaked by an affable English accent. That needs to change,
and I hope you are the person that can help me initiate that change.
So if you have any info or know of anyone who you think might be of
some assistance please let me know.

Thanks for your time.

-Jim
----