Finger Lickin' Kentucky Fried Chicken - Life in America

[Music] before kentucky fried chicken became a household name and one of the largest fast food chains in the country its founder colonel harlan sanders was living a storied life that was all about reinvention [Music] sanders was born in 1890 and spent much of his early life drifting across southern states and working random jobs during this time he worked as a steamboat pilot an insurance salesman and even a farmer sanders also served in the army as a young man in 1930 when sanders was 40 years old and broke he began running a shell service station in corbyn kentucky this is also where he began to serve his classic southern fried chicken to travelers sanders spent three years perfecting his 11 herbs and spices recipe where he used pressure cookers to quickly fry up the famous chicken [Music] sanders was a tough guy and was known for his salty language during his time running the gas station sanders would paint barn signs to advertise this irritated another gas station owner and it led to a shootout where sanders defended himself by shooting his rival in the shoulder over the next decade the popularity of sanders chicken grew so much so that the governor of kentucky bestowed upon harlan sanders the title of colonel in recognition of his contributions to the state's cuisine from this point on he was referred to as colonel sanders sanders embraced the part and began donning his famous white suit with a string tie anytime he was in public in 1952 and at the age of 62 the colonel struck a deal with his friend pete harmon who owned the dewdrop inn in salt lake city utah with the handshake colonel sanders and pete harmon started the first kentucky fried chicken franchise it was in this restaurant that the slogan finger licking good was used for the first time and the famous kfc bucket first appeared [Music] colonel sanders then sold his corbin restaurant making just enough to pay all of his bills and he hit the road looking for other restaurants to sell his famous chicken by 1959 the colonel had made over 200 franchise [Music] deals by 1963 sanders was 73 years old and fielding franchise requests all over the country there were over 600 restaurants at this point and the colonel began to consider slowing down he was approached by investors to sell his company and after weeks of persuasion colonel sanders sold his rights for 2 million dollars and a lifetime salary of 40 000 which was later upped to 75 000. he also received a seat on the board a majority ownership in kfc canada and would continue serving as the face of kentucky fried chicken [Music] colonel sanders traveled over 250 000 miles per year visiting kfc locations and promoting the brand he was named the second most recognizable celebrity in the world in 1976 which goes to show how busy the man was [Music] at one point colonel sanders sued his former company because he felt the food had declined sanders had opened another restaurant with his wife called the colonel's ladies dinner house and was pursuing franchising because he was so dissatisfied with the food from his former restaurant kfc tried to block his plan to franchise the new restaurant so sanders sued for 122 million dollars and he settled for a million he was also given a chance to give executives at kfc a cooking lesson to correct the food problems [Music] in 1980 at the age of 90 years old colonel harlan sanders was diagnosed with leukemia six months later he died from pneumonia on december 16 1980. sanders was buried in louisville kentucky with over 1 000 people in attendance at the time of his death there were over 6 000 locations in 48 countries worldwide [Music] the cornerstone of the kfc empire has always been the recipe for the famous chicken the original handwritten 11 herbs and spices recipe is so valued that it is kept in a secured vault in kfc's louisville headquarters today the kfc brand is owned by yum brands and is often partnered with pizza hut or taco bell the kfc franchise is the second largest restaurant chain in the world behind mcdonald's the colonel has remained the central figure of the brand and is often seen in commercials played by various actors comedians and musicians the menu has also evolved over time the famous bucket of chicken is still the most ordered item but they have also introduced chicken sandwiches tenders and their famous philip bowl recently kfc even introduced french fries to their menu [Music] the familiar character we know from the side of a kfc bucket has become a fast food icon the entrepreneurial spirit of colonel harlan sanders should be an inspiration to all of us he brought chicken from the back of a gas station to the tables of millions of people around the world that's truly a remarkable legacy you

Channel: Recollection Road

Views: 122,814

Keywords: Recollection Road, nostalgia, memories, photos, history, closed, forgotten, business, past, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, memory, yesteryear, golden age, photo album, oldies, fifties, sixties, abandoned, 20th century, kfc, colonel sanders, harland sanders, kentucky, kentucky fried chicken, fast food, bucket, bucket of chicken, finger lickin, finger lickin good, fillup, colonel, chicken, fried chicken

Id: 7zRMdN4M8oo

Length: 8min 5sec (485 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 05 2021