Produced by John Paris, Pat Paris, Jennifer Paris
Directed by John Paris and Gabriel Ramirez
Andy Paris was the son of Greek immigrants who became one of the most revered and well-known businessmen of the World War Two era.
Coming from a family who ran a tobacconist and candy shop, Paris was a natural fit to become the head of a bubble gum empire.
During World War Two when ingredients were rationed treats like candy and gum became harder to come by so Andy Paris used his business and language skills to make a deal to import products and ingredients from Mexico.
Originally simply producing his product in Mexico but later opening a production plant in Texas for many years Paris Bubble Gum was the leading supplier of bubble gum to the United States.
His meteoric rise led him to rub elbows with Hollywood stars and become a celebrity all his own. But unfortunately this kind of success sometimes brings unwanted attention and Paris Bubble Gum unfortunately fell under the suspicion of the I.R.S., which signaled the beginning of the end for the bubble gum giant.
Andy Paris: Bubble Gum King is a very informative and entertaining documentary about a figure that has been pretty much forgotten by popular culture. I found the wealth of historical context and anecdotes provided by interviews with people who worked for Mr. Paris as well as the impressive amount of pictures and articles presented about Paris and his business, he was after all at one point the most photographed man in the country.
At times the documentary seems to loose track of any format and get on a tangent, but overall I found it an interesting look at a historical personality and business that I knew nothing about. I would say that Andy Paris: Bubble Gum King is well worth the time of anyone interested in the subject.
Andy Paris: Bubblegum King is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD.
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