by
Mr. Belvedere
This repost from March 27 is the third in our Top 10 countdown of this year's most-read articles, a daily series through New Year's Eve. Links to earlier installments are at the end.
Maurice "Bud" Lezell, aka Mr. Belvedere, who starred in his own home improvement commercials in Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s, died March 26 in Sarasota, Fla, WXYZ reports. He was 95.
Belvedere Construction Inc., on 8 Mile Road in Southfield, was established in 1948.
Lezell was a natural on TV (below), where he encouraged viewers to let his company upgrade their homes.
"You'll look at it, you'll love it and you'll take your time paying for it," he'd proclaim. He memorably ended commercials by saying: "We do good work."
An admirer of that classic branding, Farmington Hills public relations agency partner Mattt Friedman, posts on Facebook: "There's no better way to connect with Metro Detroiters than to be an authentic character."
Lezell was born in Kentucky in 1921 and moved to Detroit with his parents at age 4.
Top 10 countdown so far
10. Henry_the_Hatter_Now_Hangs_its_Hats_in_Eastern_Market
9. Harry’s_Bar_Owner_Calls_Little_Caesars_Arena_a_Hostile_Neighbor
