Jesse White was the original “Ol’ Lonely,” the bored Maytag repairman with nothing to do because Maytag appliances were supposed to be so dependable. He began appearing in the role in 1967 and became one of the most recognizable commercial faces on TV. His whole act was simple but brilliant: a repairman sitting around, desperate for a service call that never came. White played the role until 1988, and for a lot of us, he was the Maytag man.
Gordon Jump took over the role in 1989. He was already familiar to TV viewers as Arthur “Big Guy” Carlson on WKRP in Cincinnati, which made him a natural fit. Jump had that warm, slightly befuddled, friendly presence that made the character feel like an old neighbor instead of just a salesman. He appeared as the Maytag repairman until retiring in 2003.
