John Ratzenberger's Made in America
John Ratzenberger's Made in America: Season 1
Season 2

Air Date

January 6, 2004

Episodes

20 episodes

John Ratzenberger's Made in America

Season 1

Episodes

1. Gibson Guitars

January 6, 2004

First stop is Nashville, Tennessee, home to the guitar company, Gibson. John chats with country music stars Steve Earle, Dan Seals and Joe Diffie, who all swear by Gibson. Seals and Diffie -- whom John meets with at The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase -- even perform an original song that Seals wrote in honor of their guitars. Later, John heads to the Gibson rough mill, where he sees a Les Paul Supreme (named after the legendary guitarist) being constructed. At the mill, John is given a tour by manager Tom Montgomery, and watches sander Matt Branch, neck-setter Jimmy Wright, waxer Brenda Reid, airbrush artist Rebecca Green, buffer Rich Coleman and tuner Jay Thompson in action. Next stop is Oaks, Pennsylvania, where flag outfit Annin & Co. is located. John chats with V.P. of Manufacturing Carter Beard and flagmaker Gerry Miller, assists with the carrying of a giant flag, makes a bungled effort to sew a star pattern, and provides instructions on how to handle a flag the patriotic way. Finally,

2. Harley Davidson

January 6, 2004

3. Monopoly

January 13, 2004

4. Airstream

January 13, 2004

5. Campbell's Soup

January 20, 2004

6. Barbasol

January 20, 2004

7. Craftsman Tools

January 27, 2004

8. Zippo

February 3, 2004

9. Corvette

February 10, 2004

10. Sikorsky Helicopters

February 17, 2004

11. U.S. Mint

March 16, 2004

12. Carousel Magic

March 23, 2004

13. Purity Dairies

April 6, 2004

14. Titleist

April 13, 2004

15. Fleer Trading Cards

April 20, 2004

16. Brooks Brothers

April 27, 2004

17. Remo Drums

May 4, 2004

18. Barre Granite

June 1, 2004

19. Longaberger Basket Co.

June 8, 2004

20. Steinway

June 15, 2004

First stop is Steinway & Sons, the piano company operating out of Astoria, Queens, New York. Company president Frank Mazurco demonstrates why Steinway is the preferred piano of professional pianists, boy wonder pianist Josh Bouchette mops up the floor with John, and Director of Manufacturing and Engineering Andy Horbachevsky discusses why it's a challenge to continue this business in NYC. Later, Andy takes John into the factory room to see how a Steinway is handbuilt. Next stop is Middlebury, Vermont, home to Maple Landmark Woodcraft, a family-owned-and-operated handmade toy company best known for their NameTrains. Founder Mike Rainville, his wife, Jill, sons, Adam and Andrew, mother, Pat, sister, Barbara, grandmother, Harriet, and other employees all declare their pride for crafting educational toys for children of all ages. After a tour of the factory, Mike presents John with a laser-engraved train whistle containing the ""Made in America"" name. Finally, John gives a history lesson on