In November 1966, an experimental satire titled America Hurrah jolted New York theater audiences with its nonlinear exploration of social alienation. High praise from mainstream critics -- "An off-Broadway trip through an air-conditioned blightmare towards an icy emptiness at the core of American life," waxed Time magazine's reviewer -- turned the show into an instant must-see hit that ran for more than a year.

Composed of three loosely connected one-act plays written by Jean-Claude van Itallie, America Hurrah begins with "Interview," a critique of the standardized roles that people assume to make it through life. In this segment, four employment-agency interviewers interrogate four job applicants. The eight participants blurt out rote dialogue in fugue style, failing to connect in any meaningful way. Media theorist-guru Marshall McLuhan's 1964 book Understanding Media heavily influenced the play's second act, "TV," which takes place at a television-ratings company. The second act juxtaposes images related to the Vietnam War with the banal scenes and chatter of network television shows.

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In 1961, Jean Nidetch, a 38-year-old 214-pound housewife from Queens began attending an obesity clinic run by the New York City Board of Health. The clinic promoted a high-protein, low-carb diet heavy on fish. Nidetch lost 20 pounds, but her progress stalled in part, she later recalled, because she was struggling in isolation. Seeking support, Nidetch began meeting with fellow overweight neighbors to discuss weight-loss strategies.

Mutual support, Nidetch soon discovered, translated into actual weight loss. In Nidetch's case: 72 pounds. Her neighborhood meetings became so popular that in 1963 Nidetch and two clients created the franchise business Weight Watchers International.

Early on, Nidetch recognized the importance of confronting psychological and other issues that lead to overeating. After confessing to secretly binging on Mallomars cookies when family members weren't looking, Nidetch learned that her neighbors also had such "Frankensteins," as she dubbed their food cravings. Weight Watchers meetings provided a safe haven for honest discussion about food obsessions.

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