What the oldest television commercial you remember?

[Jeffro]

What the oldest television commercial you remember?

I remember that old Virginia Slims commercial from 1970?

You've come a long way baby to get where you've got to today........

how bout you

[Larry Mudd]

The earliest that I can bring to mind would probably the Weebles commercial that used to play endlessly during the cartoon shows. 1973, '74. 'Round there. "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!" I was very excited by the circus cannon.

[nivlac]

I can still remember a Kellogg's Corn Flakes commercial on the old Superman series in the mid-50s starring George Reeves. And here it is. Of course, what made it memorable was that it involved Superman! Strange I can't remember any other commercials during that era, but this one has stayed with me.

[marque elf]

The :confused oldest TV commercial I can remember dates back to the 50s. It was in black and white, or maybe it was just that my family didn't own a color TV then. It involved a chorus line of dancing cigarette packs with very shapely legs. I think the brand was Chesterfield. I was very young. I liked the dancing but couldn't figure out what it had to do with cigarettes. I guess they were selling a connection between sex and cigarettes but, at the time, I found the whole thing really puzzling.

[pinkfreud]

In the 1950s, there was a TV ad campaign for Kool cigarettes that featured an animated penguin who said "Smoke Kool." I was fascinated by the penguin, and drew pictures of him. I mimicked the penguin's voice, and ran around the house shouting "Smoke Kool." Not surprisingly, a few years later I became addicted to menthol cigarettes.

[Leviosaurus]

Ancient Chinese Secret, Huh? Calgon, 1972.

[fishbicycle]

Mr. Clean, circa 1959. My mom told me that I used to go around the house singing the jingle.

[Jake]

The oldest TV commercial I can remember was for Muriel cigars. They had a animated (sexy) half cigar, half woman saying "Why doncha come up and smoke me sometime?"
BTW the oldest radio commercial I can remember is Quaker Oats "Shot From Guns!"
Sorta fits in with the George Reeves commercial.

[pinkfreud]

Originally Posted by Jake

The oldest TV commercial I can remember was for Muriel cigars. They had a animated (sexy) half cigar, half woman saying "Why doncha come up and smoke me sometime?"

Wow, I loved those Muriel commercials! As I recall, Edie Adams did the sexy voice.

[RealityChuck]

Various Nabisco cookie commericals from the late 50s/early 60s:

"Yo Ho Ho for an Oreo"
"I'll fly to the moon for a Lorna Doone."
"You're darn tootin' I like Fig Newton."

Also Milky Way & Snickers commercials with the terrific slogan "The best candy on Earth comes from Mars."

And several of those mentioned so far.

[seosamh]

"Murray Mints. Murray Mints. Too-good-to-Hurry Mints". Though not from 1955: it carried on well into the 60s.

[Spavined Gelding]

It is my recollection that the dancing cigarette packs were “Old Golds.” The “shot from guns” commercial featured, as I remember, the real, honest to God, authentic Gabby Hayes. Captain Video, he of the army surplus L shaped flashlight ray guns, was sponsored by Ovaltine - a really crappy chocolate flavored milk additive. Space Cadets may have been Post Tosties’s show. I can’t remember the sponsor for Kukla, Fran and Olie. Of course there was always the damned Hamm's Beer Bear. Ovaltine may have been the Howdy Doody sponsor, too, back when Buffalo Bob was Uncle Bob Smith and Mr Bluster was just somewhat obnoxious and not a real villain.

We got a TV in 1948. It was a six inch Crossly. With a booster on the aerial we picked up Chicago, maybe Detroit, on the back side of Columbus. We got a TV so that my father could watch the Thursday Night Fights (brought to you by Gillette razors) and the Firestone Hour where real New York opera singers appeared weekly and peddled automobile tires.

[Spavined Gelding]

Edie Adams. Ernie Kovack’s widow, did White Owl Cigar ads.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Originally Posted by Spavined Gelding

Of course there was always the damned Hamm's Beer Bear.

From the land of sky-blue waters...
Hamms, the beer refreshing.

Funny, and vaguely disturbing, that so many of the strongest advertising memories from my early childhood are jingles for beer and cigarettes.

But perhaps the strongest is the little cartoon guy singing the praises of then-novel color television:

Hey! I got color TV!
RCA Victor color TV!
I know what I've been missing now,
Wow!
I got color TV!

[CBCD]

In the early 1960's, Jim Henson's Muppets were on commercials in the Washington DC area for Wilkons Coffee. Darn funny!

[Zeldar]

I guess mine would have to be for Lucky Strike cigarettes as featured on Your Hit Parade from maybe 1952. We didn't actually have a TV set in our house until 1955, so this would have been on friends' TV's.

Others from that era were for:

Bardahl -- some sort of oil treatment
B4 -- similar stuff with the ditty "You'll be for B4 before you drive six city blocks."
Carling's Black Label beer -- "Hey, Mabel! Black Label."
Mohawk carpets
Godchaux sugar
M&M -- melts in your mouth, not in your hand
Kellogg's cereals (several types like Sugar Corn Pops, Frosted Flakes, etc.)
Brylcreem hair goop -- "a little dab'll do ya"
Winston cigarettes -- "Winston tastes good like a cigarette had oughta" (wink)
Alka Seltzer
Gillette razors and blades -- boxing sponsors
Chevrolet -- "see the USA in your Chevrolet"
Chrysler Corp cars -- "the Forward Look" -- beaucoup fins and push-button drive (Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial)
Kaiser Foil -- aluminum wrap
Sylvania TV -- had some halo gimmick around the tube
Prell shampoo
Halo Shampoo
Toni shampoo
Revlon makeup

I could go on and on...

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by Leviosaurus

Ancient Chinese Secret, Huh? Calgon, 1972.

I definitely remember that one! And ever since I've worried about that couple. Did the marriage survive the financial ruin that came from the wife driving away all of her husband's customers?

[Baker]

N E S T L E S , Nestles makes the very best, choooooooc-lit!

[AHunter3]

Tall UP! For the tall corn taste of Kellogg's golden flakes

It's corn that you can really crunch, corn that really packs a punch,

Tall America, Tall America, Kellogg's Corn Flakes!

[Sampiro]

Husband sitting on the edge of the bed: "I can't believe I ate the whooooooole thing..."
Wife: "You ate it, Frank."
I don't remember what it was for... Rolaids, Pepto Bismol?


I remember the "My baloney has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R" commercial- I'm about the same age as that kid (who I hope earned a fortune in residuals). I'm also about the same age as Mikey who hated everything.

A commercial I used to love when I was little but I don't remember what it was for--- I think it was for insurance--- showed a series of weird and strange disasters. The one I loved though was a little black girl with her finger in her mouth standing over a big beautiful dollhouse that's been demolished, and her mother is asking her "What happened to the dollhouse?!" and she says, very innocently, "Nothin'...". Used to crack me up, no idea why.

I wish they would release more classic commercials on DVD. They've released some, but few of the really great ones and few of the really old ones (1940s/early 1950s). My favorites, just for the oddity factor, were the ones of TV show characters in character hawking cigarettes (including the Beverly Hillbillies- seeing Granny light up and tell Miss Jane "Now that's true tobaccky" was just weird [even though in real life both Irene Ryan and Nancy Kulp were chain smokers]). Carol Channing sharing Jell-O with Nazis was also an odd juxtaposition (down the page).

[saoirse]

Tidy-Bowl Man

:Shudder:

Yep, Tidy-Bowl Man

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by Sampiro

Husband sitting on the edge of the bed: "I can't believe I ate the whooooooole thing..."
Wife: "You ate it, Frank."
I don't remember what it was for... Rolaids, Pepto Bismol?

Alka-Seltzer.

No, I didn't remember what it was for either, but you made me curious, so I went Googling, and after seeing enough sites to convince me that the phrase itself has passed into common knowledge, I came up with this Commercials of the 70's that says it's Alka-Seltzer.

Also, you reminded me of the Di-Gel ad campaign that may have been of roughly the same era:
"I like pizza [or onions or sauerkraut or whatever]
...but it doesn't like me!"
Send your stomach some Di-Gel!

[fiddlesticks]

Mine are probably the Hostess ads that ran along with the Charlie Brown specials on CBS.

Mmmm...Zingers!

One of my odd behaviors back in my early childhood was memorizing and parroting life insurance ads..."You cannot be turned down..., etc."

[Sam Stone]

Who wears short shorts?
We wear short shorts!
If you dare wear short shorts,
Nair for short shorts.

As a young male, I heartily approved of that commercial.

[KarlGauss]

I remember Winston sponsoring the Flintstones. Here's one of its ads which I'll think you'll like.


And, of course, could I ever forget: "I want my Maypo!"

[dwc1970]

"It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!" (cue up lighting and thunder effects). I don't recall what the product was, but my sister and I both remember this one, and it scared us every time it came on.

[Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy]

originally posted by Thudlow Boink

Alka-Seltzer.

Anthony Edwards' father wrote that commercial. IIRC, his name was Frank, but it's many years since that Playboy: 20 questions.

A couple of mine

Sugar Smacks, with Sugar Bear (before he became Super Sugar Bear). My Dad said they sprayed 2 coats of sugar on the cereal to make it Super, we ate Shredded Wheat.

Captain Kangaroo and Kellogg's Corn Flakes (I always wondered why the Captain never looked up before the ping-pong balls started dropping)

Butter.Parkay.

[BrainGlutton]

I remember a Baby Ruth commercial from the '60s -- you bite open a Baby Ruth bar and find a whole soda shop, or candy shop, or something inside. Something with a counter, barstools, and a guy with a paper hat serving customers. I was so young that the next time I bit into a Baby Ruth bar I actually expected to see that scene and was disappointed I only saw, you know, caramel and peanuts.

[Ellis Dee]

Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, I was inundated by local commercials for Empire Carpets. I'll never -- as long as I live -- forget their friggin' telephone number. That "five eight eight, two three hundred, empiiiire" tagline carved out possibly the deepest groove in my brain.

Imagine my shock to now see commercials for Empire Carpet here in New England! It's 20 years later, and the same guy (owner of the company, I think) was doing the exact same pitch, but looking much older. (And they've added hardwood flooring.) He was quickly removed and replaced with a small, Toy Story-esque animation of him.

And that damned phone number jingle is all but unchanged:

"eight hun-dred five eight eight, two three hundred, empiiiire"

[Ellis Dee]

Originally Posted by Ellis Dee

It's 20 years later...

Actually, it's closer to 30.

[Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy]

Originally Posted by Ellis Dee

Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, I was inundated by local commercials for Empire Carpets. I'll never -- as long as I live -- forget their friggin' telephone number. That "five eight eight, two three hundred, empiiiire" tagline carved out possibly the deepest groove in my brain.

When I was in Navy "A"School at Great Lakes, Illinois, it seems that commercial was EVERYWHERE. I knew their phone # I soon as I read Empire Carpets. And I was only there for 3 months in '81.

[Carm6773]

I see their commercials all the time in the Tampa Bay area.

As to the OP, the earliest commercial I can remember has already been mentioned (the Oscar Meyer Bologna one with the kid fishing), so I'll go with the Palmolive commercials with Madge the Manicurist.

[Odesio]

AFN (Armed Forces Network) while living in germany. One ad featured a soldier getting into his snow covered vehicle but not before he brushed a tiny little porthole out the front so he could see. The commercial's message was that soldier's needed to get all the snow off their vehicle so they would have decent visibility.

The other AFN commercial I remember is a soldier out on manuevers finding a place to sleep. The message was to be aware of where you were sleeping lest you get run over by a tank.

Marc

[Labdad]

Mid 50's, Dinah Shore singing, "See the USA in your Chevrolet!"

[Kitchen Wench]

They still air this ancient commercial for a local home improvement business. It was made when they still used words for phone prefixes. I'm tickled pink that they feature it on their website... And yes, I've been singing the jingle since I was a little girl.

Standard!... bum bum bum bum bum... Improvement Comp'ny!

[snorlax]

On the subject of words for phone prefixes, I remember a commercial in Philly in the 70's with a catchy jingle which went "Call for action! GReenwood 7-5312". I never knew what this was but a quick goole has revealed all.

For those who want a trip down memory lane, many old commercials are available for download from archive.org.

[F. U. Shakespeare]

I would like to second the claim that it was for Alka-Seltzer -- they had a similar hit a year or two earlier with an equally annoying guy (Jack Aaron, IIRC) recounting how he'd overeaten the night before: numerous people had exhorted him to eat something by urging, "Try it, you'll like it".

BTW, the name of the husband (played by Milt Moss) in "the whole thing" commercial was Ralph, not Frank.

Another similarly themed Alka-Seltzer ad a few years later was, "Mama Mia, that's a spicy meatball". I saw that one a few years ago, and it holds up very well: you're on the set of a commercial for Italian meatballs. After the umpteenth botched take, with the poor actor stuffed with spicy food, the director suggests, "OK, why don't we break for lunch".

I was born in 1959, and the earliest commercial I can remember might be one for some ice cream whose brand I don't remember, 'Brandname Double Chocolate'. It featured two high-pitched cartoon twins exhorting in echo fashion how much they loved the stuff. The punchline by a voiceover ordered, "Brandname Double Chocolate Ice Cream -- get some right now!" I remember when it was on late, my mother would reply, "No problem -- I'll go smash the windows at the Acme"

Originally Posted by Sampiro

Husband sitting on the edge of the bed: "I can't believe I ate the whooooooole thing..."
Wife: "You ate it, Frank."
I don't remember what it was for... Rolaids, Pepto Bismol?

[ColonelDax]

Please don't squeeze the Charmin!

[saoirse]

Originally Posted by dwc1970

"It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!" (cue up lighting and thunder effects). I don't recall what the product was, but my sister and I both remember this one, and it scared us every time it came on.

That was a margaraine. It was so much like butter, even Mother Nature was fooled.

[ColonelDax]

Originally Posted by saoirse

Mother Nature

Aka Dena Dietrich, and the product was Chiffon margarine.

[ColonelDax]

Also, do any other mid-Atlantic dopers remember Gino's and its "Everybody goes to Gino's 'cause Gino's is the place to go" commercials?

[DrMemory]

Lessee... There was the Norelco Razor ad that ran with the "Rudolph" special every year at Christmas. It featured elves using elictric razors as sleds and have a grand old race over small hills.

That poor poor Maytag repairman (Jessie White) ..."The Loneliest guy in town".

Madge telling yet Another customer that "Youre Soaking in it"

[Uvula Donor]

Originally Posted by Jeffro

I remember that old Virginia Slims commercial from 1970?

You've come a long way baby to get where you've got to today....

I don't specifically remember the ads, but the jingle will be forever stuck in my head:

You've come a long way, baby
To get where you've got to today,
You've got your own cigarette, now baby,
You've come a long, long way!

Not at all condescending, hmmmmm?

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by fiddlesticks

Mine are probably the Hostess ads that ran along with the Charlie Brown specials on CBS.

Mmmm...Zingers!

[nitpick]Those were Dolley Madison, Hostess's arch enemy![/nitpick]

[Thudlow Boink]

...but now that you mention Hostess, remember Twinkie the Kid, Fruit Pie the Magician, et al?

And then there were the Malt-o-meal commercials with the talking stomach:
"Marvin! This is your tummy speaking! It's lonely down here. I want Malt-o-meal."

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Originally Posted by KarlGauss

And, of course, could I ever forget: "I want my Maypo!"

Oh yeah--Maypo!!! That may be my earliest. And it just jogged loose the memory of the Mr. Bubble ad. ("Madam, how do you do!" "Operator! There's a man in my bathtub, operator!")

And a bank ad with live bunnies, sung to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel" ("Get more, get more, something something, Coast Fed-er-al Savings!")

[Annie-Xmas]

Choo-Choo Charlie for Good n Plenties. My sister and I use to line up the chairs and make a train for our stuffed animals just like he did.

[Beware of Doug]

Originally Posted by Spavined Gelding

We got a TV in 1948. It was a six inch Crossly. With a booster on the aerial we picked up Chicago, maybe Detroit, on the back side of Columbus. We got a TV so that my father could watch the Thursday Night Fights (brought to you by Gillette razors) and the Firestone Hour where real New York opera singers appeared weekly and peddled automobile tires.

If there's anybody reading this who had a TV before 1948, I would love to hear about it.

Doug's First TV Spot: Stereotyped Italian guy with big mustache making that pinchy-finger move and yelling, "Mama mia, that'sa somea spicy sauce!" Circa 1969. Product forgotten (perhaps Ragù?)

[teela brown]

I vividly remember a Mr. Bubbles ad. I'm sure it was animated by the same people that did Mr. Magoo, and the ad had somewhat the same premise.

A little boy is taking a bubble bath while his extremely nearsighted grandma supervises. He uses the bubbles to make himself some long dog ears and woofs at her. She says, "Finky! How did you get in there?" and puts the "dog" out. He runs back in with a derby and makes himself a long bubble beard, puts on the derby and says "Madam, how do you do?" She freaks, thinking there's a strange man in the bathtub and starts to call the police. He says, "Grandma, it's me!" She goes back into the bathroom where he's in the tub tossing an inflatable fish around, and she says "So it is! and you're so clean your mother won't know you!" Then she grabs the fish, kisses it, wraps it in a towel and takes it away to put it to bed.

As you can see, I remember every detail of it. It was funny as hell and I wish I could see it again.

[vibrotronica]

I remember a Kenner commercial for the original line of Star Wars action figures, which would have been around 1978.

I also remember commercials for "Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific!", but a I'm not sure if that was earlier or later.