An appreciation of all things Cal Worthington

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Lately I’ve been sensing some hostility towards a great american, ladies and gentlemen. I’m picking up an almost dismissive lack of appreciation for a true original.

Yes, I’m talking about the disdain that SDMB members seem to feel for Southern California’s own Cal Worthington.

But I don’t confess to understanding it. How can one truly be american and not appreciate the innate submlimnity of:

“It’s Cal Worthington and his Dog Spot!”

and then Cal appears with a tiger or an elephant or a killer whale or something. Let’s face it. He’s the bravest car dealer in the country. Show me another one who would let a bear maul him for a commercial and then post the out takes on his web site?

Cal has been doing this for (in my estimation) 30 years or more. The same basic campaign with the same unforgettable jingle. And it’s been successful. Not only has it survived in one (admittedly large) market for 3 decades but face it, those of you who know the jingle have never been able to forget it.

Really, Cal Worthington should go into the ‘Great American’ Hall of Fame.

And how can you dislike a guy who uses this as his copywright notice: “All content copyright ©1997 by Cal Worthington and may not be reproduced without written permission of the big guy himself.”

So once again, raise a glass to salute this true American original, a man who knew what it would take early and wasn’t afraid to use it, a man who promises to ‘stand on his head’ to make a deal and then actually does it…

Cal Worthington, a real American Hero.

And, for the record:

http://www.calworthington.com

and his archives (and how many car dealership commerical campaigns are so cool that they justify archives?):

http://www.mydogspot.com

2

Even during some of the jaded stretches of my life, when reason prevailed, Cal was out there doing it his way, and with a measure of style that some just couldn’t appreciate.

He is an Icon, of sorts.

3

I heard a story from someone who claimed to have picked up a gentleman in a “cowboy suit” who had some car trouble. Turned out the guy was Cal Worthington, and the person I heard the story from said he was very polite. A gentleman. I don’t remember who I heard the story from though, so I can’t provide any verification.

When I was a kid I liked his commercials. Then they annoyed me because they’d break into the movie I was watching every five minutes. Now I neither like them nor dislike them.

The best thing about his commercials is that they led to the bit in Beetlejuice where Betelgeuse does a version of it for his “bio-exorcist” commercial: “I’ll eat anything you want me to eat, I’ll swaller anything that you want me to swaller. Come on in! I’ll chew on a dog!”