# Dubious celebrity endorsements **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856 "2018-07-13T18:40:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/41 "2018-07-14T17:27:36Z")
Lou Reed for a Honda motorcycle commercial in 1985 which not only had the music from “Walk on the Wild Side” but Reed appeared in. He was defensive about it but wanted to “expand his audience” (make more money). > **[Did Lou Reed’s Honda Ad Make Him Rock’s First Sellout?](https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-lou-reeds-honda-ad-make-him-rocks-first-sellout)** > > The Velvet Underground veteran had a solid rep as one of the hippest bad boy rockers to ever don a leather jacket. So what was he doing in the 80s shilling for a Honda scooter? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/42 "2018-07-14T17:38:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Jane Russell and the cross-your-heart playtex bra. Who the hell is Jane Russell anyway? Surely you’re joking! :eek: [![](https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/posters/the-outlaw-1943-directed-by-howard-hughes_a-G-9732447-8880742.jpg) ](https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/posters/the-outlaw-1943-directed-by-howard-hughes_a-G-9732447-8880742.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/43 "2018-07-14T17:40:29Z")
[Joe Namath in pantyhose.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BCWvH2ISyI) 'Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/44 "2018-07-14T17:46:47Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Surely you’re joking! :eek: > > [https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/posters/the-outlaw-1943-directed-by-howard-hughes\_a-G-9732447-8880742.jpg](https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/posters/the-outlaw-1943-directed-by-howard-hughes_a-G-9732447-8880742.jpg) I am. Its funny cause my Daddy would do a cat call everytime the commercial came on. We would ask him if he knew her or something. He would give us cryptic answers. So we grew up thinking he had known her. He obviously was a fan.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/45 "2018-07-14T18:09:07Z")
[Erik Estrada trying to sell real estate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNiWO5gsms8). I almost feel bad for him. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/46 "2018-07-14T20:44:19Z")
Ed McMahon hawking Publishers Clearing House HIII - YOOOO, and some life insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/47 "2018-07-14T21:11:23Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Ed McMahon hawking Publishers Clearing House HIII - YOOOO, and some life insurance. nitpick Ed McMahon never worked for Publisher’s Clearinghouse. He worked for a competitor American Family Publishers which tried to compete with the established PCH but went out of business in the 1990s. PCH never bothered to correct it, figuring it was good to have a well established public figure associated with a well established firm, even, helped by not very bright people like Rahm Emanuel perpetuating the myth > **[The Curious Case Of Ed McMahon And The Publishers Clearing House](https://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2012/11/21/the-curious-case-of-ed-mcmahon-and-the-publishers-clearing-house/#4d61a6a31b70)** > > Publishers Clearing House winner with Prize Patrol, and no Ed McMahon When those of a certain age think of the Publishers Clearing House, they tend to remember TV ads featuring Ed McMahon knocking on a door while holding a big check. Even the Obama... ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/48 "2018-07-14T21:26:05Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > nitpick Ed McMahon never worked for Publisher’s Clearinghouse. He worked for a competitor American Family Publishers which tried to compete with the established PCH but went out of business in the 1990s. PCH never bothered to correct it, figuring it was good to have a well established public figure associated with a well established firm, even, helped by not very bright people like Rahm Emanuel perpetuating the myth > > [The Curious Case Of Ed McMahon And The Publishers Clearing House](https://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2012/11/21/the-curious-case-of-ed-mcmahon-and-the-publishers-clearing-house/#4d61a6a31b70) I didn’t know that. Here I was all this time hoping Ed McMahon was roasting in hell for shilling for a sweepstakes scam. The gateway that my mother (who had dementia) passed through, costing her thousands of dollars, scammers by the carload, and enough worry, work, and grief to get rid of all of them to shorten my life by 20 years. Well well. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/49 "2018-07-14T21:48:57Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Men of a certain age and socioeconomic status sip Jim Beam. Mila looks like she should be drinking jello shots, Cosmopolitans, or chardonnay. What’s more important is that men who sip Jim Bean want to believe they have a shot with women like Mila Kunis. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/50 "2018-07-14T21:54:51Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I didn’t know that. Here I was all this time hoping Ed McMahon was roasting in hell for shilling for a sweepstakes scam. The gateway that my mother (who had dementia) passed through, costing her thousands of dollars, scammers by the carload, and enough worry, work, and grief to get rid of all of them to shorten my life by 20 years. Well well. The company McMahon shilled for was every bit as “guilty” as Publishers Clearing House. However, most of the complaints I have heard about this sort of thing deal with the Reader’s Digest sweepstakes. I remember one story about a woman who had a roomful of unopened boxes of books from RD, and when asked why she kept buying them, she replied something like, “One of them might have the million dollar prize in it.” Also note that a common scam is for someone to claim they’re from one of these companies, call a person on the phone, and tell them they have won a large prize, but either (a) it’s something like a car and the person has to send them a check for the taxes first, or (b) they’ll send a check, but ask that they send back a fraction of the money as some sort of fee; when the check bounces, the victim ends up having to pay back the whole amount, including the amount sent to the scammer (it’s a variation of the “I’ll buy the item you are advertising for sale, but I’ll send you a money order for slightly more than the amount, and you send back the difference” scam). > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I read somewhere that _Margaritaville_ was the single most lucrative song ever written. I can believe it. That new “Escape to Margaritaville” musical probably didn’t hurt his bottom line, either. And nothing says “Margaritaville money” more than a purple $500 chip from the Margaritaville Casino - well, the Margartiaville section of the Flamingo Hotel - in Vegas. (Apparently, there’s a “standalone” casino in Tulsa as well.) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/51 "2018-07-14T22:34:07Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Ed McMahon hawking Publishers Clearing House HIII - YOOOO, and some life insurance. > [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > nitpick Ed McMahon never worked for Publisher’s Clearinghouse. He worked for a competitor American Family Publishers which tried to compete with the established PCH but went out of business in the 1990s. PCH never bothered to correct it, figuring it was good to have a well established public figure associated with a well established firm, even, helped by not very bright people like Rahm Emanuel perpetuating the myth > > [The Curious Case Of Ed McMahon And The Publishers Clearing House](https://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2012/11/21/the-curious-case-of-ed-mcmahon-and-the-publishers-clearing-house/#4d61a6a31b70) Not withstanding, one of the funniest lines I ever heard on TV was on _Married, With Children_ when Al Bundy comes home from work is going through the mail. He holds up an envelope and says, “Oh look! This one says I may already owe Ed McMahon $10,000,000.” ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/52 "2018-07-14T23:45:35Z")
One of my most ethanol-affectionate acquaintances will however just not go for [THIS branding exercise](https://www.rondejeremy.com/rum). ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/53 "2018-07-15T01:11:06Z")
Steven Seagal advertising the video game World of Warships in full Admiral uniform. I get it, you were in the Navy in one of your films, but you were a Navy SEAL turned Cook. Then he became a character in the game, also as an Admiral. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/54 "2018-07-15T01:11:23Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I recall Sally Struthers being mocked for doing some sort of humanitarian aid infomercial. > > When Bill Cosby was selling Jello pudding pops back in the day I don’t recall thinking anything was wrong with it, but I saw one of those old commercials not long ago and thanks to recent events found my perceptions have changed considerably. What did you think of his 2005 ad for Viagra: “After she’s taken her medication, you take yours!” [sub]Just kidding, was not a real thing.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/55 "2018-07-15T03:42:33Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I remember when the Rolling Stones were sliced and diced in the early 1980s for having a tour sponsor, which IIRC was a perfume company. Other artists jumped on similar bandwagons, with mixed results. I remember that, it was Jovan! They rather pointedly did not endorse the product. [They did shill for Rice Krispies earlier in their career, though](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGKVQNtkdzw). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/56 "2018-07-15T03:56:43Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I understand Ted Nugent did a commercial for Vernor’s Ginger Ale back in the 1980’s (I’ve never actually seen it). In fairness, though, this was years before the general public learned about Terrible Ted’s psychotic tendencies, so the good folks at Vernor’s should get a pass for that one. This is worth watching just for the mullet. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/W1l1t1gtmGY/hqdefault.jpg "Vernors commercial starring Ted Nugent") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1l1t1gtmGY) ---
**Author:** ![KMS94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ad7895/32.png) [@KMS94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KMS94)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/57 "2018-07-15T13:56:00Z")
The cardboard cutouts of MC Hammer in his full sparkly outfit and baggy pants, declaring “Stop Hammer time” while hawking the 3M Command Strips at Staples, always gets a giggle out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/58 "2018-07-15T19:13:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Snoop Dogg is selling boner pills. Likewise Jimmy Johnson of NFL fame. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/59 "2018-07-16T12:42:28Z")
Remember when Orson Welles did those Paul Masson commercials back in the early 80’s. In his case he was trying to raise money for other projects and the commercials were a means to an end. And the end product for him was all about the Art. I don’t think we can hold that against him. > [@Acsenray](#): > > When you say he’s “not some master thespian,” do you mean to imply that he’s a one-hit wonder or a hack? Winkler is a well-respected journeyman comic actor who has done a lot of roles over the years, including live stage appearances. Not at all. If he were a hack there wouldn’t be any distance for him to fall. Just that he’s not a Dustin Hoffman. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856/60 "2018-07-16T20:56:05Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Remember when Orson Welles did those Paul Masson commercials back in the early 80’s. In his case he was trying to raise money for other projects and the commercials were a means to an end. And the end product for him was all about the Art. I don’t think we can hold that against him. > Not at all. If he were a hack there wouldn’t be any distance for him to fall. Just that he’s not a Dustin Hoffman. Welles might not have had to stoop that low (and appear in so many bad big budget movies) if he had treated people better and wasn’t so wasteful earlier in his film career. Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball tried to help him in the 50s. Ultimately it came out fine but far over budget and Ball would always refer to the 5 years Welles lived with us (which was an exaggeration but that was her humor in real life) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubious-celebrity-endorsements/817856.md?page=4)