Some favorite ESPN gems (there are literally hundreds of great ones):
The Andrew Shue/Charlie Steiner Trade (Steiner goes to Melrose place to play the new pool-boy, while Shue comes to ESPN to work with Kilborn)
Three ESPN anchors sitting around discussing a serious sports issue. Kilborn walks over to the three, and in a straight face says “What do you think guys? Hurt me or Spank Me?” All three look at him, and with a straight face say “Spank me.” and go back to their discussion.
“Follow Me … To Freedom” – already cited
(more poignant than funny) Shortly after Keith Olberman was fired: Steve Levy and Dan Patrick in the Comissary line at ESPN. Their each getting food from the Lunch Ladies, Levy tells the Lunch Lady “Oh, just put the biscuit in the basket” Close-up of Dan Patrick, with a single tear running down his cheek (still my favorite all-time ESPN ad)
The Sportscenter around the world ads
The One where Kenny Mayne gets pulled for the reliever.
The ads run during the Basketball strike a few years ago that spoofed the NBA’s “It’s FANtastic” campaign (especially Samuel L. Jackson looking at the camera and saying "St. Paul Middle School Girls Basketball… It’s FANtastic)
The cool police one with all of the NBA stars running around in trenchcoats teaching people how to Trash talk always got a chuckle out of me, even if they were Nike.
Since Jayron mentioned the “Make 7Up Yours” ads—is the guy on those the same actor who played Cat on “Red Dwarf?” I swear they must be identical twins.
Most of my favorites have already been mentioned. I think Snickers has some of the best commercials.
“That’s great, but who are the Chefs?” Great Googly Moogly!
Also the one with the panda centerfold guy: “You can see all this and more at lunch!” “I bet some co-workers would love to go to lunch with you, you’re so pretty.”
The one where there’s a line to get into heaven, and the Saint Peter-type guy is going over the life of the old man at the head of the line. “Does your bachelor party ring any bells?” “What?” The guy further back in line: “Does this line EVER move?” My favorite part is the tagline at the end, where St. Peter looks at the next lady in line, saying sarcastically: “You’re a winner.”
Also, the Staples back to school ad where the father is dancing around and filling the cart to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” while the kids just scowl.
I thought of another one. The commercial for Ameritrade where the yoga class starts meditating on the virtues of trading on Ameritrade. The funniest part is when the two men who are listening outside the door say, “Oh, that’s weird.”
I love the one for an investment firm with all sorts of athletes sitting around in a retirement home, and the final image is that of Mike Ditka (“Retired last Thursday”). I grew up in Bears country, and I just love the look on his face.
A guy standing in front of a bedroom mirror, wearing pants and a bra, and admiring the look and feel of the bra… when girlfriend/wife walks in. There is a moment of silence. Then, she asks him some inane sports question.
Announcer comes over with “Don’t you wish all questions were this easy?”
Never fails to crack me up.
How 'bout the guy in the car, freaking out…friend walks up and opens door: “Thank you very much-o, Mister Roboto…”
I don’t remember the company, but the commercial where the ventriliquist is bombing in front of an audience of dummies and the one says, “Not funny.” Just the way he says it makes me laugh every time.
My current favorite car commercial is the one where the guy dives in front of the grocery cart to save his car. Funny.
Anybody remember the old Little Caesar’s commercial with the old lady and the monkey sitting at the dinner table?
She says, “Roger, you’re pushing my buttons…”
Why do I remember that…?
I love the “Make 7 - Up Yours” commercial, as well as a new 7UP one - the guy is on a grocery store aisle and pulls out a 6-pack of 7UP - then every shelf in the entire aisle collapses and you hear soda hissing, and the dude has the funniest look on his face! Then it cuts to a 7UP logo and you hear “Can I get a mop in Aisle 6, please?”
Some more I love:
The Snickers one with George Maurishan (sp? That big Transylvanian basketball player). He’s shooting a Snickers commercial, and he has to make a basket while all these little kids watch. But he can’t make the shot and the kids are laughing, then bored, then George is like, “Shadup you damn kids!” Then it shows him eating a Snickers. Hehehe.
I think this is a Milk commercial - it shows this old guy getting ready for a hot date. Sinatra is playing, he’s splashing on aftershave, gets into his car from 1960, picks some wildflowers…and then he runs through a field to his date… a cow. I love this ad!
There is another one I saw on a special about foreign commcercials…I can’t remember exactly but there was this guy who was trying to sleep and a gorilla…ringing any bells? I just remember laughing like a freak when I first saw it.
Sara–
Yes, yes, yes!! I remember that gorilla one! The guy sleeps through a whole night of being thrown around by this gorilla–who sneaks in and out of his window, IIRC–only to wake up in the morning and look at himself in the mirror. Now, genius that I am, can I remember what the product was? Ugh. I’m leaning toward a hair gel or something…but not sure.
You can’t tell from my description, but it was very funny.
struuter
My current favorite commercial is one of the Clorox wipe-ups adds.
It’s a pretty mundane little commercial simply showing the product and “Mom’s” hand pulling out a sheet every time one of her family complains of a mess. What gets to me the the older son’s line: “Cool, I’m stuck to the floor.”
His tone of wonderous discovery cracks me up every time.
I remember that one for Little Caesar’s with the old lady and the monkey (“Roger, you’re pushing my buttons!”) IIRC, she was trying to get the monkey to eat spaghetti by twirling it around the fork, while he persisted in slurping it up and making a huge mess. I think Little Caesar’s was test-marketing pasta at the time. Was the monkey wearing clothes and a wig?
My dad used to tape all kinds of stuff from TV in the 80s. Sometimes, in the process of figuring out what’s on those tapes, we have come across the funniest commercials. I’ll have to try to think of some more for this thread.
The advice guy commericals for the Yellow Pages with Jon Lovitz:
“Dear advice guy, what do I do with a dead alien.” “Three words: Bar-b-que”
M&M commerical with Stephen Baldwin: “No Blue aqui!”
The American Express commercials where Jerry Seinfeld goes to England and his routine bombs, so he goes on a trip all around the country learning the lingo: “What is this, the tea interval?”
The Mountain Dew commercials with those hot extreme sports girls drinking Mountain Dew to a background of “Thank Heaven for Little Girls”, and the four guys who are usually on the commercials stand there and drool.
The Jack ball who rides on the fire engine: “wooooooooohooo!”
The “Da da da” VW commercial. The look on those guys faces when they start sniffing, and then look at each other . . .
And, does anyone remember this one laxative commercial that was on years ago, where they had this cowboy sitting on a stool strumming his guitar and singing, “Doxidan, doxidan, when nature needs a helping hand, get overnight relief with Doxidan.” It’s partly the incredibly stupid song, partly the lonesome cowpoke way he’s singing it, but if my sister ever wants to crack me up, all she has to do is croon a mournful “Doxidan, Doxidan . . .”
P.S. I hate those Discovery channel commercials with the mosquitos and half-digested fish. Ick!
You know, I was going to mention this one (I should point out that Olberman wasn’t fired–he quit to do other work, IIRC), but didn’t want to take the time to set it up, so I went with the other ESPN one I cited previously.
You forgot the punch line, which makes it more hilarious than poignant for me–a third anchor says to Levy, “You know, this never would have happened if you’d ordered the cornbread!”
I also like that ad for…actually, I’m not sure who it’s for, but I think it’s a baseball related website or sporting goods store. Guy is practicing hitting off a tee and he’s missing badly–first knocking out the middle portion of the tee, and then swinging over the ball and launching the bat into the outfield!
I liked another of the Snickers commercials, one that I am absolutely sure was only shown here in Baltimore. It was shown just after the Ravens came to town. 2 guys are sittin talking about how lucky they were to get tickets to the football game, Its usually sold out, etc… The camera pans back and you can see it’s an empty stadium with “Cleveland” painted in the end zone as one fan says “must be a 4:00 game” and the anouncer come in-“Not going anywhere for a while?” I laughed like a banshee, but I am also sure if I were a Browns fan I’d never eat another Snickers Bar.
An old commercial for Heinz 57 Steak Sauce, three guys in a old style steakhouse eating what else, a '57 Chevy. Anything goes down well with Heinz 57 was the caption, and the last bit was one of the guys hitting his chest and honking.
There was a radio commercial for a local radio station that went along the lines of:----
Voice1) Try new WTUE sauce…cause it’s in there!
Voice2) Oh? What about bell peppers, onions and mushrooms?
Voice1) In there.
Voice2) Steak, pork, chicken?
Voice1) In there.
Voice2) Sparkplug of a 66 Corvette?
Voice1) Yeap.
Voice2) Jimmy Hoffa?
Voice1) Of course…Here look inside (Sound of jar opening.)
Voice2) Wow! He is in there, and look! Amelia Earheart!
I think that was for Fox. IIRC, they had another one with an elderly man trying to catch, and the ball hits him in the head and he gets knocked out. At the end it says something like “Fox catcher cam… don’t try it at home”.
The ESPN ones were the best – they used to have them on the ESPN website for download, and I managed to get a lot of them, but the commercials are no longer there, atleast that I can find. More ESPN commercials:
Dan Patrick shooting oranges at Stu Scott: “and you call yourself Cy Young…”
Watching the show from the control room – some static, then back – some more static – cuts outside “hold the club like you hold a bird…” and then a golf ball is hit into the satilite dish
The foolsball (sp) table – kenny mayne scores – runs around the studio screaming “GOAL! GOAL!” – blows a horn, and then slides by the table
Rich Eisen gets a workup during a commercial break during Sportscenter “cut me lou! cut me!”
The dating commercial “would you like to do a show together tonight, if so, check yes”
Taht “Got Milk” ad with the guy that gets hit by the truck. He ends up in the afterlife and it’s all white and pure and everything and he eats one of those giant cookies and looks for milk in the fridge but there isn’t any. As the commecial fades to “Got Milk?” the guy says “Hey, where am I?” and the Got milk is on fire. Hehehe.
