Does anyone besides me (and some nice people on another message board which was the sole relevant though fruitless Google return on “PSA physical fitness head in box”) remember a public service TV spot from the late 60’s - early 70’s?
To jog your memory, it started with a shot of automatons shambling through bare corridors, each one carrying a hat box. One set its box in a kiosk, and it was revealed to contain a living human head. The head read off some math formula as the voice-over made the ad’s appeal for us to get some exercise. Then the spot ended with the head calling out in vain for the automaton, Z-12, to carry it away.
YES! I thought my brother and I were the only ones who remembered it! I actually called D.C. to see if it was archived. I would LOVE a video file of it. I quote it all the time in my head. I believe it was for the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and yes, I am ready to go now Z-12…take me away…I’m a busy man Z-12! I can’t wait to tell my brother that our home was not the only one that got that commercial. I guess it wasn’t far off now that we have Skype. I saw a commercial today in which the grandparents and someone else attends a kid’s concert via tablet screens and hear him play sour notes on the tuba!
I remember seeing this commercial when I was very young (about 6-7 years old) and have been looking for it for years. I recall this as a PSA also. I remember another PSA (Red Cross) or Safety Council with a completely trashed house, and the Hurricane Camille PSAs with the tag line “Camille was no lady.” The trashed house one and the disembodied head are definitely nightmare inducing. I also remember “Like Father, Like Son” from when I was a kid.
As I recall the announcer ends with “Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” The head then says at the end after what sfarist quotes: “Z-12! Is any one there?!?!?”
I contacted the Ad council about this. They said others had requested information about this ad, but they had nothing in the archives for it. Bulk of message follows.
Thank you for contacting the Ad Council Archives at the University of Illinois.
We have received requests for the “Z 12” television PSA before - apparently it is very memorable! However, there is nothing in the Archives related to the spot. Unfortunately, our television holdings from that era are not complete, and not every PSA is issued by the Ad Council, so for the time being this spot has escaped our holdings.
I have attached a short list of other repositories of television commercials, in hopes that one of them can help you. In fact, if you DO turn up the ad, we would appreciate knowing where.
Good luck in your research.
Best Regards,
Rory Grennan
Ad Council Archives Assistant
University of Illinois Archives
Room 19, Main Library
MC-522
1408 W. Gregory Dr.
Urbana, IL 61801
I think I’m gonna get some well-deserved flak here because I’m probably conflating two different things:
Wasn’t “Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” the slogan of the United Negro College Fund?
Wasn’t another of those commercials Abe Lincoln trying to get a job and the interviewer (Arthur O’Connell) says You ain’t going nowhere without that sheepskin, fella?
