I don’t know exactly what era this was from (I was born in '78), but I remember as a very small child watching a television commercial for Palmolive, I think - they always showed ladies soaking their fingers in it. Something about it being so gentle on your hands.
What the heck was that all about? Did people actually soak their fingers in dish soap? Or am I misremembering/crossing commercial memory streams?
That was Palmolive, and Madge the Manicurist. The premise was that these ladies were coming to Madge for a manicure and she was dumping their hands in dishwashing liquid instead of whatever soothing, softening thing manicurists usually dump hands in before they start snipping and filing. “You’re soaking in it,” Madge would say knowingly, as the poor client jerked her hand out of the bowl as if it were sulfuric acid. Don’t know how that beauty shop didn’t end up closed down with that kind of stunt…
RING AROUND THE COLLAR! I always wanted to hand that butthead a washcloth and tell him to wash his freakin’ neck.
The original 9-Lives commercials with the original Morris the Cat were in the 70s.
And of course the Coke commercial, “I’d like to teach the world to sing” (which may have actually been the '60s).
And the Toni Twins, for a home perm kit.
I also remember Florence Henderson on a Wesson Oil commercial, frying a chicken in the shape of the U.S. That commercial always made me nauseous.
Remember Rosemary Clooney for Coronet paper towels?
“Extra value is what you get-when you buy Coronet!”
Yeah, Timer! That’s who I was thinking of. He had one where he showed us how to make a “Saturday”, if I recall correctly; half a banana standing in the center of a pineapple ring and surrounded by yogurt.
There was an ad for Borden cheese, I think - or maybe it was for some diet brand of cheese - that featured a woman in a mouse costume. I remember I used to really like that commercial, but I don’t remember why.
The chicken’s got a certain … Wessonality!
Here’s a 70s website that’s just chock full of video and audio clips from commercials and such.
Lots of the ones mentioned here are on there.
Imperial Margarine! I remember that-the kid would just all of a sudden spontaneously generate a crown and septor, just by eating shitty margarine spread.
DUH-duh-duh-DUH!
Or their competitor:
Hold the pickle
Hold the lettuce
Special orders don’t upset us
All we ask it that you let us
serve it your way!
Have it yoooouuur way
Haaaave it your way
Have it yoooouuur way
At Burger King
And it was written so that the fucking last note of the musical phrase wasn’t at the end of the song, so it sounded incomplete and since the correct note to end the phrase was the first note of the song, the damn thing just looped in your head.
Push the plunger down. Set the timer. Put the pieces in place. Don’t be slow. In Perfection you’ve gotta move 'em fast (Move 'em fast) or the piecees will pop out before you put in the last!
He never has a second cup at home…
I also remember cats doing the “cha cha cha” for something.
And speaking of cats, has anyone mentioned Morris yet?
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce!
Special order don’t upset us!
All we ask is that you let us
Have it your way!
(Burger King)
Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles on a sesame seed bun!
“Certs is a breath mint!” “No, Certs is a candy mint!”
“You’re both right - Certs is a breath mint and a candy mint! It’s two, two, two mints in one!”
"“Cause I’m a woman! Enjoli!”
“Figurines! Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!”
Which spawned a joke with this as the punchline, “When is it time to slap a midget? When he says…” Yep–Jr. High School humor at it’s best! 
The Mariette Hartley/James Garner commercials for Poloriod were classic, as were the Miller Lite “Tastes Great/No, Less Filling” ones with all the assorted sports figures, such as:
-“When you order a beer, be like Smokin’ Joe, order Lite Beer from Miller, and say no mo…”
-The supposed near sighted umpire Jim Honocheck saying, “Hey, you’re Boog Powell”.
-Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson saying, “A lot of people think we’re related…”
-George Steinbrenner firing Billy Martin (again and again).
And the best commerical of the 1970s was Susan Anton gyrating while singing “The minute you walked in the joint…” for El Producto Cigars.
Hi, John Cameron Swazey here for Timex.
It can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.
The they would proceed to strap it onto a pair of water skiis, ice sketaes or whatever, beat the tar out of it and hold it up to show the second hand in motion.
Grape Nuts w/ Euwell Gibbons
Many parts of the pine tree are edible.
And finally, there was a shaving cream company that would lather up an athalete’s face, have him go out and perform, then come back and shave 'em just to show how good their moisturizers were. I think Walt Frazier was used on the court but it’s been awhile.
Don’t take the world serious.
That’s it! The World Serious!
Doublemint chewing gum
It’s the one made for fun
That tastes so double good
Doublemint will do it
Why not try a stick and chew it?
It’s Bucky and Daddy!
It’s Daddy and Bucky, neck in neck!
It’s Bucky, the Wonder Horse!!
from Irwin
Put your lips to that Pepsi taste!
Slip into that 1 calorie waist!
Slip into something irresistable…
Slip into Diet Pepsi!
(intercut with some shots of women getting dressed…created some wee stirrings in a not quite preadolescent haardvark)
Haih, I’m Big Yella!
And everything I own is big 'n yella! (for Sugar Corn Pops)
Have you played Atari today?
It’s Bucky and Daddy!
It’s Daddy and Bucky, neck in neck!
It’s Bucky, the Wonder Horse!!
from Irwin
Put your lips to that Pepsi taste!
Slip into that 1 calorie waist!
Slip into something irresistable…
Slip into Diet Pepsi!
(intercut with some shots of women getting dressed…created some wee stirrings in a not quite preadolescent haardvark)
Haih, I’m Big Yella!
And everything I own is big 'n yella! (for Sugar Corn Pops)
Have you played Atari today?