I was going to post this in one of the Merry Christmas threads, but I didn’t want to hijack the thread.
SpiderWoman’s smiley tree immediately put me in mind of this!
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
Mr. Rilch and I watch the Charlie Brown specials every year, on the appropriate holidays, and we well remember the commercials we’d see when we watched them back in the days of no VCRs. We can reenact some of them with frightening accuracy. It was always McD’s, Peter Paul Mounds/Almond Joy, York Peppermint Patties, and Dolly Madison snack cakes.
But jeez, we were so easily suckered in the '70’s! The hidden agenda: “I’d like to buy the world a Coke…” Not give, buy.
And now they’re all coming back to me! “Oh, I wish I was (were?) an Oscar Meyer weiner…” “Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t…” “You deserve a break today…” “Have it your way…” “When I bite into a York Peppermint Patty…”
Man, I’d give anything to see that one Mounds/Almond Joy commercial again. The setting was a high school, and everything was filmed and choreographed in such a way that the jingle kept in a perfect rhythm, even though there were nine different shots, not including the closeup of the chocolate being drizzed over the coconut. The last shot was of one side of an auditorium full of kids standing up in unison, then the other side. That must have taken hours of practice and who knows how many takes.
On “TV-Land”, they will often show a commercial from the 70’s during the breaks. Since I am 24, I’m amazed at how many of them I can remember line by line. I guess I must have just vegetated in the crib in front of the TV set as a baby.
American lunkhead trainee: Aw, I’ll never get it…!
Japanese training instructor: That’s okay, I still can’t say shel-lo-laaa (Chevrolet)
This was one of the great turning points when commercials finally got a sense of effing humor.
Through the 1970s and into the early 1980s, Canadian TV stations used to air a Cottonelle commercial that showed little white kittens dragging toilet paper through a house filled with white furniture. That commercial must have run for at least ten years or so … I bet it’s still on the air.
South Africa supposedly still has cigarette commercials. I wonder what those are like … I imagine they woudn’t be too different frm such commercials in an alternate universe USA where they weren’t banned.
I cannot remember which station I saw it on, but very recently, I saw the Coke commercial, run as an actual commercial, not as part of a special about commercials. There was some new little tag line with it, about the holidays, I think. Gave me the warm fuzzies, it did. I always liked that one.
Anybody remember a Pepsi commercial from a ways back, with a recurring scene of a whole bunch of puppies jumping all over a little boy who was just laughing hysterically? I can’t remember what else was in the commercial, but that scene stands out in my mind, because it was just SO freakin’ adorable!
I recently got a videotape of the Star Wars Holiday Special. Egads, what a freakshow that was. Bea Arthur working behind the bar at the cantina in Mos Eisley? You couldn’t make up anything that surreal if you tried.
Anyhoo, one of the best things about the tape is that all of the commercials are included. Reggie Jackson selling his “Reggie Bar” – I remember begging my mom for those. Commercials reminding us to “look for the Union label.” Seeing those old commercials gave me the warm fuzzies – I needed this after watching Art Carney hang out with a bunch of Wookies, which gave me the screaming mimis.
Oh god…I have this on tape to and it is the worst thing in the world. I remember seeing it when I was like 5 or so, and even at that age I knew it was a crap. You forgot to mention the Imperial officer watching Jefferson Starship performing on the holo-thingy and Chewie’s grandpa pretty much getting off to cyber-porn.
As for the commercials, there’s one for the Mercury “Bobcat” and boy does that thing look like a hunk of junk!!! Oh, and there’s an ad for control top panty-hose that would make you think that it was one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century.
As an aside, y’know that thing that Itchy (Chewy’s kid) is playing with? I had one! It’s essentially an upscale Radio-Shack 150-In-One Project Kit. I was never able to contact the Rebel Alliance with mine, though. (Anyone remember what that thing was called, a brand name or something? I’d love to see if I could find one again)
and back to the OT
Hooold the pickle,
Hold the lettuce!
Special orders don’t upset us
All we ask is that you let us
Serve it your way
Have it yoooour way,
Have it your way
Have it yoooour way
at Burger King
(repeat last 4 lines)
Grab a broom and a brush.
Clean it up for the rush.
There is nothing so cleeeeeeean,
As my burger machine.
When we’re finished, what then?
Start all over again.
Tell me what does it meeeeeeeeean?
–At McDonald’s it’s clean.
You deserve a break today
So get up and get away
to McDonald’s.
(I think that commercial also featured John “James Evans, Sr” Amos and maybe Donovan Scott.)
*Shopping, phone calls, dog got away.
No time to cook for this busy da-ay.
Come on!
Get a bucket of chicken.
(Finger-lickin’ good.)
Have a barrel of fun.
(Good-bye ho-hums.)
Get Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Come on, everyone!
Have a finger lickin’, good time,
Barrel of fun!
Anyone rememder the Movie Demolition Man? In one scene while the female cop in introducing the just-defrosted Stallone to the World of the Future, they get into a car and turn on the oldies station.
It’s all oldies commercials. Radio: “Oscar Meyer Weiners…” Cop: “Oh, this is one of my favourites!” and starts singing along.
At the time I thought that that was a excellent and funny, but very improbable, idea. Now, I’m beginning to wonder.
(Anyone remember what that thing was called, a brand name or something? I’d love to see if I could find one again)