Public Service Information ads - esp from the 70 and 80s

Cafe Society
#1

The UK had a lot of fantastic examples of these. For example, Donald Pleasance voicing “I am the spirit of still and silent water.”

I lived in an area with a lot of abandoned quarries that made for great diving places as long as you didn't care that you might be diving onto a rusted upturned supermarket trolley. Only a couple of kids actually died, but as an adult I can understand why our headteacher gave us a speech about the dangers of them before every summer holiday.

And that video still creeps me out.

There were loads more.

What were your favourites?

#2

And there’s this one a friend just sent to me, that I’d never seen before:

Description: Battle Royale if it were played on British train tracks in the 1970s.

#3

Really? Of all dangers, they made a PSA about that? Maybe they should just teach kids how to swim, instead.

#4

I was too young to know what VD was, but I knew it was for everybody.

#5

“This is your brain on drugs.” Funniest series of commercials ever.

#6

I am Astar, a robot. (If you grew up in Canada in the 80s, you can finish that line.)

#7

And from the 90s, but it’s the only PSA I like more than Astar… House Hippos!

#8

George Lucas allowed his characters to be used in several PSAs. As a young Star Wars nerd during that era, I loved getting to see these when they aired.

The aliens in the Mos Eisley Cantina remind us to not drink and drive (or fly)

Threepio warns Artoo about the dangers of smoking

And, the droids talk about childhood immunization, as well

Artoo gives some tips on energy conservation (I think that there were several different ads in this campaign)

#9

Yul Brynner’s anti-smoking PSA from beyond the grave.

#10

William Talman (Hamilton Burger on Perry Mason) was the first celebrity to come out against smoking. He filmed a PSA that was, like Yul Brynner’s, released post mortem.

#11

A couple of hard hitting 30-ish second PSAs from Australia regarding railroad grade crossing safety. Graphic yet restrained. The second one gives me chills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa6OjEJkEsU
#12

They did. With an unfortunate choice of host:

#13

Back in 1963 or '64, Vic Morrow and Rick Jason did a PSA for (I’m pretty sure) US Savings Bonds in their Combat! uniforms with tanks and jeeps in the background. Watching this at age 8 or 9, I was in seventh heaven! :o

#14

Here’s my favorite one: a PSA from 1973 for equal pay featuring Batman, Robin, and Batgirl. Batman producer Bill Dozier provides the opening narration. Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig reprise their roles as the Boy Wonder and Batgirl. Adam West wanted to distance himself from the Batman character, so they hired Dick Gautier to fill in as the Caped Crusader.

#15

Mr. T’s anti-drug PSA where he assaults the camera.

Holy shit, I’m scared of taking a shower after seeing that.

#16

They’re quarries full of things like broken shopping trolleys, reeds, underwater currents and other dangers - being able to swim helps, but it’s still dangerous. I never understood the attraction because they’re also freezing cold.

#17

Those are great!

#18

This is a classic train safety PSA: Dumb Ways to Die

#19

That’s a very clever one. Making the ridiculous ways to die seem be on a parallel to walking on a railway.

#20

There was a PSA (by the Franciscan Brothers IIRC) ca. 1970.

It showed two white men in suits, one around thirty, the other older, rushing through an airport.

In their haste, they crashed into a child carrying a box with game pieces, scattering them.

The young man was stunned when the older man knelt down and helped pick up the pieces. He smiled awkwardly at the child, clearly conflicted as his younger, hot-headed colleague admonished him:

"My God, come on, we’ll miss the plane!"

As the old man got to his feet, the child asked him, "Are you God?"

This atheist still wishes I could find this online.