I am looking for some specific examples of the embedded radio-style ads that appeared on early television (late 1940s-mid 1950s) wherein the actor or actors in the show would stop to talk about how wonderful the sponsor’s coffee or cigarettes or cereal was. For some reason, I can see these clearly but can’t remember any actors, shows, or specific products.
And yes, I already have the Winston ads done by Fred and Barney - unbelievable. 
BTW, suggestions or references are fine. I don’t necessarily need YouTube examples, as it might sound from the first post.
Here’s Dick Van Dyke and Mary TylerMoore enjoying cigarets.
Adorable little girls selling gasolinefor Jack Benny.
And a truly bizarre example, where Carol Channing pops in on Hogan’s Heroesto talk about Jello.
This sounds like the kind of thing that Ernie Kovacs might have done.
I remember one where (I suppose) Raisin Bran was sponsoring “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Granny is counting the raisins “Eleventy-seven, eleventy-eight. . . .” Then Mr. Drysdale stops to talk to her (probably about how good Raisin Bran is). Then she resumes her counting, “Eleventy-nine, eleventy-ten. . . What comes after eleventy-ten?” Mr. Drysdale replies, “Eleventy-leven.” Then, looks at the camera quizzically, “Eleventy-leven?”
I can’t remember any actors stepping out of character, facing the camera, and hawking products, but there were many “endorsement spots” by the likes of Steve McQueen (Viceroy}, Dale Robertson (Pall Mall), and dozens more I could name if that’s within the scope of the OP’s topic. TV in the 50’s and 60’s was big on convincing the audience that their sponsors’ shit didn’t stink.
The Lucy Show DVDs have sponsors commercials as bonus features. Lucille Ball never appears in them (too busy running the studio); just Vivian Vance & the kids. They’re in character and there’s often some kind of reference to the events of the episode.
Aces. Thanks. I was thinking of a very early one with coffee - Might have been George Burns, might have been someone like Robert Young, with a Folger’s or Maxwell House commercial set basically right in the middle of a scene. Any clues?
Maxwell House sponsored “Father Knows Best” so I wouldn’t be surprised to see ads incorporated there. The Disney Cinderella DVD has an ad for Cinderella framed around a party at Walt’s house, which breaks for a delivery of cases of Coca-Cola.
George Burns and Gracie Allen’s sponsor was Carnation, and they’d work discussions of it into the narrative all the time. (Trivia: the name of their theme song was “Love Nest”)
Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theater started and ended with a musical number about Texaco gas that was integrated into Uncle Miltie’s entrance.
Correction: the Disney program that broke for a Coke is a bonus feature on the Alice in Wonderland DVD.
The Beverly Hillbillies were also sponsored by Kellogg’s (“of Battle Creek”). There was one commercial where Jed wanted sugar on his cereal, and Granny told him it was already there in Frosted Flakes.
Andy Griffith used to do commercials for Maxwell House coffee, I think it was: “Mmm-mmm! Gooo-ood!”
Quite a few actors started doing ads after the taboo was broken in the mid-1960s, but those aren’t what I mean. The examples above (all great, and helping me find others) are what I was looking for - ads embedded right into the show, or the next thing to it, with the actors in character shilling the product.
I ended up using the Luci and Desi cigarette ad as my example, but filed the rest for other uses. Thanks for the feedback, all.
At the end of some of the Dick Van Dyke show episodes on DVD, the two play out a little scene in character in the Petries’ kitchen, discussing the dishwashing liquid Laura is using. (Joy, I think, or perhaps Lux?)
I’ve looked it up. It’s Joy:
I seem to remember one where Andy and Aunt Bea were enjoying a cup of coffee in their kitchen while in character. While not embedded in the show, such commercials were usually tacked on to the ending.
There was another one where Uncle Charlie was telling the boys from My Three Sons how he survived being stranded on a desert island by putting flavored ketchups (yum!) on soda crackers. (ROB: “Except they didn’t have flavored ketchups in those days, Uncle Charlie; they’re new and they’re made by Hunt’s!”)