I love old TV commercials, for reasons that would take too long to explain here. The short answer is they were generally quieter, more sincere, and a lot less annoying than the commercials we get now – and that includes the ones featuring celebrities.
Since the earliest days of the medium, television stars leveraged their audience appeal to sell anything and everything.
It still happens but when I see some of these spots today they don’t resonate the same way. When Jennifer Lopez says “I look for the Well Health Safety Seal at my favorite places,” I’m fairly convinced she’s never looked for it once in her life. Robert De Niro appears in that same ad, and I wouldn’t believe him if he told me my house was on fire.
But when Robert Young promised that Sanka tastes just as good as regular coffee, I was sure he was telling the truth – even when I was too young to know what coffee tasted like.
Here are 12 celebrity endorsement ads from decades past that I still remember well. I bet most of you remember them too.
Robert Young
The warm, kindly present of Robert Young, cultivated over more than a decade of classic television on Father Knows Best and Marcus Welby, M.D., made him an ideal spokesperson for Sanka, the caffeine-free coffee that wouldn’t make you jittery.
Florence Henderson
Audiences associated Florence Henderson with a home and hearth ideal conveyed by The Brady Bunch, even though Alice did the cooking for that family. In a decades-long series of spots for Wesson Oil, Henderson spent more time in the kitchen than she ever did as Carol Brady. But no one had more Wessonality.
Robert Conrad
TV’s top tough guy was always itching for a fight, whether he was beating up a half-dozen goons on The Wild, Wild West, getting in Gabe Kaplan’s face on Battle of the Network Stars, or selling Everady batteries.
Staring down viewers and daring them to buy a competitor’s product was a unique approach – but it worked.
William Shatner
If any celebrity deserves a commercial pitchman lifetime achievement award it is William Shatner. For more than 50 years he’s been a near constant presence in TV ads, both when his career was thriving and when it hit the skids. He has apparently never met a product he didn’t want to sell. At age 90 he’s still going strong, extolling the benefits of sleep apnea equipment.
My favorite Shatner commercials are the ones he did between the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969, and the career revival that accompanied the 1979 release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In these spots he doesn’t say “Hi, I’m William Shatner for (insert product name here)” – because his celebrity status at that point was minimal at best. Instead he was just the guy who beat out the other applicants for the job.
Ricardo Montalban
If Captain Kirk can sell cars (and he did), why not his arch-nemesis from “The Space Seed?”
Say it with me – “rich, Corinthian leather.” The idea was to sell Chrysler as a luxury vehicle that rivaled traditional elite manufacturers like Cadillac and Lincoln Continental, but at a more affordable price. The rich backdrops and the impeccably dressed Montalban all helped sell that image of class and refinement.
Anthony Geary
At the height of Luke and Laura-mania on General Hospital, Members Only jackets had the foresight to sign Anthony Geary, and leverage his rebel image, to help move the merchandise – and boy, did it work. Those jackets were everywhere at that time – and yes I owned at least a half-dozen in different colors.
Robert Blake
As with Tony Geary, what makes a Robert Blake commercial effective is the novelty of seeing a renegade like Blake, who was always mocking “the suits” and the business side of show business, pimping himself out to sell a product. He always sounded like he was just talking to people instead of reading from a script, which gave more credibility to his pitch for STP oil.
Annette Funicello
After her iconic membership in The Mickey Mouse Club and her years riding the surf with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello became “the peanut butter lady” to a new generation of fans.
Bill Cosby
I know, I know. But before we knew about all that stuff Cosby was as beloved a star as TV produced, and his commercials for Jello Pudding highlighted his remarkable rapport with kids.
Jaclyn Smith
K-Mart brought Jaclyn Smith aboard to class up a brand associated with bargain basements and blue light specials. After promoting and modeling her line of affordable women’s fashions, she’d read the slogan “From K-Mart. Yes, K-Mart,” as if no one would believe they’d find anything stylish there. Smith was already a pro at commercials by then – I know most people probably recall her K-Mart ads first but I still remember when she lent her stunning looks and sultry voice to an unforgettable Martini & Rossi ad.
James Garner and Mariette Hartley
I saved the best for last. The Polaroid commercials featuring James Garner and Mariette Hartley were often better than the shows they sponsored.
Their playful chemistry seemed so natural that many viewers assumed the couple had to be married. They’ll never put them out on DVD, but if they did, I’d buy it.
I can just hear the keyboards clattering as people rush to remind you who you omitted--"what about Nancy Walker who sold Bounty paper towels!" "What about Mr. Whipple who scolded people not to squeeze the Charmin--he always played the drunk in a business suit on Bewitched!" but for me, your list here was terrific. Loved what you wrote about each one too, so spot-on! Robert Conrad--that dude was a BADASS and I sure wouldn't knock a battery off his shoulder! Robert Blake too, I'd believe anything he sold me, he was that genuine. Loved what you wrote about William Shatner too, so weird as I was just thinking about him last night and wondering WHY HE KEEPS WORKING AT AGE 90. I guess because he can! I honestly cannot remember that Anthony Geary com for Members Only but yes, yes--I had several myself (but never wore one with a tux--cough) Finally, what you wrote about Garner & Hartley, my mom used to SHUSH us when those Polaroid commercials came on. Great stuff and now I'm homesick for the Seventies again, thanks David :^)
ReplyDeleteThank you - I often find myself homesick for the 70s as well. And I still miss my salmon-colored Members Only jacket.
DeleteMr. Hofstede, you mean that William Shatner was ANONYMOUS in the role of Captain Kirk prior to the release of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"? I do know that Shatner has serious financial problems after the cancellation of the original "Star Trek" series (he went through an expensive divorce, after all), and I also know that he had a reputation for being difficult. I do realize that being associated with a sci-fi or fantasy franchise was often a significant anchor for Hollywood actors of yesteryear. Is it true that typecasting was more hurtful than helpful in the old days?
ReplyDeleteI find it funny that we now remember the commercials more than the programs we were watching when they came on. Just by stating the star's name I knew which commercial you were going to talk about.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, when I got my first VCR I recorded all my favorite shows and when I could I edited OUT the commercials. Now I wish I had those memories back.