Here’s to Good Friends – And Great Commercials

 

This entire piece pays homage to one 30-second commercial from 1977. 

 

 

It’s not a famous commercial, like the one with Mikey enjoying Life Cereal, or one that introduced a catchphrase like “ring around the collar.” It wasn’t funny or sexy or sentimental or controversial. But I’ve never forgotten it, and when I watch it I feel a cozy nostalgia in how it recalls some of the happier times and places and people that were part of my life. 

 

Here is the commercial. If you’re around my age it may be familiar to you as well. 

 

 

Perhaps now you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal?” But even if you’re otherwise unmoved you should appreciate the music, which is too classy to be relegated to mere “jingle” status. That song played over many Löwenbräu commercials back then, performed by the soulful voice of Arthur Prysock (though many were convinced it was Lou Rawls). And it contributes immeasurably to the ad’s appeal.

 

But let me tell you what else I see. It’s a Friday evening in Chicago, in autumn. I say autumn because Dolan, our protagonist, slips off an overcoat as he enters the restaurant, but there’s no snow to shake off his shoulders. And I think it’s Friday because we have four friends meeting after work, and from their relaxed and upbeat mood one can presume they’re not just glad to be off the daily clock, but also looking forward to the weekend ahead of them.

 

Why Chicago? Obviously it’s a packed restaurant in a big city. I suppose it could be New York or Boston, but I did not hear a trace of accent from either of the two gentlemen with speaking parts. Some people think us Midwesterners have accents as well, but I’ve always dismissed that as an unfounded rumor. 

 

 

I grew up near Chicago, and I think I recognize a Windy City steakhouse when I see one. I’ve slid into a red leather booth like that and been handed a menu from a tuxedoed waiter. I’d say it’s located somewhere on the near North side where you didn’t have to worry about your hubcaps disappearing while you eat. Just from those few brief glimpses we get I know they serve Caesar salads tableside, and twice-baked potatoes stuffed with a huge dollop of butter.

 

Dolan (played by CHiPs star Robert Pine) joins his buddies as “Here’s to good friends” is played. They chastise him for being late but he says “It wasn’t easy getting tickets for this game.” What type of game? They’re not dressed to sit outdoors so it wouldn’t be football in Chicago. I’d say basketball is a more likely option than hockey. Usually a better-dressed crowd, even in the era before Michael Jordan made the Bulls the city’s biggest attraction.

 

Who are these guys? Stock traders, maybe? The one who says “Dolan, you’re a genius” definitely has the look of a wheeler-dealer. Though with that sport coat he might just as well be a used-car salesman. 

 

 

They are regulars at this particular restaurant – as evidenced by Dolan addressing the waiter by name. No need for that menu – he knows exactly what he wants: “The biggest steak you got and a bottle of Löwenbräu." That’s right, the biggest one. No wonder three other menus close in unison, because what could possibly be better than that? 

 

 

Four huge Porterhouse cuts of prime beef are headed for that table, because this was a snapshot of better days – of a proud and headstrong America when we didn’t do anything halfway – before so many tried to run it down or turn it into something it’s not and hopefully never will be. Back then if someone suggested we shouldn’t order steak because cows are bad for the environment, we’d have told them to shut up and get back to their hippie commune.

 

And to wash down those aged, seasoned and grilled gifts from Heaven – it’s Löwenbräu, proudly American but with deep roots in the old country, a reminder of the great melting pot of the United States, when Immigrants from Europe brought their best achievements into our nation and made it even better – no effete Bud Light for these guys.

 

Yes, tonight is kind of special. And I hope Dolan and his pals hear the message in the music that plays over their night on the town. If you’ve had those nights in your life you likely treasure the memories they can bring – and if you now live thousands of miles away from your old compatriots, or some of them are no longer with us, a commercial like this can bring it all back. 

 

 

If moments like this are part of your life now, be sure to acknowledge how wonderful they are, as these are the times you’ll look back on and smile about in 25 years. As Carly Simon once sang, “These are the good old days.”

 

Here’s to good friends, indeed.