Posting challenge

[magnetic_pole]

Just saw that Cal Worthington, used car salesman extraordinaire, died recently at the age of 92. Growing up in southern California in the 1970s and 1980s, I must have seen dozens of his wacky and exuberant and often abrasive ads (and that link takes you to an archive of his tv spots if you want to give them a try). The ones I remember most clearly involved a banjo-picking chorus singing praises of Cal to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it." Not what I would have chosen to remember from my childhood, but there they are, as if I just heard them yesterday.

Any ads or jingles you remember from your childhood?

Comments

[torachan]

Oh man, Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!

The other one that is stuck in my head forever is Pete Ellis Dodge, Long Beach Freeway, Firestone Exit, Southgate.

[magnetic_pole]

OMG YES! When I read the headline to the better half, also from southern California, she immediate hummed the Pete Ellis bit. And then that little bouncing dot jumped to mind... M.

[venturous]

I'm from Detroit, where we had our own car sales celebrities. I cant seem to remember any of them, but here's some things I do recall:

"See the USA in your Chevrolet" we had a cigarette lighter music box with this on it
"Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?"

"CKLW" my childhood radio love
http://www.thebig8.net/more_music_cklw_fast_to_slow.mp3

"Ask any mermaid you happen to see…What’s the best tuna? Chicken of the Sea." (Chicken of the Sea Tuna)

[midnitemarauder]

LOL Chicken of the Sea! Sorry, Charlie! :-D

Then there's the Oscar Meyer Weiner song, which will never go away. Nor the Meow Mix song. Meow Meow Meow Meow!

Here on Long Island, (and in the tri-state area) there was an electronics chain store called "Crazy Eddie" and in the commercials, "Eddie" would get his face really close up into the camera and talk really fast and loud about the deals they had, and they would always end with the tag line: "Crazy Eddie! His prices are IN-SANE!" Of course, now that would be frowned on, but they were very memorable at the time.

[midnitemarauder]

Oh, wait - was Charlie with Star-kist tuna? LOL That one was pretty memorable too. But we always bought Bumble Bee tuna, which of course had it's own ear-wormy jingle! "Yum yum, Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee tuna! I love Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee tuna ... "

Okay, now I'm going to be singing jingles ALL DAY LONG!

[magnetic_pole]

Oh my word, Detroit, your advertising must have been epic!

Aw, Chicken of the Sea. You know, I didn't realize until I was an adult what "chicken of the sea" referred to. :) Funny the way you just take things at face value as a kid. M.

[magnetic_pole]

I love how you remember the most ear-worm-y ones possible, L. :)

I've always thought of those local chain ads as the very worst--they're so tinny and aggressive--but in our Multi Mega Merger world, they're starting to seem...genuine, in an odd way. I mean, the owners were often actually there on camera, trying to convince you to come to their stores. They're so forthright about what they want. M.