Once upon a time there used to be a thing called television commercials. Does anybody remember those? This was back in the days before remote controls were standard and cable television was just in its infancy.
Back then we were forced to watch commercials because it was too much of a hassle to get up and manually change the channel during the commercial breaks. There was no channel surfing, no commercial free channels like HBO. Nope. Commercials were everywhere. But the funny [part is, we really didn't mind them. It gave us a chance to run into the kitchen to make a snack or take a bathroom break. These days, folks with Tivo can pause live TV, so I guess they can take a break when ever they want, but back then we either watched the commercial or left the room for a minute.
The commercials were great back then. Some of my favorites include the Dr. Pepper commercials where people referred to themselves as Peppers (although to this day I'm not exactly sure what a Pepper actually is). Another favorite was the Alka Seltzer where a man is just looking for some relief. And who can forget the infamous Wendy's restaurant commercial from the 80's where two old ladies loudly asked the question, "Where's the beef"?
Kids loved the old animated commercial for Tootsie Pops where a wise old owl tries to get to the bottom of the all important question, which was how many licks did it to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Teenaged girls flocked to their favorite store to buy "Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific" shampoo after seeing the commercial (boys loved the scent, apparently). There used to be a McDonalds's ad where people tried to recite all of the ingredients in a Big Mac (answer: two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun). And then there was the Coca cola commercials of the early 1970's, sung to the tune of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony". Absolute classics!
Another favorite? The Oscar Mayer bologna commercial in which a cute kid (aren't all TV commercial kids cute?) sings the praises of his favorite luncheon meat. And who can forget the granddaddy of television commercials-- the Life cereal commercial featuring a boy named Mikey, who hates everything (but apparently loves "Life").
TV commercials back then had recurring characters. Does anyone remember Madge, the manicurist who soaked her client's hands in Palmolive dishwashing liquid to soften them? And who could forget Mr. Whipple, the frustrated grocery store clerk who had to reprimand patrons that couldn't resist squeezing his precious Charmin toilet paper (but Mr. Whipple couldn't resist either).
Some commercials had the power to send chills down your spine. Two examples-- a famous 80's spot about drugs, which compared a frying egg to the brain of a person on drugs. But my all time favorite? The 70's public service announcement about pollution. It featured a stoic Indian who sheds a single tear after a thoughtless driver tosses trash out of a car window. That commercial made me think back then. So much so, that I still remember it vividly today.
