August 1:
TVparty Beach Party

Here's a medley of
commercials from the sixties
that take place at the beach.
Dig the crazy sunglasses - and the catchy jingles!

August 2:
Snowdrift

One of many brilliant 1950's ads for Snowdrift Shortening, this one is a hip parody of Little Red Riding Hood. It looks to me like the animation is by Tex Avery, maybe? Daws Butler provided the voice of the Wolf.

August 3:
Gleason and a Curtain

With five minutes to go in a live Jackie Gleason Show telecast, a backstage mishap meant the last comedy sketch could not go on. Gleason had no choice but to go out and improvise until time ran out, displaying once again what a brilliant entertainer he was. Here are three minutes from that fateful broadcast.

Aug. 4:
Tonight Show hosted
by the Smothers Brothers

In 1975, shortly after the short-lived Smothers Brothers Show was cancelled on NBC, the comedy duo guest-hosted the Tonight Show. Here's the opening to that broadcast - AUDIO ONLY.

Aug. 5:
The Pledge of Allegiance

In the early-1970s, a regular feature of the Casey Jones Show in the Twin Cities was the playing of a recording from the 1950s by Red Skelton. This makes for interesting viewing in light of the recent controversy over two little words in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Aug. 6:
Crazy Calls

Anyone who watched TV in the mid-eighties will remember this annoying commercial - for a cassette tape that contained the stupidest answering machine messages you can imagine. They sold them by the truckload - at least I assume they did, the commercial ran relentlessly but who ever knew anyone who ordered it?

August 7:
Shrimpenstein

Gene Moss and Jim Thurman invented one of LA's most loved and bizarre children's shows. This zany daily program aired in the mid-sixties. Thereafter Gene and Jim concentrated on their advertising career creating commercials for Weinerschnitzel ("Der Weinerschnitzel, Weinerschnitzel, dis must be the place. Just Drive right in and put a great big hot dog in your face"), Coffeemate ("Rounds out the flavor of a good cup of coffee") and Jim as the VandeKamp's Fisherman, all decked out in yellow slicker.

August 8:
Dance Party USA

Were you one of those kids that rushed home from school to watch Dance Party USA on the USA Network? If so, you might enjoy these two promos from the late 1980s.

August 9:
Granny's Mini Skirt

Sometime during the long run of The Beverly Hillbillies, Irene Ryan released a novelty record called ' Granny's Mini Skirt.' You may not have heard it, it didn't chart, but it's kind of cute.

August 10:
Flipping Channels
in the Fifties

Here's a video that flips around to some images you might have seen if you were watching TV in the 1950s.

August 11:
Romper Room

Romper Room had its origins in Baltimore back in 1953. Miss Nancy (Claster) was not only the local Baltimore hostess, she was the nationally syndicated Romper Room hostess as well (she retired in 1964). Claster created the program and trained all of the other Romper Room teachers around the nation. This ultra-rare clip shows her closing the broadcast with the famous 'Magic Mirror.'

August 12:
Twenty-One

In 1958 the producers of this wildly popular primetime game show admitted they had been providing answers to contestants that they wanted to see win. The quiz show scandals erupted after Herb Stemple came forward with the story that he was forced to throw the game and allow Charles Van Doren to win.

August 13:
Wonderama

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the debut of Wonderama, here is a montage of ultra-rare clips from the 1970s with the Jackson 5 and Muhammad Ali & Joe Frazier. Wonderama was a marathon Sunday kiddie show filmed in NYC and broadcast in syndication around the country; here with host Bob McAllister (Kids are People Too).

August 14:
G.L.O.W.

The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling was a popular weekend program in the mid-eighties. In this show ending, Debbie Debutante and Spanish Red refuse to end their battle even after the match is over. You can now buy GLOW on DVD! (Order here.)

August 15:
Reading PSA

A nice animated public service spot that ran on the Captain Kangaroo show - along with the program bumpers. Sadly, there are almost no existing copies of the CBS run of Captain Kangaroo.

August 16:
Hey Love

"No, my brother - you've got to buy your own." Another commercial that aired frequently during the mid-eighties, this time for a compilation album of romantic soul songs sure to warm up the chilly ladies. Classic!

August 17:
Blitz Beer

"Blitz - the beer with a past." How's that for a slogan? Truth in advertising - this early TV sponsor was around for over 100 years and just recently went out of business.

August 18:
The Howdy Doody Show

Relive (or see for the first time) the opening to one of the seminal programs in TV history. Howdy Doody (1947-1960) was responsible for the sales of more television sets than any other show. When parents noticed kids congregating down the street to watch TV, they rushed out to buy a set - keeping up with the Jones' had begun.

August 19:
Reebok - 1990

By 1990 the sneaker was the hottest thing on the market as the major manufacturers tripped all over themselves coming up with the latest gimmick. That's when Reebok came out with the Double-Tongue Shoe - one tongue wasn't enough?!? I always hated these faux-improvised 'we're all hanging out having a good time' commercials - they were so unconvincing.

August 20:
Alka-Seltzer

In the mid-fifties, legendary silent film comedian Buster Keaton starred in commercials for (among others) Alka-Seltzer. In this spot you get to see 'Speedy,' Alka-Seltzer's animated mascot.

August 21:
Milton Berle
Texaco Star Theater

"We're the merry Texaco men; tonight we may be showmen; tomorrow we'll be servicing your cars." That's part of the Texaco jingle that opened TV's hottest show in 1952. This is what big-time network television looked like fifty years ago.

August 22:
Sonny Comedy Revue

After Sonny and Cher broke up, Sonny got his own (short-lived) show. Here's the opening monologue to one of the early efforts, where every week Sonny was teamed with a different female to deliver the Cher-style putdowns - Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H) did the honors in this clip. AUDIO ONLY.

August 23:
NBC Jingle - 1985

"People come together in the moments that they share - on NBC Let's All Be There." Every year the networks craft nifty jingles and peppy ad campaigns to lure your eyeballs to the screen. Here's one of the best - listen, sing along and watch NBC tonight (they could use the viewers). AUDIO ONLY.

August 24:
Arraflor

Watch as this 'typical couple' hard sell their neighbor on a new, no-wax flooring. Arraflor, a rubber-like surface, can still be seen in old office and government buildings from the 1940s - 1960s. It's cool stuff.

August 25:
Freedom Rock

From 1989. Remember the two hippies that were selling a compilation album of 1970's tunes out of the back of their van? Available on four records or two cassettes - two outdated methods of music delivery.
"Hey man, is that Freedom Rock?"
"Yeah, man."
Well, turn it up!"

August 26:
Duz

My aunt Rose was a wonderful woman. In the 1960s, she watched TV wrestling and believed whole-heartedly that it was all 100% legit. And whenever one of her kids broke a glass, she bought Duz laundry detergent - because, even though it cost a bit more than other brands, each box came with a free drinking glass.

August 27:
Lost episode of Star Trek?!?

Check it out - a Vulcan (one of Mr. Spock's long lost relatives, I suppose) beams down to tell this hapless housewife about new all temperature Cheer. The guy is clearly a Vulcan, note the distinctive ears and pointed eyebrows. Live long and prosper - by using All-Tempa-Cheer!

August 28:
Andy Williams

During the run of Andy Williams' 1960s era variety show, he closed the hour with this lovely song. (I wish they would put this show out on DVD!)

August 29:
Howard Cosell

Here's a promo for Monday Night Football in 1977 that reminds us just what a remarkable broadcaster Howard Cosell was. His loquacious lucidity and bombastic verbosity are sorely missed.

August 30:
Romper Room

A preview of our upcoming profile of Spokane, Washington's Romper Room lady, Miss Florence. She had the role for almost twenty years starting in 1958 on KREM TV.

August 31:
Amos 'n' Andy

A clip from one of the funniest TV shows you may never get a chance to watch for yourself. Here the wily Kingfish and lawyer Algonquin J. Calhoun go at it after Kingfish is caught red-handed.