ClassicTVAds DVDs
Click a link above to watch a 2-minute video of what's on the latest DVDs. Details are in the ClassicTVAds Storefront.
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Dristan (McLean Stevenson), 1968 (August 5)...you don't hear that coughing, that hacking...
 Boring ad made interesting in that it featured future 1970 M.A.S.H. star, McLean Stevenson.
Stevenson died in 1996, due to complications after cancer surgery. He was 69.
time 0:32 size 979 kb aired 1968
Winston Imitation of Marlboro (August 3)It's still what's up front that counts.
 We're assuming this ad came out after the very successful Marlboro Old West ads.
Winston got the music right, but it missed the mark with the models-turned-cowboys-cowgirls. Yes, the models are out for a day trip, but their costumes just look silly out on the dusty trail.
time 1:05 size 2.0 mb aired 1960s
Muriel Cigars, The Adams Sisters, 1966-7 (June 19)The Adams sister...Edith, Editha, and Edie.
 Edie Adams made dozens of ads for Muriel Cigars, and they are among the finest jewels in broadcasting history.
Here is one with Edie playing three roles. A visitor to ClassicTVAds owns the gown in this ad, having purchased it in an estate auction last year.
time 1:02 size 2.3 mb aired 1966
Marlboro Cigarettes, 195? (June 1)Filter, flavor, flip-top box.
 Marlboro was always chasing after the manly men market with ads like this one.
It's especially silly to see the four men here comparing the sizes of their sticks.
We're not sure of the air-date of this ad, but it appears to be late 1950s.
time 1:03 size 1.5 mb aired 195?
Admiral Color TV, 1966 (April 28)The tilt-out control center tilts in!
 There is something cool about watching old "high tech" ads like this one. Who would have thought that a 25-inch screen was ever considered "big"?
And what are "super bright, rare, earth phosphors"?
time 1:02 size 1.5 mb aired 1966
Glo-Coat, 1969 (April 28)Kids!...they leave lots of heel marks, as you well know.
 Musicals were all the rage in the 1960s, and the jingle in this one was borrowed from the film, Bye Bye Birdie ("Kids").
And once more, there is that magical Glo-Coat shield that looked like it would be so much fun to ride on.
time 0:33 size 784 kb aired 1969
Klear, 1967 (April 28)Did you know you were looking through glass?
 Apparently, floor wax used to yellow with age. But it was probably a stretch to exaggerate it as much as was portrayed in this ad...she looks like she's peering through sunglasses on the "yellowed" side of the glass.
time 0:42 size 1.3 mb aired 1967
Kool Cigarettes, 1968 (April 28)Come up to the Kool taste, the coolest taste in any cigarette.
 Here we go again with the taste factor in cigarettes; this time they paired "taste" with crates and crates of tasty, healthy oranges all around the smokers.
A more suitable background would have been a dirty, dusty, dark, menacing coal mine, with the actors chomping on black carbon chunks between puffs. Too nasty?
time 1:03 size 1.5 mb aired 1968
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HelloClassicTVAds: Just commercials...really old ones, and a section devoted to a favorite Wizard of Oz star, Margaret Hamilton.
 This site is designed for high-speed internet access only; 56k modems will not have a pleasant experience here.
If you are viewing the site through a proxy and/or firewall server, you may see broken images. ClassicTVAds and its parent site, RoadOde, are configured to prevent bandwidth theft. The broken image problem is a known consequence of these measures; nothing anybody can do about it. The videos on both sites, however, should still play properly.
Commonly asked questionsQ. I get a bunch of raw code when I try to watch a movie. A. This site was designed for Windows Internet Explorer. Firefox and Netscape users will see raw code when they click on a video. As of March 27, all new videos appearing on the site will have options for Firefox and Netscape users (as you can see elsewhere on this page). Q. Why are all of your images broken? A. You are looking at the site through a proxy and/or firewall server; mechanisms are in place to prevent bandwidth theft from the site, and the broken image problem is a known consequence of this measure. I've experienced it myself, and, yes, it's not pretty. Q. Are your ads for sale? A. No. Q. Do you know where I could find such-and-such an ad? A. In all honesty, no. There are a few commercially available DVDs that contain ads (check Amazon.com); I know of no reliable sources. I don't recommend Web sites that charge admission. Q. Do you have such-and-such an ad? A. Infrequently, I do have an ad somebody is looking for. If that is the case, I'll put it on the site for everybody to see. I do not distribute custom ads on an individual basis. Q. How do I download such-and-such an ad? A. Look in your temporary internet files directory after watching one. Q. The ads don't work; is something wrong with your site? A. I usually know about any problems on the site. If the videos are not working for you, it is usually your configuration, your old browser, your slow connection, or your firewall that is at fault. This site is frequently tested using latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Netscape.
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Man From Glad, 1968 (August 5)Man from Glad, man from Glad...ladies losing pie fight.
 Oh yes, these ladies needed a big man to save them from their silly pie fight.
The late '60s were odd in that sexism seemed much more difficult to overcome than did racism.
time 0:33 size 991 kb aired 1968
Brylcreem, 1968 (August 5)I came back.
 In the 1960s, there seemed to be an endless war between makers of mens' hair dressings: one side was pro-clear gel, the other side was pro-white cream.
Brylcreem, of course, had been around a long time before the '60s. Hence, the I-came-back theme.
time 0:32 size 978 kb aired 1968
Winston (Ken Berry), 1960 (August 3)Pure white modern filter...
 We think the jazzy organ music in the middle of this one is so neat-o. We really dig it.
Yes, that's huffin'n'puffin Ken Berry before he knew he would be a Dial Soap dancer, a resident of Mayberry RFD, or a Carol Burnett regular.
time 1:02 size 2.0 mb aired 1960
Maxwell House Coffee (195?) (August 3)It's Maxwell House wherever you go.
 One of the most enduring phrases ever coined, Good to the last drop, has been a Maxwell House trademark since the early 1900s.
Judging from its appearance, this commercial was broadcast in the mid-1950s, just before a sponsored American Scene documentary (and if anybody knows anything about the American Scene series of documentaries, please share the information with us).
time 0:29 size 967 kb aired 195?
Lucky Strikes, 1955 (June 1)The light time...the light place.
 Here is Happy Joe Lucky again, with vocals by the gang from the 1950s TV show, Your Hit Parade.
'50s kids, like kids of today, just loved cartoons. So, it's not surprising that the cigarette companies enticed and prepped tomorrow's adults with characters like Happy Joe Lucky.
time 1:01 size 1.5 mb aired 1955
Muriel Cigars (Edie Adams, Stan Getz), 1965 (June 1)The price is only a dime.
 Edie Adams, spokeswoman for Muriel Cigars, teams up with famous sax player, Stan Getz.
Getz had a lifelong problem with alcohol and narcotics addiction. He died in 1991.
time 1:02 size 1.5 mb aired 1965
Clairol's Summer Blonde, 1966 (May 5)You can give your hair that summer look, all year long!
 In the mid- to late-1960s, deep dark tans and sun-bleached blonde hair were considered cool. And so were swinging threesomes (and foursomes, and so on), which this ad hints at.
People of the '60s prided themselves on the progressive racial strides that were made. Ads like this one, however, seemed to suggest that being white was way more fun.
time 0:32 size 773 kb aired 1966
Singer Sewing Machine, 1967 (April 28)Get the most fun out of life, out of being a mother and a wife!
 Back in 1967, when young men were being sent to the meat grinder in Viet Nam, young women were being tutored to have "fun" being mothers and wives. Fun? Really?
It's a shame that corporate America has always shaped our culture and our thinking.
time 1:02 size 1.5 mb aired 1967
Tareyton, 1967 (April 28)What gives Tareyton the taste worth fighting for?
 "Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch."
Although this was a most effective slogan back in 1967, it begged the question: Fight for what?
time 0:32 size 787 kb aired 1967
Prell, 1966 (April 28)Hey...leave some shampoo for me.
 It may sound creepy, but there are a lot of people out there who have a fetish for women with sudsy shampoo on their heads. There are private forums dedicated to this topic.
We're always a little hesitant to bring you these ads, for that reason. But Prell has been around for a long time; and the tossing of the unbreakable tube in Prell ads was a TV-ad comfort food for many years.
time 0:33 size 790 kb aired 1966
Special K, 1969 (April 28)Jennifer, what a darling maternity dress...oh, you're not?...
 Probably one of the cattiest TV ads ever presented on the tube, it's also still one of the funniest.
The viewer-as-Jennifer sees and hears the insults and phoniness around her. Truly a most effective and brilliant approach to selling a product.
time 0:32 size 978 kb aired 1969
Rice Krispies, 1969 (April 28)It's going to be a rice day...
 The jingle in this ad is a fitting introduction to The Seventies, the decade of polyester, wide ties, earth tones, elevator music, wholesomeness, and just plain blah.
Have a happy day!
time 0:33 size 991 kb aired 1969
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Remember these?
 Vam Hair Cream
Actual tube from 1957. Smells horrible. Vam? Vegetable, Animal, Mineral. Comes with pamphlet: The whole Vam story (a Wildroot product).
 Dimension Shampoo & Conditioner
From the early 1980s. Still smells wonderful. Discontinued by Lever Bros. in mid 1980s.
time 0:19 size 457 kb aired 1980s
Ipana Toothpaste
Sometime in the '60s, before ZIP codes. Still smells minty fresh.
Vaseline Cream Hair Tonic
Actual product from the 1950s. It's been a long time since it came in a bottle like this. And this hair tonic smells about as good as Vam, above. We're talking wretched.
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