The 1950s Television Commercials Audiences Knew
And Loved
Author: Ben Anton
The 1950s were arguably the golden age of television and many
people of a certain age look back fondly at some of the shows of
the time – "The Lone Ranger", "I Love Lucy" and "Gunsmoke".
These shows were in black and white and were watched on a set
that got its signal from a huge antenna on the roof, but they
were loved just the same.
Almost as compelling as the TV shows themselves, were some of
the commercials of the time. TV was still a novelty during the
1950s and companies were anxious to cash in on the new craze.
Particularly popular were commercials for cigarettes, cars and
state of the art kitchen appliances. And the average length of
TV advertisements was around a minute – compared to the 30
seconds or less today.
Beer was also one of the products widely advertised on TV
during the 1950s. At first, it was only late at night and never
on a Sunday, so as not to offend anyone. During the early part
of the decade, Blatz Beer became one of the beer industry's
biggest advertisers, partly due to the company's sponsorship of
the popular "Amos `n' Andy" show.
One of the most instantly recognizable characters in television
advertising at the time was Mabel. Mabel was a chirpy blond
waitress who appeared on screen with a tray of Carling Black
Label beer. Almost every Carling commercial featured the phrase
that became famous – "Hey, Mabel, Black Label!"
Cigarette advertisements were commonplace during the 1950s – a
big change from television today. Some of the biggest tobacco
manufacturers of the time spent a lot of money trying to
convince us that smoking was sophisticated and fun, including
Lucky Strike, Tareyton and Winston.
One famous Lucky Strike ad featured a clever combination of
cartoon and live action, featuring the singer Gisele McKenzie.
Tareytown had an ad that featured what appeared to be two
children dancing around a giant pack of cigarettes. And who can
possibly forget the Fontane Sisters singing the praises of
Chesterfield cigarettes?
Car manufacturers went to great lengths to advertise the latest
models on television during the 1950s despite the loss of
aesthetic effect on a black and white screen. The Ford Edsel was
advertised at great length as the most beautiful convertible in
the world, complete with such wonderful and innovative features
as "teletouch" driving and air suspension.
It wasn't all just cars, beer and tobacco. Some healthier
products were advertised as well. One of the most well known ads
of the era was for Pepsodent toothpaste. The TV ad featured a
cute cartoon couple kissing after having brushed their teeth,
and the catchy and unforgettable slogan – "You'll wonder where
the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!"
TV advertisements for kitchen appliances pointed out features
that we now take for granted. A General Electric ad from the
time for a new refrigerator consisted of a proud couple
explaining the features of their sleek new fridge which included
shelves that slid out, storage space behind the door and a
separate freezer compartment.
And some things don't seem to have changed much over the years.
Tupperware ran a series of TV ads during the 1950s which
featured an exciting Tupperware evening at a typical suburban
home, organized by a "hostess". Almost as much emphasis was
placed on the social aspect, as on the actual features of the
product.
One of the most prolific TV advertisers during the 1950s and
subsequent decades was Pepsi. Their advertisements captured the
feeling of the times like few others. One of the company's
earliest featured the actress and singer Polly Bergen enjoying a
barn dance and a refreshing glass of Pepsi-Cola.
Not to be outdone, Coca-Cola was just as prolific with their
ads and came up with several memorable slogans, such as "There's
nothing like a Coke". Coca-Cola also went after the young crowd,
with an ad featuring people at diners and drive-in movie
theaters and a jingle that claimed "Zing! What a feeling!"
Many television viewers firmly maintain that the advertisements
are just as good as the actual shows themselves! It seems as
though that was especially true back in the 1950s. And if you
just can't get enough of those old commercials, you can enjoy
some of them on DVD or online.
~ Ben Anton, 2008
About The Author: If you enjoyed reading this article, you can
read more about classic tv at
http://www.classictelevisionbl
