I Like Ike – 1952 Campaign Ad

After watching this 1952 presidential campaign ad for Dwight D. Eisenhower – I am left wondering what the heck has happened to the political discourse in this country. In just 50 years – we have thrown out basic respect for opinions which differ from our own. Perhaps this is a reflection that there really is a massive difference between the two parties, but I am not so sure of that. In any event – the tone and message of this campaign ad is nothing short of hopeful, and downright optimistic. It was made during a period of angst similar to the times we live in today – filled with the fears of atomic anihilation). I think the people who made this ad had a much better understanding of people and human nature – and what drives folks to choose one party over another when they reach the voting booth. I hope they watch it and learn how we used to encourage people to vote for “our guy”. But the thought of the two candidates just sparring in a WWW slamfest does have appeal. HA! Check it out – I Like Ike.

More Classic TV Commercials

Long ago… like in the last century when i was a kid… cigarette companies were allowed to advertise on tv. No really. And for those of us growing up back in the days of ancient history… this Winston TV Commercial was one of the greatest – featuring the catchy song – Winston Tastes Good, like a cigarette should. As kids, this song went thru hundreds of parodies, with slightly altered lyrics. Can you remember any? (please post some in the message board if you like).

There was a time when folks were actually tolerant of people who smoked – and while a tiny minority of people were offended by cigarette smoke… they were clearly a select minority. Of course – today is quite different. If you light up a cigarette in someone’s home today… why many people would never invite you to return. If you smoke at work – it is often in a dingy place set aside for “those smokers”. OK…. it is a nasty habit… but so are a lot of things people do (nasty habits)… each and every day. For whatever reason – this bad habit was singled out and those who smoked have been treated like pariahs ever since. Why? As always – follow the money… people extorted a TON of money from the tobacco companies. Next target? Looks like fast foods…. but only time will tell. In case you missed it – LikeTelevision was the first web site – that was officially declared a No Smoking web site…. way back in 1999. Check out this silliness – our very unofficial campaign to clear the air. Or… you might want to check out this Google search – Download No Smoking Videos.

But i digress – here’s another tv commercial – an all time great commercial – yes… the I Want My Maypo campaign -woo woo. We all loved this one… in its day, it was as big as the Wendy’s Where’s the Beef series with feisty Clara Peller, the tough Grandma who asked the question -Where’s the Beef?

Gotta scoot… working on another great addition – an early Presidential Campaign ad for Dwight D. Eisenhower – yes… the I Like Ike tv commercial. Oh my… what a contrast to today’s hate fest. Remember folks – United we stand, Divided We Fall. Do you remember that??? It’ll be up real soon. Till then – watch Popeye for President and see what the Spinach Party has to offer.

Brigitte Bardot Turns 70!

Happy Birthday Brigitte Bardot, who was born September 28, 1934 in Paris, France. Before Marilyn Monroe and Kim Novak – Bardot was Hollywood’s first ooh la la sweetie pie. LikeTelevision offers 2 of Bardot’s best films – first, her debut at age 22 in Mademoiselle Striptease, where she is forced to join an amateur striptease contest because she sold a very expensive novel by Balzac by accident… long before the day of Beanie Babies and E-Bay – HA! The film was made in 1957 – and while the title sounds naughty, there’s no nudity at all, in fact it quite a charming film. By today’s standards – maybe PG. Long ago – it was enough to imply sensual beauty, and to be honest, most folks learn this as they grow older. A fun movie – in French with English subtitles, check it out.

The second film at LikeTelevision starring Brigitte Bardot, is titled And God Created Woman – which is dubbed in English is a bit more steamy and features Bardot as a poor girl who is attracted to a good man she loves (one brother), a suave man she is physically attracted to (the other brother), and a rich old man (who she feels nothing for – she just likes his money). The movie is disturbing in many ways – as it examines the many facets of women and what they are attracted to. By disturbing i mean that there is tension between a man and a woman, clearly we are different creatures and these differences serve up fears and concerns that are indeed disturbing. Will love win in the end? Sorry – you’ll have to watch the movie. But if you want a sample – check out the free preview from Frank Random. Oooh La La!

Also – check out the history clip about the Cannes Film Festival – which offers a shot of Bardot, who was discovered at the festival.

Hegira – Sept. 24, 622

September 24 marks the day that Mohammed returns and commenced Hegira, which means the immigration. For many, this marks the day that the religion was founded. You can watch a brief news clip made in the early 1990s, featuring Edwin Newman, who i think worked for CBS as the narrator. It might also be of interest to learn more via a google search for Hegira or Hejira as it is often spelled in English. And by all means, pass on happy wishes to a friend or neighbor who is a follower. Take a deep breath and remember – most people who practice this faith are peaceful brothers and sisters. Wish them well. It is the small gestures of peace that bring us together. (you might wish to read Mother Teresa’s comments on religion which seem relevent as well).

“There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.” – Mother Teresa

On the lighter side – this Sunday marks the 65th birthday of Donna Douglas, best known as Elly Mae Clampett from the Beverly Hillbilies. (shown here taking a bath by the cement pond, circa 1960s). LikeTelevision offers several dozen episodes of this terrific show – so if you start watching right now, you might finish all of them by Monday morning. Have a great weekend – if you feel compelled to learn more about the history of hurrican tracking – then check out this show, Man Behind the Badge – which tells the story of Grady Morton – who is a NOAA hall of famer, and is seen as the father of hurricane tracking. Not your cup of tea? – well then go watch Jeanne in a movie after she left her days in the little genie bottle. (FREE PREVIEW – another laughfest from Frank Random.)

Duck and Cover – Dr. Strangelove remix

While we all have seen the US Government classic film Duck and Cover, this Frank Random re-mix is really must see LikeTelevision. Culled from a pile of nuclear fear footage … yanked from a variety of sources, Frank put together this wonderful funky short film we affectionately call – Duck & Die. Just a happy reminder that it is often better to laugh and live in peace than to bite your nails waiting for the next disaster – we hope you have a good laugh and smile. Burt the Turtle meets Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 classic – Dr. Strangelove – or how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb… my hats off to Frank Random for finding time to make us all laugh.

More Cool Commercials

Behind the scenes we’ve been working on a monster project we hope to announce soon. But get ready folks – the subscription deal will be offering a new major benefit, at no extra cost. We’re almost finished… one of those projects that proved so dreadfully tedious, had we known going into it… we might have passed. But underestimating the work at hand is sometimes a plus. After all, i am certain we would not have embarked on creating this web site in the first place if we knew it would be such a mountain of elbow grease to pull it off. Oh well… sometimes we just never learn.

And yes…. we do have some new content to throw your way. For all you coffee junkies – check out this really cool commercial featuring the java jingle of all time – yes… it’s the Maxwell House Perky song. Back in the day… folks used to often mix a good cup of Joe with a product now deemed offensive to the human race… yes… oh NO… a cigarette. (By the way – i believe Maxwell House, part of Kraft Foods, is owned by Altria Group, the company which used to be known as Philip Morris). So – after you take in the perky Maxwell House song – make sure you check out this funky ad for Lucky Strike, which features a bunch of cigarettes doing a square dance, and a version Turkey in the Straw with some smoking lyrics. And by all means – don’t forget – you can watch this ad, but since 1999 – LikeTelevision has been declared a No Smoking web site (with a free video to check out, featuring the late great Bill Hicks).

Happy Birthday Kemosabe

Today is Clayton Moore’s birthday – best known for his role as The Lone Ranger, though he also was terrific as a villian in Radar Men From the Moon and a bunch of Film Noire classics. He was born in Chicago, Illinois – as Jack Moore and spent much of his youth as an aerialist in the circus. In 1938 he moved to Hollywood hoping to be a star only to find small roles as a bit player or a stuntman. His first break came when he won the part of Zorro in 1949. When the Lone Ranger moved from radio to the new medium called television, Clayton Moore won the part for the masked man that nobody knew. His faithful companion Tonto, played by Jay Silverheels always called him Kemosabe… which most folks thought was an Indian phrase. The evidence for Kemosabe being an Indian word is spotty – Apache and Navajo have words that sound kinda like Kemosabe – but they translate as White Shirt in Apache and Soggy Shrub in Navajo. Others suggest the word might be derived from Ojibwe word “giimoozaabi” which roughly translates as Scout. (in the show – they said it meant Faithful Scout). But another theory explains that the word is rooted in the Spanish phrase – “Quien Sabe”, which means – Who Knows? … as in nobody knew who this guy was. But hey… Quien Sabe…. who knows for sure.

Clayton Moore is the only actor who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with his name and his characters name (it reads, Clayton Moore The Lone Ranger).

In the real world – Clayton Moore was very active in working for the common good – and made countless appearances as the Lone Ranger to kids around the country promoting the Lone Ranger’s code of moral conduct.

On Dec 28, 1999 – just a few short days before the next millennium… Clayton Moore died of a heart attack. We will remember him fondly – he seemed like a terrific man and like most kids of my era, he was a hero for me growing up.

The Pajama Game – CBS vs. The Bloggers

Given the recent story concerning the Instapundit w/ PJs vs. Big Dog Media and validity of CBS’s documents and for shame… calling the fashion police on bloggers because we wear pajamas – i decided to check out the free preview for a wonderful 1957 movie called The Pajama Game starring Doris Day and John Raitt (Bonnie Raitt’s Dad). And i wondered – how could this preview have been made BEFORE the incident broke out – because the synchronicities are just eerie. The trailer begins – The Pajama Game is the game we’re in… clearly a call to all bloggers to be proud of our heritage as Foppish in Flannel. And then… the CBS response (denial), seems derived from this line – “why can’t we stop all this small talk – I’ve got something better …. for your lips… to do” …. as John Raitt tries to plant a kiss on Doris. Other lines… “all i see are silhouettes” seems to predict the terrific animated gif overlays of todays’s Microsoft Word and the CBS PDF files…. oooo, this is too spooky for me. Wonder if this was part of Nostradamus quatrains? So i went to the Nostradamus quatrain generator and asked – is CBS full of crap? The reply…

When the lamp burning with an inextinguishable fire
Estates and offices low are high, those high made very low
It will be seized and plunged into the Vat
With blood, human bodies, water and red hail covering the earth.

Of course if you try the same question – it will give you another… like this one…

The human realm of Angelic offspring
The bird of prey offers itself to the heavens
The twelve red ones will spoil the cover
When they want to have verification from the Normans.

Anyway… check out the Nostradamus Quatrain generator to see how this story might end.

Subliminal Advertising

How about a classic Chevy commercial that provides a delightful ditty on the power of subliminal advertising? Sure… coming right up. Dinah Shore and Pat Boone provide a lovely song and dance number of a set consisting of several Chevy Bow Ties. In case you miss the subliminal image… that’s the 1959 Chevy Impala.

Before Jiffy Pop Popcorn – there was EZ Pop Popcorn. The cartoon kid offers a cool Beatnik jingle to convince the old man about the new way to make popcorn.

More coming tomorrow. gotta get back to work before heading out to see the dentist.

LikeTelevision Updates

All yesterday was spent working behind the scenes to build out the random channel suggestions on the Classic Television Channel display. Basicially – every time you go to the movie page or the classic tv page – a random selection of suggestions appear. Try it out – just click the Classic TV page, and refresh or click it again. new entires appear for the 5 suggested titles. I added over 100 differect suggestions for this feature – and i am still way behind. Sorry – use the drop down or better still, read the blog to keep posted on new additions to the library.

Also made a few changes in the commentary for the movie – The Harrad Experiment starring Tippi Hedren, Don Johnson and James Whitmore. One of our users from Washington DC named Mike pointed out that Don Johnson had a torrid relationship with Melanie Griffith some years back, and that Melanie was Tippi Hedren’s daughter. What makes this weird or noteable – is that in the film, Johnson tries to seduce Tippi Hedren (the mother of a gal Don went out with in the real world). Anyway… it is worth noting – and creepy.

gotta scoot – some terrific weird and funky commercials coming next… see the blog for details.