Gawker: Classic ads

Don't Say America Can't Build A Television

Hamilton Nolan — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:13:33 EDT

This, my friends, is what a 1978 widescreen television should look like. GE's Widescreen 1000 projection TV featured "the 'chairside convenience' of random access remote control," and "computer-like circuitry" to keep the color just right. Flat screens are for Communists. Click to enlarge. [Retro Thing via Coudal]

Classic Booze Ads: "You Know Good Bourbon, Dick."

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:39:39 EDT

Booze: it really sells itself. But you can always buy more booze, and liquor companies have been honing their sales pitches for decades. Below, seven ads for—bluntly—cheap rotgut booze, from the 1940s and 50s. Maybe this stuff was classy way back then? Gay undertones, exotic racism, sexism, and international flair are all in there! I think you'll prefer this brand of rotgut to booze costing "up to $1.00 more," assuming you're a white man!

[via the Gallery of Graphic Design]

Just How Racist Was Aunt Jemima?

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:47:54 EDT

If you go to the "Our History" section of the Aunt Jemima website, it gives a rather whitewashed rundown of key moment's in the company's long life. It was founded in 1889, and 100 years later, "the image of Aunt Jemima was updated by removing her headband and giving her pearl earrings and a lace collar." But what about the image of Aunt Jemima, say, six or seven decades ago? Did she still "stand for warmth, nourishment and trust"? Well kind of, but it was more of a nourishment and trust of racism. Embrace your past, Quaker Oat Company! We dug through the archives for some classic Aunt Jemima ads from the 1940s, and it's true what they say: "Happifyin' Aunt Jemima Pancakes Sho' Sets Folks Singin'!" About racism!:

[via the Gallery of Graphic Design]

Five Ways Camel Cigarettes Are Good For You

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:20:47 EDT

Are you aware that Camels are made from finer, more expensive tobaccos than any other brand? And that they stimulate digestion, taste great, and will make you a better swimmer? Failing to teach your kids to smoke Camels is virtually child abuse! All true, according to the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. We've compiled five of the most outrageous claims from classic Camel ads of the 1930s-50s, from the peerless archive at the Gallery of Graphic Design. Read them and be educated. Do it for your "T-Zone!"

Back When America Was Goofier

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:53:03 EDT

Pop culture is always a step behind the real cutting-edge culture that defines what's cool in the current zeitgeist. And mass media advertising, with its drive for universal appeal, is generally made from an even weaker brew than pop culture. What that means for us is that these ads from the 1950s and 60s—which lack not only today's sense of political correctness, but also their own era's sense of cool—are an entertaining lens through which to view the age of beatniks and free love. Groove your way to the hippie party with a 1969 stereo in your new General Motors automobile! Six classic examples [via Flickr/ Coudal], after the jump.

The Pinnacle Of Sitcom Rap

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:44:08 EDT

From a long list of the most excruciating old school commercials that painfully integrated rapping comes this winner: The "Perfect Strangers" and "Head of the Class" hip hop promotional collaboration dance and musical extravaganza. I always thought Balki would make a promising rap star, and Larry, of course, is a great hype man. But spectacles like this surely prompted the sitcom stars of today to specifically write "No rapping promo appearances" language into their contracts. So many lost opportunities:

[via Benjurr.Wordpress.com]