Benson & Hedges 100s (1970) (April 22)Try, try it again...and again.
 Steve Stunning...man about town? More like dork about town.
Fumbling, bumbling man tries to woo beautiful girl, but his cigarettes get in the way.
Very famous jingle.
time 1:01 size 1.49 mb aired 1970
Johnny Smoke (1960s) (April 7)How many saddles will be empty tonight?
 I swear, the voiceover in this ad is none other than Darth Vader himself, Mr. James Earl Jones...but I can't validate it.
This is one of the best anti-smoking ads to air: listen to the no-nonsense words. Surely this ad was intended to mock the famous Marlboro cowboy ads.
time 1:01 size 1.5 mb aired 1960s
Nancy Sinatra for RC Cola (1967) (February 16)RC! The one with the mad, mad taste!
 Nancy Sinatra, singing an ad for the sponsor of her 1967 television special.
Ms. Sinatra had a string of top pop hits back in the '60s, starting with These Boots Are Made For Walkin'.
To this day, she is active on the Sinatra Web sites along with her own Web forum...and if you register on it, she might even personally welcome you to her site. Classy.
time 0:21 size 517 kb aired 1960s
Summer Blonde by Clairol (1960s) (February 16)You know they won't know it isn't the sun...
 This commercial is just so much fun!
Watch as those wacky summer kids illegally deface a billboard...and have fun at the same time! <giggle, giggle>
Features a spin-off of the '60s pop hit song, Come To The Sunshine, by Harpers Bizarre.
time 0:21 size 517 kb aired 1960s
Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion) for Lays Potato Chips (1960s) (December 27)Bet'choo can't eat just one!
 So hard to find, but I finally got this one featuring Bert Lahr, the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. Back in the 1960s, Lahr was the extremely effective spokesperson for Lays Potato Chips.
Lahr created several ads for Frito-Lay...and they're all difficult to find.
time 0:21 size 517 kb aired 1960s
Fab Detergent, 1952 That's just like a man.
 If you like stereotypes, you'll love this one.
This aired back in the days when there was one 1-1/2-minute commercial. Notice the guy's shirt at the end...it looks like he's been irradiated (nuclear glow?).
time 1:37 size 1.5 mb aired 1952
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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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Virginia Slims (1970) (April 22)The slim cigarette...for women only.
 Some cigarette companies jumped on the Women's Lib bandwagen in the late '60s and early '70s, convincing them that long and slim was womanly.
Unfortunately, even though they were long and slim, they still caused the same icky cancer that men got.
Yes, you'd come a long way, baby. Baby? No doll-face? Couldn't we see through this back then? They herded "baby" right into the disease corner with this highly successful campaign. And you thought nobody put baby in the corner...
time 1:03 size 1.54 mb aired 1970
Maxwell House Coffee (1960s) (April 22)Ah-h-h-h, smell it!
 Even coffee haters wanted to rush out and buy Maxwell House after listening to this one.
Yes, coffee used to be percolated over an open flame or electric pot, filling the entire house (or trailer, apartment, or office) with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
time 1:02 size 1.53 mb aired 1960s
Pepsi, Joanie Sommers (1963) (April 7)For those who think young...
 In the early 1960s, Joanie Sommers was the voice for Pepsi. Her distinctive style, and this tune, have endured for decades.
Unfortunately, the ad itself is forgettable, even though everybody was trying really, really hard to look happy and refreshed.
time 1:03 size 1.6 mb aired 1963
Great Shakes by General Foods (1960s) (February 16)Anyplace can be a soda fountain now...
 Nearly as bad as the Shake-a-Puddin' ad, this one features a bunch of overly happy and very mod kids making their own milk shakes... mmmmmm.
If you made these shakes to specifications, you ended up with what seemed like a thimble-ful of liquid...all glass, no shake.
time 1:02 size 1.2 mb aired 1967
RC Cola, 1967 (November 19)It's a mad, mad, mad, mad cola.
 Slick, polished ad from the swingin' '60s.
This aired during a Nancy Sinatra TV special, and it featured Dino Martin (Dean's late son who was killed in an airplane accident), Desi Arnaz, Jr. (yes...Lucy and Desi's son), and Billy Hinsche (who also toured with the Beach Boys).
time 1:02 size 1.2 mb aired 1967
Puffs Facial TissuesFeel good? Do it again.
 One of the first (if not the first) Puffs ads to appear on TV.
I'm not in the business of pushing any product, but Puffs have always been the best tissues on the market.
time 1:02 size 770 kb aired 1960
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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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