Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures – Do You Remember
online community focused on sharing and reminiscing about video, audio, and images that stir our memories of the past – old television, theme songs, commercials, print advertisements, the sights and sounds you remember
In the 1970s and ’80s, Hane used the slogan “gentlemen prefer Hanes” in a catchy song. Yes, I know, you have it stuck in your head now even without watching this video! The commercial always changed with different actors and themes like at an art auction, magic show, or some other social setting. In the 1990’s they changed the slogan to “The lady prefers Hanes”
My question is do women still wear pantyhose? I don’t see it in public or even on tv anymore.
Before there was Grumpy Cat or cat memes we only had Nine Live Morris The Cat commercials to look forward to. Morris the Cat was the mascot for Nine Lives from the ’70s through the ’80s. Known to be the “world’s most finicky cat” with snarky voice-over comments.
The first Morris The Cat was discovered by Bob Martwick in 1968 at the Hindsale Humane Society in the Chicago area. Martwick worked at the Leo Burnett advertising company where Morris was featured in 58 television commercials from 1968 to 1978. Morris was Martwick’s family pet.
John Erin was the voice for Morris and also He-Man in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
The original Morris died in 1978. Since then there have been 2 other Morris cats, all were rescue cats.
If you grew up in the 70’s you have to remember ole Euell Gibbons on the Grape Nuts cereal commercials for General Foods. Although you can’t locate the pine tree commercial on the internet the “ever eat a cattail” commercial is a close example of the ad. Euell wrote the book Stalking The Good Life and became known as a naturalist and cited as leading the way for eating healthy with natural foods. He was known for saying”Its naturally sweet taste reminds me of wild hickory nuts,” he often said of the Grape Nuts.
I remember Johnny Carson and other shows making fun of him and the commercials but the spoofs on Carol Burnett Show in 1973 were the most memorable. Even the children’s TV show The Electric Company got into the act with this spoof.
General Foods voluntarily withdrew the ad campaign and its advertising agency Benton & Bowles faced action from the Federal Trade Commission in 1976.
Not all memories are happy ones. I remember as a kid thinking to myself that if McDonald’s was mostly for kids, why did they have smoking in the restaurants? I hated when they were at a table we were at or near! The glass ones were really old school with the tin ones taking over in the 80’s. Smoking was banned in 1994.
According to TMZ, the Grammy Award-winning lead singer of The Delfonics Will Heart passed away on Thursday, July 15, 2002 after complications of surgery. He was 77. The former barber from Philadelphia formed the Delfonics with his brother Wilbert. In 1975 after a number of hits the brothers split into two Delfonics groups. A judge ruled both brothers could use the name Delfonics if they properly informed the audience of the distinction between the two groups, so Will became Will Heart and the Delfonics.
Hart’s lead vocal led to hits like “La – La – Means I Love You,” “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” and “Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love).”
![The Delfonics - Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) [Restored]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qYNjpZ3NAGE/hqdefault.jpg)
I remember when the song came out in 1973, the lyrics were quite controversial. I was fifteen at the time and the soft porn lyrics coming from the radio was of course enjoyed by any teenage boy. It raised an eyebrow in my home, but it was quickly shrugged off. But the song just had a nice flow to it and brings me back to those times.
At age 30, Maria’s marriage to her musician partner and husband Geoff Muldar was coming to an end. She played with a couple of bands in the 1960’s. Now, she was expecting to be waitressing to support her and her seven year old daughter their hometown of Woodstock, New York.
In 1973 Maria Muldar was looking for one more song to complete her newest album. In a Something Else interview Maria was quoted as saying “While recording the album, Muldaur had no desire for pop stardom or a Rolling Stone cover “but it just happened to me,” she tells us. “I just collected a bunch of songs that I knew and liked. I was just following my bliss. Pop stardom and fame never really interested me, but this success was a blessing. It has allowed me to support myself and continue my 50-year-plus odyssey through various parts of American roots music.”
Asked if she still enjoys playing the same song for almost fifty years she said she does. She really enjoys seeing the audience faces light up as the song begins. In an article on Songfacts she said “Reason number two is I love the look of the faces of the audience when the band strikes that number up, when the band goes into the intro of that number. Because apparently, from all the stories that have been told to me when I meet my fans after the show to sign my CD, that song was the soundtrack to many a love-and-lust affair, and if I had been writing down all the stories of what people tell me they were doing or were inspired to do because of that song, or as that song was playing, I could have written quite the little x-rated book. So when I start that song, people’s faces light up and I see very happy, maybe slightly x-rated memories flitting across their faces.”
Although it was a one hit song for her, the song tends to evoke some strong memories. I told you my memories from the song. What are your yours?
Here is an early live performance. I like how she improvises from the studio release:
Here is a later version uploaded to Youtube in 2011. A little more jazzy!
In 1976 Kodak introduced their instant camera that turned out to violate a number of Polaroid patents. A lawsuit was filed in 1981 and settled in 1986, the same year Kodak invented the megapixel sensor which helped make digital photography and their demise possible.
I’m sure people today would freak out with the “clown” style make up in this commercial.
If you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s you probably have all these songs committed to memory. The 120 Music Masterpiece collection was first offered by Time/Life and then to Vista Marketing which you can heard dubbed in in this commercial. It is said that this is longest running commercial in TV history which ran from 1971 to 1984, mostly during daytime TV on local stations. John Williams was the actor in this commercial which ran longer than he did, he passed in 1983. You might remember Williams in Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder. He was also the original Mr. French in Family Affair in the opening season of 1967.
For many of us, this was our education in classical music. I can remember each song in memory and what song was next.
One of my “fondest” songs to end the year with is Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg released in 1975. This song hits home with anyone who ran into an old flame some where years later. Fogelberg is as good a story teller in his songs as Harry Chapin. As he sings each line the listener can visualize the scene in their mind. This song is based is based in fact of an encounter he had while looking for whipped cream on New Years Eve for his Irish Coffee and his old lover from an on again, off again relationship meet in a convenience store and reminisced over a six pack of beer in his car.
I was going to do an in depth report on this relationship that revealed who his old lover was. While doing research about this song and relationship I came across this video which did an outstanding job explaining it along with a visit to that convenience store and then to Folgerberg tributes in his hometown. Excellent video Kyle from the Track X Track channel on Youtube! Thanks for your work on this!
Aurora Toys had big success with Skittle Bowl when it launched in 1969. It seems their company started making EVERYTHING Skittle, except for the candy!
This was one of the games my dad played with me and my four brothers that we actually started leagues with playoffs and championship. We even had a cup like the National Hockey League.
You can still find the games on eBay, but way more than $6.99. I bought one over fifteen years ago and play it with my kids from time to time. Sometimes when my brothers get together one of us will break it out and relive the memories.
Here is the commercial on Youtube I wonder where we got the idea for leagues and a championship cup? !!
