Category: 1980’s
Only Vincent Price Could Make a VHS Tape Sound Terrifying
Only in the 1980s could Vincent Price sit in a creepy castle and convince us to buy blank VHS tapes…
MTV HALLOWEEN 1986 — ELVIRA AT 8, ALICE COOPER LIVE AT MIDNIGHT
This might be one of the most 1986 things MTV ever did.Halloween night started at 8 with four hours…
Would Kids Today Take a McDonald’s Gift Certificate — or Trick Your House?
To me, a gift certificate was delayed gratification on Halloween night. By the time my parents got around to bringing…
Would You Believe…Don Adams Could Sell Almost Anything?
I was too young to drink beer when I first remember these commercials, and Don Adams wasn’t going to convince…
“COFFEE? AISLE TWO. NO LINE.” — MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON
Sometimes a movie can explain an entire culture shock with one incredibly simple scene. In 1984’s Moscow on the Hudson,…
SEARS IN ITS HEYDAY — “THERE’S MORE FOR YOUR LIFE AT SEARS”
Believe it or not, Sears has an early online-shopping story that deserves a report all by itself. I’m working on…
Jane Russell Playtex Commercial
Watching this 1981 Jane Russell Playtex commercial, one thing really jumped out at me when I compared it with the…
THE JERRY LEWIS TELETHON — A LABOR DAY TRADITION
For a lot of us, Labor Day weekend wasn’t complete without the Jerry Lewis Telethon. You could turn it on…
When we were growing up, did we really think Ragu was authentic Italian food?
I think a lot of us probably did — or at least we never questioned it. The commercial ended with…