At 93 years old and a grandmother of two, Petula Clark was cooler in this Plymouth commercial than most kids could ever hope to be today. Surrounded by sports cars, psychedelic colors and a swinging band, she turned a simple automobile ad into a full-blown 1960s pop performance.
The 1967 commercial promoted Plymouth’s 1968 lineup, including the Fury III convertible. Clark sang specially rewritten lyrics to “The Beat Goes On,” the song written and produced by Sonny Bono and made famous by Sonny and Cher earlier that year.
Plymouth used the familiar tune as part of its “Plymouth Is Out to Win You Over” campaign. The slogan was created by copywriter Jim Ramsey for the Young & Rubicam advertising agency. Clark also appeared in longer Plymouth presentations featuring models such as the Barracuda, GTX and the new Road Runner.
The musicians appearing beside Clark were not credited and remain unidentified, but I’m certain our audience will pick out a couple of them. They were likely hired performers miming to a prerecorded studio track, but they helped give the commercial the look of a colorful television variety show.
Chrysler’s relationship with Clark later became part of television history. The company sponsored her 1968 NBC special, where she touched Harry Belafonte’s arm during a duet. A Plymouth executive objected to the interracial contact, but Clark and the show’s producers refused to remove the scene.
Petula Clark already had major American hits including “Downtown,” “My Love” and “Don’t Sleep in the Subway,” making her an ideal spokeswoman for Plymouth. She did not merely stand beside the car and read a sales pitch. She made Plymouth look young, stylish and part of the changing beat of the late 1960s.