It Was a Thing on TV: An Anthology on Forgotten Television

Greg saw this commercial one day and felt it was deserving of a minisode. Did you ever feel the Metaverse deserved it's own law firm? We didn't either.

You can view the commercial at this link. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDaT1hnDlw

We have brought you shows on Hulk Hogan commercials, Ric Flair commercials, and three separate installments of Hometown Commercials.  Our early Christmas present to you is a look at ads for something everybody wanted under the tree from 1979 to 1982--the Atari 2600 VCS, and games for the system.

Atari 2600 Commercial (December, 1977) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJNbhekKShI

Atari VCS Commercial with Pete Rose, Pele and Don Knotts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs34_7_kC64

Atari VCS Commercial with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Carol Channing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lexverCcFFk

1978 Atari Commercial with Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs and Jack Palance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ary-G-GYO60

Space Invaders (1980) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct_I2C_9Kf8

Kaboom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkNztWEVxD4

Activision Ice Hockey with Phil Hartman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=celKZ-vwsCc

RealSports Baseball with Billy Martin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SI7zqsVoas

Atari Test Facility commercial with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mario Andretti and Pele - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0cSWi1V_wI

Laser Blast (1981) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SWzv

9Ses2U

Atari Toys R Us Asteroids Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFciGLGHiY4

Sears 1981 Christmas Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqBlPdz0G-M

Atari we don’t need a babysitter commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krGlnXY4HaY

Atari UK Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMLhvlAxsPw

Beany Bopper (1982) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OK5COuF6xg

Spider-Man (1982) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usbQDfTIqE

Pac-Man Commercial with Mr. Hooper!!! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxsUCRSoUrE

Solar Fox with Jane Krakowski - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgUTq5pL3gE

Pole Position - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhRIneQFmHA

Ms. Pac-Man with Don Pardo voiceover - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKM5-k8uD7Q

Ms. Pac-Man Australian Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp1CKap2v28

Donkey Kong (1982) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzFCXfjuNjI

Donkey Kong Jr. (1983) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNTpXX43QxY

Dig Dug (1983) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VFjbPlq_nw

Pitfall! with Jack Black - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfLgSdAAHMA

Moon Patrol - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1fp8g3yimU

Sega Star Trek with Ernie Anderson voiceover - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28r4iGf7M98

Atari Sesame Street Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnQrQE4Y6Ow

Atari Christmas 1983 Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z2nyvfJDwk

1984 Atari 2600 Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1ZLov8Xne0

Urban General Atari 2600 Commercial (1984) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLryP7IrM1A

1986 Atari 2600 Commercial (The Fun is Back) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp1CbPpaWKw

They're a staple on TV today, specifically in the overnight hours.  Half-hour infomercials came on the scene in the early 90s, filling holes in television schedules at all hours of the day.  In this installment, we look back at 9 such infomercials from the 1990s and talk about how cheesy they were and memories we had watching them.

Since the new fall TV season has gotten underway, we thought it was time to release the Director's Cut version of our Fall TV Campaigns episode from last year.

We have about 45 minutes of new material added from the original version that we released over on the Place to Be Nation last year.

So let's all be there for this look back at one of our best episodes as we give you the touch.

On episode 98, we gave you Hometown Commercials.  On episode 202, we gave you a second helping.  They're back for 298, more of the local commercials that are so bad, they're good. In the third edition we are introduced to new favorites including a man who sells gold, another lawyer, a taxidermist and a guy who wants to get serious about selling you windows.

1. Horrible Insurance Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l0ZmTLdy-A
2. Hoot Wireless - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DMt3OMwArU
3. Go Wireless! Kansas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8ivjjuo508
4. All E Gators Restaurant (1985) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XauJZlXtCwA
5. Golden Heart Utilities - Grease Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yscAsXED8jI
6. Greenfield Video Laserdiscs - Laserdiscs - YouTube
7. Big Al’s Pizza with Owl - https://youtu.be/dQZvtVafFqs
8. Jeff Martin The Heavy Hitter - https://youtu.be/rJ6fecmCWmY
9. Jeff Martin Dog Damage - https://youtu.be/VP8PRMIDmLQ
10. Red Devil Games PSA - https://vimeo.com/1062144
11. Ford Man Kansas - https://youtu.be/J06IWemV1U4
12. Futon Max - https://youtu.be/msxEUhBdNPY
13. Ojai Valley Taxidermy TV Commercial (Rhett and Link) - https://youtu.be/LJP1DphOWPs
14. Mazda Commercial Tennessee (1992) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6BiDlx9UrY
15. J&P Auto Mart - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3nUcLs-Qc
16. Taste of Art Auction 2006 “Celebrity Squares” Commercial - https://youtu.be/VzoNlVsZ8Fg
17. Cecil Myers Rap - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WX207oDywA
18. Eastern Motors with Willis McGehee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXW62k1aQNI
19. The Pizza Planet 1984 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AljsZSY2sPw
20. Hoy Trial Lawyers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3WuHTn2qXs
21. The Furniture Company in Lake Worth (2002) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkY3kTKGOjM
22. Primetime Automotive Advertising with Gary Busey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCFflhzfi1A Summer Ad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWL2A8Lw7Os
23. Little Johns Derby Jewelry Super Gold Man - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4eJNtFG10U
24. Super Sash Window Co. (Chicago) (1982) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJy9EFf-tiM
25. Crazy Gideon (“I’m Back!”) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56szyOQUA-U
26. Crazy Gideon (“I Declare War!”) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wOCzf6HTrU
27. Grand Finale (Rhett and Link) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYYdF0zcuSI&t=1s

In the mid-80s, the pizza wars fueled up between primarily Pizza Hut and Domino's.  Pizza Hut had a successful campaign aimed at students, with the Book It! project.  Domino's promoted fast and hot delivery, and incorporated a Claymation spokesfiend named The Noid.

In Hometown Commercials Volume 1 back in Episode 98, we featured some ads from Kentucky attorney Darryl Isaacs.  We thought so much of them that we are dedicating an entire episode to "The Kentucky Hammer." This time we showcase the best of his Super Bowl commercials from years past including a special celebrity cameo from a football icon.

2007 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AF6772n6Xc

2008 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZl_7XwT8H4

2013 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Tns7fBnac

Mission Impossible Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI4AZ7GOnUU

2016 with Special Guest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgMhajkf5-s

2017 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hQxbDZJHBU

2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5QdNBO-_o

Tug of War Commercial (2019) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3eKxCVW2mg

2020 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J08lxz-z5DU

In the early 90s, the fast food chain Rax thought outside the box with its mascot, selecting an animated spokesperson who was middle-aged, bland, monochrome, and going through multiple life crises, in order to attract the adult population.  The campaign failed badly; Rax filed for bankruptcy 3 months later.  Dickety-dee.

Laserdisc technology was new and hot in the early 80s.  One time in 1981, Sears put out a catalog on laserdisc.  We're not talking about it because of the technological innovations, nor are we here to talk about the general fashions of the day.  We're primarily here to talk about one person, a key figure in this disc.

Advertisers will try to sell you most anything.  At the same time, buyers will purchase most anything.  At least one of those statements is true when it came to a chess set related to the hotly-contested 2020 Presidential election.  Yes, there was a chess set dedicated to a Presidential election and it had its own half-hour infomercial!  When we saw this infomercial, we knew we had to talk about it.