The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

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.

We've scoured the Internet and found more of the crazy, cheap, and just bad local commercials, enough for this second helping.  From Dirt Cheap Liquor to our personal favorite Crazy Gideon, these ads have gone viral for a reason.

NOTE: There may be some flaky audio briefly in a few parts of this episode.

1. Frankie and Johnny Furniture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI7jC57GuZM
2. Dirt Cheap Liquor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1jbS6VJYEU
3. Horrible Insurance Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l0ZmTLdy-A
4. Sutherland’s Kansas City - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN-sNsZo-1A
5. 97 cent Bowling - https://youtu.be/TVln73mCIrg
6. Phil Rizzuto for the Money Store - https://youtu.be/gS27G_Cj5qQ
7. TDM Motors High Point - Cuban Gynecologist, American car salesman - https://youtu.be/7b5CKSqlz60 
8. Dominos Pizza Alaska Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLvUHiJoUGU
9. Helena, Arkansas McDonalds Commercial (1995) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P5JsN4H00Q
10. Burl Robinette - https://youtu.be/cLfmqQePqCU?t=31
11. Eastern Motors with John Witherspoon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eD73Mx35jE
12. Eastern Motors with Brian Orakpo and Gilbert Gottfried - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcw8LjGMiDQ
13. East Hills Mall (Back to School) - https://youtu.be/6bnanI9jXps
14. East Hills Mall (Mall Pretty) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfz4dsiERxg
15. Tint World Medford, NY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y8fmjyQMag
16. Pizza N Go Rap Commercial - https://youtu.be/aYo8ITYMjaU
17. Mormon Haircuts (Rhett & Link) - https://youtu.be/9XLshEBvYdw
18. Crazy Gideon - https://youtu.be/QbVkTk9nvt0
19. Crazy Gideon (When the Rooster Crows…) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNnTXq90Xgc
20. Crazy Gideon (They Say I’m Crazy) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu8zby_4Dxk
21. Crazy Gideon Arts District Brewing Co. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qA5YxFVs5o

The new Fall TV season is here!  We're looking back at some classic Fall TV campaigns from the different networks, from reaching to the stars to insisting that we should all be there.