The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

Before Jason Alexander was George Constanza, he was in a popular commercial for the McDLT, a McDonald's sandwich from the 80s.  Greg and Chico talk about the ad, future offerings from McDonald's, a Filipino commercial for one of those sandwiches, and a very special ending with another McDLT commercial.

The 1980s contained many wars--The Cold War, the war on drugs, The Cola Wars, and The Fast Food Wars.  Wendy's struck first with Clara Peller and her catch phrase, "Where's the Beef?"  McDonald's had its own game plan with the McDLT.  Burger King went with a geeky guy who had never eaten at Burger King before named Herb?  Herb had a very short life span, but he did get around in 1985 and 1986.

Last year we did Hulk Hogan commercials and this year we're covering the Nature Boy Ric Flair in the various commercials he's done over the years.

We talk about weird spots he's done like promoting car insurance to promoting Nature Boy bites to promoting scratch-off lottery tickets. Ric has done it all including wrestling a Russian Bear and we're gonna talk about them in this episode! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

1. 1986 Great American Bash VHS Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS7uV4o2Id0

2. TBS “TBYES” Commercial with Ric Flair and Jimmie Walker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1it5jEWx738

3. Ric Flair TBS NWA Main Event Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmRqbSHUhtU

4. WCW Galoob Action Figures Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9cMeBsgVsM

5. North Carolina Lottery Ric Flair Scratch Off Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OnB_jalI4U

6. North Carolina Lottery Ric Flair Scratch Off “Wooooo II” Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOPyOUxvUz8

7. Fuel in a Bottle Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuV08PGFmFU

8. US Auto Sales - Papa Flair’s Used Cars - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkRJdDZtJQI

9. Snickers Make It Happen with Ric Flair Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dZuzuhsjOs

10. Cumberland Farms Cold Brew - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYQXsjm-HD0

11. Nature Boy Bites - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMv4chKY6E4

12. WCW Clash of the Champions XXIII Promo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDzyIfFa6Ps

13. TickPick No Extra Flair - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Vyh6GWfrc

14. Jake’s Fireworks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0Go9_6Zcp4

15. Ric Flair vs. Bear (EA Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS9jSQmc3yY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00piCzD9WIU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62i0nhOTZ6E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSF9ozpwnuo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTcVKmQprrc

16. Sabra Hummus Super Bowl LIV Commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9NTkInOe3Y

17. CarShield - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNawmH0a5hk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga6x3JzAb60

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVtWTEYoXaM

18. WWE Colonel Rumble - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1T1sJOcgCM

19. Four Horsemen Vitamins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SISHqfcrQdk

The Olympic Triplecast wasn't the only big flop in 1992.  Reebok ran an ad campaign with two highly touted athletes, only for one to not make it to Barcelona. One ended up eventually winning gold four years later though and hey at least it sold a lot of Reebok Pump's.

The butt of many a joke in its day and even into the 21st century, The Bicentennial Minute was an occasionally bland but also occasionally interesting minute-long segment delivered by a celebrity about what happened in U.S. history 200 years ago that day.  Celebrate your Fourth of July holiday listening about this patriotic throwback to the 70s.

"Lucy's Bicentennial Minute" - https://papermoonloveslucy.tumblr.com/post/175503525253/lucys-bicentennial-minute

Betty Ford Bicentennial Minute Materials (Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum): - https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0126/1489543.pdf

Press Release for Congressman Butler Derrick's (D-SC) appearance on the Bicentennial Minute on November 12, 1975 (University of South Carolina Library) - https://digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/collection/derrick/id/89/

August 24, 1975: Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-NY) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsnFrd63j4k

August 31, 1975: Jessica Tandy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUoto1lsX50

January 8, 1976: Laurence Luckinbill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir6pabr4CD0

January 22, 1976: Gary Lockwood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hai2OxMwl9w

March 9, 1976: Jim Hutton - https://youtu.be/zgwiC4TT9aM?t=499

March 18, 1976: Val Avery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93s5mXL0WZk

May 7, 1976: Otto Preminger - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1HwX6TdHbk

May 12, 1976: Mitchell Ryan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TpBK7tZc2k

May 20, 1976: Zubin Mehta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7bt3SNBOrw

May 27, 1976: Garson Kanin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgxOYH7fHX4

June 4, 1976: Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHDXxzuXBok

July 22, 1976: Will Rogers Jr. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfG8LHyRlNY

December 20, 1976: Emlyn Williams - https://youtu.be/8nUKzWGVWe4?t=1671

December 31, 1976: President Gerald Ford (Last 42 Seconds) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0TB76tc5Tg

We continue the President's Day theme by looking at a commercial for an inaugural keepsake.  There's something about a gold plated commemorative plate of Barack Obama which we find odd.

When this lit up the socials last week, we made the decision that not only was it worth submitting but it was also worthy of live show status.  Put a Lifetime Christmas movie, a KFC infomercial, and romance in a Vitamix and this would be the result.

The complete "A Recipe for Seduction": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9mgD1DpmZ8

Nick at Nite was a staple of our childhood's back in the 1980's and 1990's. One popular show on the early Nick at Nite lineup was Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It was so popular that the powers that be at Nick at Nite decided to run a marathon on Halloween Week 1990 along with a contest for the viewer to guess how many people kick the bucket during said marathon to win a murder mystery cruise. Also, you're probably wondering why Wink Martindale is involved in this based on the image right?

Accompanying Nick at Nite 35th Anniversary article with some details about this contest via The Retro Network.

https://theretronetwork.com/35-years-of-nick-at-nite/

Who doesn't love a good hometown commercial?  They're goofy, they're low-budget, they're corny, and often they're viral.  We look at over a dozen such ads.  Greg also raves about The Sega Channel and Mike talks about his run-in with presumably the star of one of these ads.

Commercials in this episode, in order:
Right Price Furniture:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BdDpV5eI94
Ieuter and Secor Insurance Agents:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l0ZmTLdy-A
TCI Cable Brookhaven:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clxl56hsP2k
Monterey-Salinas Transit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmgpguQbEjQ
Norton Furniture:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2z1YroJTRE
Frank Communications:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPaYx8eWWPI
Attorney John Orcutt:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7k7nDyzjRY
Shirley Auto Group:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ub0oB_07M
Mike Slocum, The Alabama Hammer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H1jxzmdWwo
Darryl Isaacs, The Kentucky Hammer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOlYOUzOpOM
2019 Darryl Isaacs Super Bowl commercial:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_LUKFsIpvk
The Hot Tub Factory:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg1I8yUlzv8
Cullman Liquidation Center:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-RLqLx1iYI
Eagle Insurance--Eagleman:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4-e4nlfdRI
Eagle Insurance--Eaglewoman:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL1QUmeEZQc
Marc Norton Being Born:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd8BrfhASDU

As an homage to the recent Omnibus podcast episode about Ronco, we look at commercials for what is likely Ronco's most popular product, Mr. Microphone.  Greg's dad also proposes new rules to football.