Loonie/Legend Local TV Salesmen in your city (Crazy Eddie, Cal Worthington, The Chopper, Vern Fonk, etc.)

http://www.moredeals.com/gifs/gideon_photo.jpg

Tom Carvel, who always sounded like somebody's grandfather blasted on quaaludes and speaking from beyond the grave: "this week atttt Carrrvelll icecreamcake ssshaped like ahhh.....MEATLOAF!"

back in my hometown Cincinnati in the 60s/70s:

The Reverend Kash D. Amburgy, furniture magnate and pitchman for "Kash's Big Bargain Barn in South Leb-a-non Ohiuh, Where You Save Cash With Kash." Kash also led annual tours to the Holy Land.

Which reminds me, didn't the Voice of Crazy Eddie get busted a few years back for running some kind of financial scam in Israel?

http://www.angelos-steakpit.com/images/biggus.gif

HAHAHA!

(One more great detail about Tom Carvel- as he would introduce his various cakes, he would talk in the character of that cake- or am I making this up?)

John Waters has always credited a local Baltimore wig salesman (who possessed, as he put it, 'the worst Ballimor accent EVER') with inspiring the "Mr. J" narration in Pink Flamingos. There's a brief ad clip in the Divine Trash documentary and Waters sez he wanted the salesman to narrate the film, but that said fellow turned him down with an "Absolutely NYOH!"

HAHAHA. You're not making that up. There might have been recurring characters. The one I half-remember was Scruffy the Elephant or something, animal-shaped cakes were no doubt b-day party favorites.

Cincinnati's answer to Luba Pot4mkin was Marge Schott, later the owner of the Cinicinnati Reds. When her husband died, Marge inherited Schott Buick and then appeared in cheapo TV commercials, standing in the car lot w/ her dog Schottzi. Invariably the spots ended w/the dog interrupting and Marge barking "down, Schottzi." Perhaps best known for her racist remarks about black ballplayers, Marge was also revealed to be a collecter of Nazi memorabilia.

Did you mean to say, "Ah, Carvel. Truly a marvel." and decide not to rhyme at the last moment?

i dunno! i haven't seen that much tv since i got here.

the voice? that i don't know about.

but when they caught antar, some american detectives caught him hiding out in israel (israel gives asylum to just about any jew who wants it). great story -- they knew he was a lech, so they had a va-va-voom female cop stake herself out near where he was staying, and when she thought he might be driving by, she and her tight jeans bent over in front of the open hood of a car, ensuring that antar would stop and make some lascivious comment. he did, of course. and that's how they got him.

ANYWAY...

"I don't want to make any money folks, I just love to sell guns." - catch slogan -- Mind you he would say this with a crazy grin and pointing with his hand shaped like a gun.

I'd love to see all of Don's old 80s TV ads. Letterman used a couple on his old NBC show, because they were so odd ball and creepy.

A few years back ole' Don called into G. Gordon Liddy's radio show and challenged him to a street race. Appearantly Liddy liked to brag how fast his Corvette was or something of the like and Don figured his car was faster, so he called his show a bunch and challenged him to a race. When Liddy didn't follow through with the race, Don did some local TV advertising with a chicken wearing a Liddy mask. Don would also run ads based upon the seasons, just in case your sweetheart wanted a Lugar or needs 30 Ought Six shells for Valentines Day.

don in 2006. check out the gold uzi over his shoulder.

wow

wow

At any rate, Ned alluded to Mr. Ray above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvDsxJWZM30

This isn't a classic Mr. Ray commercial -- it's more clearly aimed at balding black folks than most of his ads were, and you only hear Mr. Ray himself at the very end giving the address -- but those few seconds will give you a taste of the magic.

Jim OTM.
http://www.hellohello.com.au/finding/images/chrisbig.jpg

I also tried to find a pic of the bugeyed "you'd have to be A LOONY to go anywhere else" crazy eye guy from the old Car City ads but GIS for "car city" is impossible :(

As for Adelaide, we had the slightly creepy Count-a-Dino of Discount Furniture years back who gave ver kids nightmares. Until they knocked down the store to make way for the Entertainment Centre leading to an advertisement where he cried...and it was a little too real. Then they moved store to South Road, turned him into a cartoon and jumped the shark.

Harry of Harry's Corner in Northside: I DON'T CARE ABOUT MAKING MONEY I JUST LOVE TO SELL CARPETS

the "indie rock" school of rug salesmanship

Sorta calm.
A little more frenetic.

"I'LL HUNT DOWN WHOEVER HURTS YOU, AND SETTLE THE SCORE!
I CANNOT RRRIIIP OUT THE HEARTS OF THOSE THAT HURT YOU!!! I CANNOT HAND YOU THEIR SEVERED HEADS!!!
VICTIMS! VICTIMS! VICTIMS!

Fonk to the Future wins a Telly award

DANCE! SHIPOOPI!

i can't believe that i missed this thread, and didn't post anything from this 80s philadelphia, um, "legend," ben krass of the (now defunct) krass brothers clothing store -- some of the most surreal commercials EVER:

a ben krass sampler
krass bros 3
krass bros 7
krass bros 8
krass bros 9
krass bros 10
krass bros 11
krass bros 12

a lovely little 70s jingle for some south jersey clothing store. and if you've ever been curious about what a hardcore philly accent sounds like and don't have any dead milkmen records handy ...

local magic from dick enrico, who is famous for making no godamn sense whatsoever:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LID91VRBwV8&feature=related

back when he only sold used stuff, coined the logic challenging phrase "Why buy new when second hand will do? Except when the deals are this good!"

and if you've ever been curious about what a hardcore philly accent sounds like

"dehhwnt get frannic"

i once dated someone from philly who talked like this.

meet local mattress king "neil with the deal":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwy6Ce-l2TA

Tom Peterson (RIP)

So sad:

http://www.deadline.com/2010/04/how-a-rights-deal-killed-danny-devitos-movie-about-70s-discount-king-crazy-eddie/

Cinefamily is having a Shadoe Stevens retrospective in June. I want to go!

6/15 @ 8:00pm
TV Tuesday:
A Tribute To Shadoe Stevens
(feat. "Federated Group" Commercials Best-Of & Shadoevision!)
Co-presented by Hidden Los Angeles

Who knew that commercials could be this much fun?! One of the most berserk, outrageous and unforgettable TV comedies of the 1980s, doled out thirty seconds at a time, was the unending series of wacky, ultra-fast-paced commercial spots for the So Cal electronics chain The Federated Group that starred "Fred Rated", the half-insane "Bass-O-Matic"-style spokesman with a smooth baritone and a suave smile (played by broadcasting legend Shadoe Stevens). Before he was the voice of "Hollywood Squares", Stevens and his round-the-clock gung-ho skeleton crew tirelessly cranked out highly memorable, frenetic nuggets of dadaist Monty Python-esque video art disguised in the form of VCR and car stereo ads -- amassing the astounding figure of over 1000 genius commercials in the span of just a few years, and leaving an indelible mark on the psyche of every L.A. TV-watcher. Join us as we pay tribute to Shadoe and his "Fred Rated" team by screening the definitive "best of Fred" reel, followed by Shadoevision, the even-more-bonkers 1986 sci-fi comedy cable special that, in the words of Shadoe, "pioneered new experiences in psychological entertaiment!" Shadoe Stevens, director Chuck Cirino and the rest of the "Fred Rated"/Shadoevision brain trust will all be here at the Cinefamily for a Q&A after the screening!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlR4ARirAcM