Bernie Howard Commercials I
Bernie Howard Commercials I
1) Merchants Bank Town & Country Charge Card (B&W, sound)-- Great achival footage circa 1920's of an old jalopy jumping a shack only to crash when it lands (fairly famous shot); tracking shot of a Roman feast (orgy, anyone?); tight LS of a biplane crashing into the side of a house; MS of a man wearing a toga getting into forced and funny fisticuffs with two other men; LS and MS of the US cavalry charging through a Great Plain. (ONLY #1 MERCHANTS BANK TOWN AND CHARGE CARD IS ON MASTER 1018) 2) Merchants Bank Town & Country Charge Card (B&W, sound)-- shorter ad but similar in construction to last one. Features archival footage circa 1920's of a man standing on a speeding passenger car, then climbing the rope ladder of a biplane flying just above. NIce stunt. 3) Alberto Silken Rinse (B&W, sound)-- A blond model stands with product in a TV studio, dispensing wit and wisdom as it pertains to the wares. There are some culturally ironic lines here, as well as a funny demo of "Milky" and "Gooey" hair products. 4) Goldblatt's Home Center in Downer's Grove, Illinois (color, sound)-- Good interior shots of the large store's home furnishing departments. Boutique area, water fountain, carpeting, home decorating, lamps, chandeliers, TV sets and so on. A duplicate ad proceeds this one. 5) Lennox (B&W, sound)-- Opens with an awful still animation spoof of "Dragnet" as off-screen detectives vow to unravel the mysterious identity of "Mr. Builder". Of course, this turns into a sales film for Lennox representatives. The first speaker, a nervous young man, reads carelessly from a cue card. The second speaker, a bullish older man, reads rather animatedly from a convenient script. But before he can get too far the sequence ends. 6) Dermafresh Medicated Hand Lotion (B&W, sound)-- There are several spots, in the following order. Note, they repeat, in order. A) Short, rather amusing skit involving two female florists, one of whom is handstripping roses. B) A young woman sits in a kitchen and talks to the camera about Dermafresh. C) A woman gives another woman a body massage, using Dermafresh. 7) Patricia Stevens Cosmetics (B&W, sound)-- There are several spots, in the following order. A) Opens on a commercial set for PS as the director talks to the camera about the product, the product model (on set), then introduces his loyal and loving wife who happens to be a PS glamor subscriber as well. Cut to MS of his glamorous housewife (pearl necklace and all) talking to the camera, hocking the goods. Cut to products shots of their lipstick line, then to CU of another model applying it. B) Same format as the last but featuring a print photographer snapping a PS model before introducing his PS glamorous wife. C) Same format as the last but featuring the mused stylings of an oil painter painting a PS model's portrait before introducing his coincidentally PS glamorous wife. 8) Marhoefer Meats (B&W, sound)-- There are several spots, in the following order. A) Animation of a cowboy, a cowgirl and a cook singing and dancing in front of a covered wagon. They don't write jingles like this anymore. Cut to live action CU of several hot dogs boiling in a pot of water. Cut to CU of a plate of cooked hot dogs being served (presented) to an empty kitchen table. ONLY THIS MARHOEFER MEATS COMMERCIAL IS ON MASTER 109. B) Same format as the last but about smoke-cooked bacon. Good CU of several strips of bacon frying in a pan, then being served. C) Same format as above but about luncheon meat. Good CU's of their luncheon meat line, all pre-packaged. D) Same format as above but about pre-cooked pork sausage. Good CU of several hearty morsels bioling in a pot, then served as the breakfast table with a pot of coffee.