14 funniest American commercials of the 70s

Because laughs in advertising seem to be in short supply right now, here are some great funny ads from the USA in the 70s (or thereabouts). It was supposed to be a Top 10 but a few extras snuck in at the end...
1. Volkswagen 'Funeral' - DDB, 1969 (almost the 70s)
2. Alka-Seltzer 'Poached Oysters' - DDB, 1970
3. Wendy's 'Where's the Beef?' - Dancer Fitzgerald Sample
4. Continental Insurance 'Lucky Guy' - Sorry Don't Know
5. Independent Life 'Out of the Picture' - Sorry Don't KNow
6. Pepsi 'Archaeology' - BBDO (dates to 1985 but hey, who's counting?
7. Alka-Seltzer 'Spicy Meatballs' - could be Wells Rich Greene, 1969 (which is almost the 70s)
8. American Motors' Rebel 'Driving Instructor' - Wells Rich Greene, 1969
9. Southern Airlines 'Second Class' - McDonald & Little, 1978
10. Volkswagen 'The Kremplers' - DDB
11. Wendy's 'Drive Through' - Dancer Fitzgerald Sample
12. Fed-Ex 'Count on It' - Ally & Gargano
13. Volkswagen Karmann Ghia 'Barrier' - DDB, 1962
14. Xerox 'Monk' - Needham Harper Steers, 1977

[@inkblot131]

You'll never convince me those were "Pelicans" 'watering'" that lawn.

[@bender7565]

Pelicans?

[@joyanders3968]

I love this walk down memory lane. This was when companies had a sense of humor. 😂

[@soberpickle8195]

And actually wanted your business.

[@joyanders3968]

@@soberpickle8195 So true.

[@adamodeo9320]

when tv ads were funny - pre woke and pre-bullies

[@MikeBracewell]

Technically, many of these are from the 60s & 80s but who cares, these are brilliant.

[@mrsmacca126]

Who else has grandparents who still say “ mama Mia, that’s a spicy meatball” and giggle?

[@wyominghome4857]

Loved it! My husband and I can still sing the Oscar Mayer baloney song. That kid made a fortune!

[@charlotteryner6583]

Ah! Those were the days!

[@jofus3604]

My favorites were Volkswagen commercials! "Volkswagens will definitely float, but they won't float indefinitely.... "Ever wonder how the snow plow driver gets to work?" Google'm!

[@opathe2nd973]

Absolutely the best VW ad ever!

[@OofusTwillip]

Clara Peller as the Wendy's "Where's the beef?" lady. She lost the lucrative gig when she did a Hunt's spaghetti sauce commercial, in which she said, "I found it!".

[@kaysmith5495]

I thought she lost the gig because she died.

[@maureencora1]

I Liked the Wendy's and VW Ones Best.

[@jinglejazz7537]

I remember the volkwagon commercial when I was a kid.

[@fionajane56]

This was such fun!

[@ginnyhogan6386]

Brilliant!

[@weidnerc1]

LMAO. Love the secretary. NO!

[@OofusTwillip]

Alka-Seltzer "Spicy Meatball" was created by the great Joe Sedelmaier, and featured Jack Somack.

[@Adfanatico]

Joe Sedelmaier is one of my heroes.

[@ruthf6035]

I thought the alka-seltzer of the newly weds was from the 60's

[@stevenv2190]

The Wendy's commercial was from the 80s

[@OofusTwillip]

Alka-Seltzer "Poached Oysters" (official title: "Newlyweds") - Alice Playten is the wife. The husband is Terry Kiser (Bernie in "Weekend at Bernie's").

[@aspenrebel]

"Weekend at Bernie's" was a great movie.

[@mrsmacca126]

@@aspenrebelit’s actually Rachel’s favourite, but she’ll SAY It’s DANGEROUS LIAISONS”

[@randomguy6117]

Alka-Seltzer consistently produced funny ads in the 1970s. Of course they had the advantage that indigestion is inherently funny.

[@OofusTwillip]

Southern Airways "Second Class", and FedEx "Count On It" were created by the great Joe Sedelmaier.

[@Adfanatico]

I was once honoured greatly when Joe Sedelmaier nominated one of my ads as his favourite ad of the year. This would be 1989, I think. I think his ads would be as fresh today in TikTok as they were back then on broadcast TV.

[@elc1960]

Jack Somack is in two of these commercials: the classic Alka-Seltzer "Spicy Meatball" ad, and the 1969 AMC Rebel ad (as the driving instructor). Louisa Moritz plays the pretty blonde student driver in that ad as well. ("What bus?")

[@Scorple1]

Thanks. 😊

[@ex-engineer6657]

Thanks for the stroll down memory...wait it's a commercial, I'll run to the fridge, be right back.

[@briang70]

"Where's the Beef" first aired in 1984..... So, yeah.

[@rancher12121]

I never seen a pelican with water squirting out of the top of its head

[@bender7565]

I saw something different.

[@Scavenger2012]

They sure don't look like pelicans! lol. They look like something else!

[@elc1960]

That's Dick Wilson, aka Mr. Whipple, as the unlucky homeowner in the Continental Insurance ad. I can't be the only one that noticed how much those water fountains looked like penises in that Independent Life commercial. By the way, a number of these ads aren't from the '70s, they're from the '80s. The AMC Rebel ad and the Karmann Ghia ad are from the 1960s. Maybe you need to slightly alter the title of the video...?

[@schreddcreative]

ha ha .. those water fountains.... Made me spit my coffee out. cheers

[@Adfanatico]

You're right. My grasp on history is imperfect but it leads to me to think I should probably do a Best of the 60s and a Best of the 80s but get them both right!

[@elc1960]

@@Adfanatico Or maybe do a collection simply titled "Some Funny Vintage Commercials" so you could put them in there regardless of decade or era.

[@binagarten4667]

Superb

[@ericjanssen394]

I must protest that Where’s the Beef?, FedEx and Future Pepsi are iconic 80’S commercials, and therefore have no place among the 70’s pantheon of Alka-Seltzer, Volkswagen, Xerox and Right Guard deodorant.

[@tooge47]

thanks for the memories

[@abigailgerlach5443]

The ads with the biggest promises are no longer in business. There's a lesson in there!

[@CharlieBrown-lt3tq]

You mean to say you could buy a brand new beetle plus all those appliances for $3000 in 1970s?

[@jofus3604]

Yep! Bugs were about $1200 dollars...... About the only upgrade was a Blaupumkt German AM/FM radio, one of the best in the world, $100!

[@ralphy12345]

I used to have a 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. In 1967 the first owner paid $2,500 for it. The Ghia was a little more expensive than the Beetle, so maybe a slight stretch.

[@Adfanatico]

My starting salary in 1977 was under $2,000. So a Beetle cost about 15 months of hard work.

[@CharlieBrown-lt3tq]

@@Adfanatico minimum wage in the US was $2.30/hour in 1977, so even if you were making minimum wage, you had to have taken home around $1.50+/hr after taxes, and that works out to $3120/year clear in your hand without any overtime or holiday work bonuses, and that's if you made dead minimum. Granted, that's not much money by 2023 standards, but still significantly higher than $2000 for the year.

[@kinsley7777]

those were hilARious ! … thank YOU, Patrick

[@Adfanatico]

You are most welcome, ma'am.

[@charlesniski9042]

Where's the beef wasn't until 1984...

[@jessiebaker6636]

I thought the Wendy's commerial came out in 84. '

[@bugwar5545]

Funny. I don't recall a 'Southern' airlines.

[@aspenrebel]

It was probably in the South somewhere.

[@bugwar5545]

@@aspenrebel Nah, more like some Yankee corporation was culture appropriating.

[@kinsley7777]

@@aspenrebel 😂

[@sibkiss2009]

There are more...

[@richardstone2337]

The pepsi and the wendy's commercials were from the 80's......

[@Adfanatico]

I know, I know, I goofed. Still, I used to be a copywriter and I still can't manage a spreadsheet so please forgive me.

[@larrygunderson5324]

Is that Joe Flaherty at the 50 second mark? Sure looks like him.

[@3thomasdm]

now do Bud Lite

[@bugwar5545]

Which ones? The woke, or the parodies?

[@aspenrebel]

Where's the beef!? ..... Did a Pepsi Ad actually use and show a bottle of Coke? I didn't think they could do that. Hey if they found a Twinkie, they could still eat it. ...... What the heck was an American Motors Rebel? I don't remember that car. ...... I liked the monk and XEROX, I remember that one.

[@SunshineCatwoman]

Yes, companies started mentioning competitors' products in the '70s. They have to be careful not to provide misleading or confusing information, but it's legal.

[@binagarten4667]

And no token black person!

[@jeffthevideoguy23]

Uh, some of these are from the 80s.

[@kinsley7777]

I just can’t understand why so many commentators believe that it is their job to call out s few ads weed from the 80’s 🙄 smh

[@rbspider]

I saw commercials for the first time yesterday at the laundromat and all of them must have been created by people who were about as creative and as talented as Hunter Biden when it comes to painting .

[@JohnAnthony0857]

Was nice to see some white people in a commercial for a change. 😂

[@JamesRedford-qp4if]

Delete it

[@dawnreneegmail]

Regardless if the wrong decade Claire "WHERE'S THE BEEF⁉️ Peller was a hoot and a half. After all us teens were busy leaving the authority figures in the dust so to have her pop up was just great💁🏼‍♀️

[@silversrayleigh8980]

ooof