1959: Our Lives Through Commercials

Note: The Marlboro ad is probably from '61 or so.

[@inkey2]

This was back in the day when drugstores sold KODAK camera outfits . It was a complete outfit with camera, case, flash, roll of film, manual. Had to load the camera in subdued

[@stanleycostello9610]

Betty Furness. In 1960 we had a TV, stereo, refrigerator and a radio in the kitchen. All made by Westinghouse.

[@luisreyes1963]

The 50's, a time when sugary cereals can be considered a snack & enter a contest to win a new car. Thanks, FredFlix. 😃

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Luis.

[@jamesslick4790]

The 2020's, And I still consider it to be a snack. I sometimes eat "Honey Comb" right out of the box instead of popcorn when it's "Movie Night" LOL.

[@Litauen-yg9ut]

9 years before my existence, I missed out on quite a bit I find. WOW, that fridge Lucy and Desi are checking out is just as fancy or more so than most today.

[@jamesslick4790]

3 years before my existence, but yep, Westinghouse made some fairly advanced fridges in the day!

[@sableminer8133]

@@jamesslick4790 The washers were wild too! There's a channel on here where u can see just type in the utube search...

[@barbarahiggins583]

16 years before my existence, but I absolutely watching vintage commercials

[@elifoust7664]

LAWRENCE WELk Scored a find with the Lennons .

[@mightylonesome9426]

Thank you, Fred. I'm 72 and some of these that I recognized from my youth brought back warm memories. It doesn't seem like 64 years have passed, but as they say, time flies. Take care Fred.

[@FredFlix]

Much appreciated, ML.

[@LorenIpsum75]

14:00 During the 50s, Bill Hayes ("Days of Our Lives") and Florence Henderson ("The Today Show" & "The Brady Bunch") comprised the popular duo of "Hayes & Henderson". (The song sounds inspired by "Ya Got Trouble" from the 1957 musical "The Music Man").

[@The_best_days_are_yesterdays]

I did not know that. RIP Bill Hayes 6/5/25-1/12/24

[@Laine2539]

The year I was born.Just love watching old commercials, more entertaining than those now. Aunt Jemima apple ring pancakes look good. Life made sense back then, things aren’t like that now. Our lives are hardly peaceful 😢

[@The_best_days_are_yesterdays]

Also born in '59 and also enjoy all the nostalgia. I've often wondered what it means when people say "times were simpler" or "the good old days." The best I can figure, and speaking for myself, as a child I had no idea what was going on in the world. Adults in general as well as the media did a good job of "protecting" our childhood and I'm grateful for that.

[@doggedout]

Ahh. Marlboros and Sugar Frosted Flakes. Breakfast of champions!

[@5argetech56]

The Year I was born.. Much respect Big Brother Fred! 🙂😊

[@lesbw356]

Meee tooooooo!!!

[@FredFlix]

Thank you, 5arge.

[@RusstheTroubadour]

Thanks Fred . The Barbie commercial was the first one ever. The Franco American ad/w June Lockhart aired during LASSIE . They were a division of Campbell's Soup which sponsored the series for its entirety. The Westinghouse refrigerator ad w/ Lucy & Desi aired during an episode of what is now known as The Lucy- Desi Comedy Hour. Westinghouse replaced Ford as the sponsor in 1958. June Lockhart will be 98 in June.

[@FredFlix]

Good info, Russ.

[@jamesslick4790]

"You can be SURE... If it's Westinghouse!" I had many family members that worked for the various Westinghouse divisions (I'm from Pittsburgh). The George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge (a landmark in concrete bridge building) is nearby. Dark Humor in Pittsburgh (a city well known for it's bridges) when I was a kid was: What is the best bridge in Pittsburgh to jump off of to "do the deed"? Westinghouse...You can be SURE if it's Westinghouse! Grim, yes but funny as hell to a 12-year-old. LOL.

[@eclairtreo]

Thanks for that info.

[@luisreyes1963]

Barbie turns 65 this year. 💁🏼‍♀️

[@t.j.payeur5331]

10/11/54.. I remember when every kid in the neighborhood usually had at least 3 bandaids stuck on them somewhere at any particular time...

[@FredFlix]

You got my birthday right, T. J.

[@t.j.payeur5331]

@@FredFlix it's mine too.

[@stevecrow3075]

Don't remember much of these commercials I was only 1 yr. Old 1958.😂🤣

[@bobpierce115]

I was born in May '57, so just a tiny bit older. These mid-century ads are 'new' to us. My favorite is the Oldsmobile ad which was introducing the '59 models. It likely aired in Oct. or Nov. '58, probably as a sponsor ad (thus the length) for an hour long prime time show back then.

[@Augustine549]

I was born in 1959. It does take you back in time. Thanks for sharing it.

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, August.

[@telebob5983]

Also the world my twin sister and I were born into on 16 August of that year.

[@modacare4546]

I love the car ads where it shows 15 people hanging out the window of a six passenger car. That's how we did back in the 50's and 60's. How did we ever survive? 😀😀😀What's a seatbelt? I remember laying in the back window deck of my dad's 66 Dodge Monaco.

[@limelight8018]

people were brave enough to ignore safety, even to get married and have kids

[@elc1960]

Having been born in 1960, this is the first time I've ever seen that ad for the '59 Chevy wagon in color. The black-and-white version is on several DVDs of TV commercials, but seeing it in color is cool. Thanks Fred!

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, elc1960.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

TRULY one of your best to come out of the FredFlix factory!

[@FredFlix]

Thanks, Nunetc.

[@mikedrown2721]

I turned 13 in 1959😊

[@themechanic7625]

I turned 12 😄

[@elifoust7664]

I was three, remember faded flashes of existence.

[@tomklock568]

I was a very wee lad that year...less than a year! Thanks Fred.

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Tom.

[@aprilrich807]

Me too. 😊

[@evansmith7969]

Fred, you have a fantastic job. I can truly say that it was GREAT to be a nine-year-old boy with three younger brothers and a new family station wagon in Florida in 1959.

[@FredFlix]

No better time to be a kid, Evan.

[@barbarahiggins583]

These commercials were 16 years before I was born, but my parents were around during this time. I love watching vintage commercials, it's cool seeing commercials my parents grew up watching, they were kids during this era.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

From the mid-1960s to 1971, when Marlboro Country became their theme for their brand of cigarettes, Stu Bergman provided the voiceover. A rare Canadian ad for Esso is featured. In Canada, Esso is known as Imperial Oil Limited. The Post Raisin Bran spot is v'o'ed by future game show announcer Jack Clark. Barbie premiered as a doll by Mattel. Jackson Beck speaks for Remco Toys ("Every boy wants a Remco Toys..so do girls."). Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz assist Betty Furness in shilling a refrigerator for Westinghouse.

[@tomservo56954]

THE MAGNIFICENT SRVEN didn't come out until 1960...so this can't be a Marlboro ad from 1959

[@thewkovacs316]

i always thought that tang was first used by the astronauts then marketed commercially today i found out that it was the exact opposite thanks fred

[@fredcloud9668]

Most of the astronauts didn't like Tang. They wouldn't drink it.

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, thewkovacs.

[@LimitlessThinker]

I had the Barbie with the long black gown. My Aunt gave it to me as a gift. I never got any extra Barbie clothes. I remember that, after seeing this. I remember a lot of these commercials. Thank you Fred. Fascinating!

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, LT.

[@Ij-jan]

I was only four so I don’t remember any of them. Thanks for another great video..

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, l j.

[@sheriheffner2098]

I LOVE watching The Lennon Sisters on The Lawrence Welk Show on PBS.

[@frankwafer6919]

Those were great 'ol days!💖!

[@robertscott2210]

The year before I was born, so no memories for me this time Fred. But my folks did have a Brownie camera that we used right up until it was replaced with a VHS camcorder in the 80's! They don't make stuff to last like that anymore! 👍👍👍

[@FredFlix]

They sure don't, Robert.

[@gregggoss2210]

Gonna borrow your time machine Fred. I'm going to go back and enter that Raisin Bran contest, win the car, and store it somewhere safe, and come back to 1970 something an have myself a brand new Fury for my first car.

[@FredFlix]

Or you could save until 2023 and sell it for big bucks, Gregg.

[@gregggoss2210]

​@@FredFlix, yeah, with little to no mileage on the odometer, I could probably get like $40,000.

[@tigre7739]

Some of the best ever Fred!!🤩 I've grown to really appreciate alot of the old commercials I grew up with in the 70's and even some 80's, but I really think a lot of these are hands down much better, definitely better than anything now days IMO!! I would love one if those Oldsmobiles!

[@FredFlix]

Thanks, Tigre7.

[@eclairtreo]

Loved that Oldsmobile ad where they parody the spoken solo by Robert Preston, "Ya GotTeouble" (in River City ) from Broadway hit, "The Music Man" which is from about that same era.

[@garywright7826]

Just 2yrs old then . It's good to look back during that time when I was so young.

[@stephenoleary4904]

Born in 1959...I'm getting a kick seeing these commercials that were out the year I was born 😂😂

[@trippontwowheels]

I love these! Thanks Fred.

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, TOTW.

[@garyjones2582]

Fred thx for the many memories over the years... Love those old cigarette commercials and I don't even smoke.. Take care my friend...

[@FredFlix]

Maybe that's why you still love them, Gary.

[@jamesslick4790]

I still have the "Brownie Movie Camera" shown in the first ad. It's the old "straight 8mm" film (on open reel, not a cartridge like the later "Super 8") In reality it was 16mm film but only shot on half of the film per pass. (You'd "flip" the reels after filming a side, like an open reel audio tape.) When developed they split the film down the middle and BOOM, 8mm movies! I don't know how many of this model of camera Kodak sold, but it had to be LOTS, they are still commonly found today, despite "Super 8" being introduced in 1965 and taking over the "Home movie" market until the "camcorder" became "cheap" in the late 1980s. PS and unrelated, But the OLDSMOBILE commercial was AWESOME!

[@brendajeanproffitt6919]

This is so cool Fred things have changed so much over the yrs...thank you so much

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, friend Brenda.

[@brendajeanproffitt6919]

@@FredFlix still amazing Fred

[@kmg3658]

Outstanding! Thank you.

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, KMG365.

[@CuppaTeaandaSliceoCake]

Wonderful ... thank you very much indeed.

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, CT&SC.

[@MrsCybele]

I was born in 1959!

[@Juliaflo]

Happy upcoming 65th birthday.

[@The_best_days_are_yesterdays]

ALL the cool kids were - including me!

[@ricklaino6385]

Hi Fred.........I just learned that more people are to turn 65 years of age this year (2024) than at any other time in history......let's hear it for 1959.......!!!

[@budgarner3522]

Brings back a few 1st grade memories of TV - when it didn't go back to the bill collector.

[@valhowe1950]

Thank you again Fred!

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Val.

[@kso808]

Amazing! These must have been stored away in a vault somewhere! I don’t think I’ve ever seen these!

[@merce10554]

Black Flag, Skippy, Tang (it was the cool thing to drink but yucky) got my first blonde Barbie with the ponytail next year, the wonderful music to Marlboro Man... and that Oldsmobile rap! *That* was Wow. 🎵🎶🎵 If you don't post anything else before Wednesday, this will be my B'day present. Thanks. 💜🤟

[@FredFlix]

Happy Birthday, Mercedes, and keep thinking young.

[@merce10554]

@@FredFlix Thank you! That's what I intend to do. ☺️ 💜🤟

[@zekeonstormpeak4186]

Nothing like a station wagon full of unrestrained kids!!!

[@galebailey5583]

I liked that Westinghouse refrigerator commercial with Lucy and Desi. The center drawer concept seemed very nice, but I guess the consumers weren’t interested. Lol

[@luisreyes1963]

At least some refrigerators now have freezers on the bottom.

[@underwaterman7293]

WTH happened to us? That Dodge station wagon commercial was just awesome.

[@robertromero8692]

Love it, Fred. The voice of Tony the Tiger narrated and sang in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Is that the voice of Mike Wallace at 21:10? Twelve people in a station wagon is quite remarkable.

[@RusstheTroubadour]

Thurl Ravenscroft.

[@fromthesidelines]

8:34- Jack Clark, announcer.

[@The_best_days_are_yesterdays]

My birth year!

[@davidjones5547]

I drank a lot of Tang while growing up in the 50s

[@dwaynecoy1871]

Did you notice that the address to win the Plymouth Furry had no zip code included? @9:15 the address is PO BOX 600, New Brighton, MN. Weird, I thought the zip code started way before 59.

[@robertkeefer1552]

Zip codes were introduced in 1963.

[@jamesslick4790]

Fun Fact: "Marlboro" used to be marketed as a "women's cigarette" (Filters were seen as "feminine" in the old days). But by the mid 50's filter cigs became popular among both sexes with "Winston" being a MAJOR player, "Marlboro" pivoted 180 degrees and pushed them as a "macho" brand. And they KEPT IT UP. Although "Winston" was the top selling filter cigarette in 1959 (and top seller over all in the 60s and 70s) "Marlboro's" slow burn (pun intended) worked in the long run, By the 1980s it became and STILL is the top selling brand. Heavy advertising works. When I was a kid "Winston" was the big non menthol smoke. "Kool" was the biggest menthol smoke. Today (and has been since the 80s) it's "Marlboro" and "Newport". None of it affects me: I smoke Pall-Mall, (Actually the OLDEST brand in the US!) LOL. NOTE: I don't recommend smoking!!! It's a REALLY BAD IDEA, it's just I have been a smoker all my life (er..Well, at least since a teen) So, I know a bit about these things. The "Kool" thing is that "Marlboro" packs pretty much look the same today as they do in this 1959 ad!

[@jehobden]

8:35 - I recognize game show host/announcer Jack Clark as the voice in this Post ad. 9:36 - 1959 was Barbie's debut year. 13:58 - I think that's Bill Hayes in the commercial w/ Florence Henderson. They used to perform together often. He'll be 98(!) next month, and he's been married to Susan Seaforth Hayes, his DAYS OF OUR LIVES co-star, almost 50 years now. 19:25 - Tang, Fred's favorite breakfast drink in 1964 :) 21:32 - I wonder if Lucy or Desi kept the Westinghouse appliances in their upcoming divorce. 24:43 - A color ad in 1959, and the color isn't completely red or washed out!

[@1985OldSkool]

Yes. The first Matell Barbie dolls came out on Monday, March 9, 1959

[@Deutschie]

I wondered the same thing about Lucy and Desi.

[@fromthesidelines]

11:36- Hugh Conover, announcer.

[@tomservo56954]

Didn't hurt his voice had an Art Linkletter vibe...

[@thewkovacs316]

david nelson was a beatnik?

[@dillysgirl4ever]

Hey Fred! Great job as always!! Got a group of 1960 commercials?

[@FredFlix]

Maybe I could work one up later, madsixtian.

[@dillysgirl4ever]

@@FredFlix, thanks Fred! I would love to see what people were buying/selling the year I was born.

[@TheStrmcliffae46]

omg the memories😊

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

The original tony the tiger ❤

[@crosbonit]

Black Flag "Insect Bomb" !!! I love it. Someone needs to bring that one back.

[@sheriheffner2098]

I remember nothing about cigarette commercials.

[@The_best_days_are_yesterdays]

They were ubiquitous; tv, radio, magazines, billboards,etc.

[@richardranke3158]

Has it really been 64 years since I entered kindergarten?:-)

[@user-yd2wx5ke090]

The mother of the last Chevrolet Impala is a masterpiece。What is this woman's name?

[@thewkovacs316]

was thaT really the entire lemon family? boy, mom and dad lemon were busy

[@Laine2539]

😂 yup

[@blugreen123]

Yes. They were devout Catholics. 😂

[@batimbug124]

13:58

[@fredcloud9668]

I think it's still called ESSO in Canada?

[@mikedrown2721]

Yes it is

[@christiangallardoguy]

Don't mind me Im look at stuff from generations before me

[@FredFlix]

That means you have a curious mind and a sense of history, Christian. Times like the 1950s-1970s were wonderful for pop culture and technological innovation while retaining family values. It won't happen again.

[@MORE1500]

Which commercials did Don Draper create?

[@merce10554]

I was thinking the same. 😉

[@jessicasharp2128]

So was I!!

[@perrybarton]

All of them. 😎

[@johnsain]

none

[@ptownfreddy]

Memorably, the Kodak “Carousel” commercial at the beginning of the series, and the Coca-commercial at the end of the series.

[@Memo2Self]

That's Mike Wallace doing the Parliament voiceover.

[@Memo2Self]

I'm a little confused - if these are from 1959, how can Marlboro be using (at this point) the theme from "The Magnificent Seven," which came out in 1960?

[@FredFlix]

It's probable the ad is from later. I should have realized it.

[@eclairtreo]

I think you are correct. That music was by Elmer Bernstein, and was also used in some other shows, and I think the Disneyland train uses it too. Lots of quote of this piece. That music was nominated for Best Score as well as other awards. Great music.

[@AudiophileTommy]

Ozzy would later rebel ,grow his hair out and front Black Sabbath 😜😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@vinniemorciglio4632]

Newsmen shilling for a cigarette.....

[@cmdrflake]

For all the “good” commercials there were some ten that were awful.

[@sonnytoo9077]

Thanks Fred 🫡👍

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, sonny too.

[@sableminer8133]

Say, dig that mom from Brady Bunch rapping on an Olds! That's amazing I never realized rap started on the fifties, this one is jazzy too. I wasn't born yet but grew up with so many of these! Cigarette ads too. Unfortunately, I would go on to pollute myself and the world with the nasty things! The Power of Capitalism, man!

[@elc1960]

I always thought the original rap music was square dance calling...

[@sableminer8133]

@@elc1960 OMG brilliant deduction!