70's Commercials Vol. 44

These commercials aired on NBC on May 27th, 1978
1. "In Search Of" Opening (One of my favorite shows from this era, I just had to include this. The full episode can be seen here: • Video )
2. Excedrin
3. Windex
4. TV Spot for "Thank God It's Friday" (Looks like a PG-rated copycat of "Saturday Night Fever" [which was actually re-released in a PG-rated, edited form about a year after this]. Jeff Goldblum is in this though, so it can't be TOO bad! This spot also features the voice of Gary Owens!)
5. Speidel Digital Watches
6. Technical Difficulties Bumper
7. Ultra Ban II
8. Clairol Herbal Essence
9. Pizzazz Magazine (This ran from 1977-79 and only had 16 issues. The serialized Star Wars comic that ran in this magazine that can be seen briefly at 05:01 was actually the very first "expanded universe" Star Wars material)
10. TV Spot for "In Search Of The Castaways" (I haven't seen this in a while, but it's a pretty fun adventure flick. This trailer looks like it might date from the original release in 1962)
11. Sweet 'N Low (The official sweetener of bowling alleys)
12. King's Dominion (Still around, it was only three years old at this point)
13. "In Search Of" End Credits (The PCP News special can be seen here: • WRC NewsCenter Forum -... )
14. Alberto VO5 Hairspray
15. Jacobsen Super Bagger Lawnmower
16. Sears (I believe the station glitch at 8:22 is somebody failing to put the Sears bumper card on camera and then quickly switching over to another bumper on tape)
17. WRC News Bumper
18. Folgers Flaked Coffee (Women seemed VERY emotionally invested in making coffee that impressed their husbands back then)
19. Glidden Factory Sale
20. Western Auto National Automotive Week
21. Alberto VO5 Conditioning Hairdressing
22. AMC Concord DL
23. Rosenthal Auto Sale
24. Wolf Trap Gala (With the voice of Elizabeth Taylor)
25. Will Gaymers Pub Cider
26. Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program PSA
27. Sears (This is what #16 should have looked like)

[@vicious-pi3rd]

You see how lawn mowers were back then so simple. Now, they look like freaking indestructible tanks with more issues than just the spark plug!

[@zapbrannigannn]

I got spooked at that car commercial lmao!

[@ThisGuyFrritz]

3:21 I remember seeing these. Sometimes there would be music playing with a voiceover saying, "We are having technical difficulties. Please stand by."

[@timothysprengeler4071]

I couldn't help chuckling when I saw the "technical difficulties" bumper on here! Those are every bit as "retro" as these great commercials.

[@DanZero77]

In Search Of....... Technical Difficulties, incorrect bumper slides, creepy Spider-Men, messed up car commercial voices AND Sears open Sunday!

[@Lovejazz01]

People were serious about their coffee before Starbucks lol

[@timothysprengeler4071]

8:38--Mrs. Olson, an advertising icon! I remember very well that "regular" coffee came in 1, 2, and 3-pound cans back then, and that there were certain varieties (like Folgers Flaked) that were marketed in slightly smaller quantities because you could use less and make the same number of cups.

[@RandomDudeFromSomewhere]

"In Search Of..."! I love it! Thanks for posting all of these, I've been listening to them while I work. :)

[@chrislang9442]

1) You hardly ever see “Technical Difficulties “ anymore, unless you see that Simpsons cartoon with Kent Brockman and a cuckoo clock coming out of his head. 2) Wow, jingles are coming back to me that I haven’t heard for a few decades. Both Clairol and Sweet ‘n’ Low jogged some memories. 3) Fluorocarbons? What is this, the 80’s? 4) Mrs. Olson: a punchline for many questions on the original “Match Game” 5) Yes, joggers need to care about their hair.

[@80sCommercialVault]

Re: fluorocarbons...nearly all of the research on their effect on the ozone layer was done in the mid 70's, it just wasn't until the 80's that you had international treaties banning them. Most manufacturers eliminated them before that.

[@jareddicarlo7816]

The Spider-Man in the Pizzazz commercial is the one that was featured in The Electric Company.

[@timothysprengeler4071]

4:41--I was 7 years old in 1978, and "The Electric Company" was my favorite TV show! I still think it is one of the best "kiddie" shows ever. I have the two DVD boxed sets put out by Shout Factory in the mid-2000's--and my only complaint is that they edited out some of the Spider-Man segments due to rights issues.

[@DW4Ever91]

11:08 Did the Tape Just Get Possessed by Satan?

[@jenniferseghers9355]

Connie Sellecca in the Exedrin commercial Ted Shackleford in the AMC Concord commercial

[@maddmaxx636]

The beginning of that AMC ad was made of nightmares.

[@JonesMediaMan]

This playoff hockey game is about to go into the 4th OT, and I have it on mute, and I'm watching and listening to these ads. I can't help it. I can't stop watching them.

[@Farzee49]

As a kid, the "In Search of..." theme used to scare the crap out of me. My family lives 2 hours away from Kings Dominion and they get season passes every year. It's still poppin'! 11:01 this is the TV and B'way actress Betty Buckley ( she starred in the ABC series Eight is Enough from 1977 to 1981, and played gym teacher Ms. Collins in the 1976 film Carrie, and was in CATS on Broadway)

[@Lovejazz01]

MsFarzee it sure looks like Betty Buckley, I’ve been watching a lot of these classic commercials and she seems to be in a lot of them!

[@Lurker1979]

Love watching In Search Of. Even now.

[@steveairport]

@11:06 That bad tape made the car commercial 1000x better

[@tdrewman]

I loved Pizzazz magazine as a kid. I use call it pizza magazine and because of seeing this old commercial, I just logged onto the binarie newsgroups and downloaded all of the issues.

[@DancinChuck]

Saw "Thank God It's Friday" at the drive in theater !

[@MrNYCinc]

Great video

[@MichaelMangi]

Fun Fact: Rebel Yell, now Racer 75 at Kings Dominion, is one of the rollercoasters used in the 1977 movie Rollercoaster. As a part of promoting the movie the park had a roller coaster riding marathon event using that particular coaster. There is a plaque commemorating this event and the movie right by Racer 75 as it's also where the founders of the American Coaster Enthusiasts first met and came up with the idea of founding ACE.

[@sirlordford]

I rode the Rebel Yell many times in the mid to late 70s. I don't remember the King Cobra though until I went to King's Island in Cincinnati in the early 80s. Maybe I was too short to ride it back then?

[@01FozzyS]

I remember memorizing the Clairol jingle when I was younger. lol

[@timothysprengeler4071]

4:11--Wow; I'd forgotten that Herbal Essences shampoo was available that far back, especially with such a great catchy jingle!

[@misterelom]

Wow I vaguely remember Pizzazz magazine! Think I might've had an issue of it as a kid.

[@unmisfitminor101]

I’ve read all the Star Wars content from Pizzazz in a collected edition of the original Marvel comics

[@square-on-wheels]

"In Search of. . ." produced by Alan Landsburg; "Thank God it's Friday" featured his daughter, Valerie Landsburg.

[@blinkereye123]

1) In Search Of, one of the best TV shows of all time. 2) TGIF also featured Donna Summer, Teri Nunn from the band Berlin and the Commodores (the 2nd greatest band of the 70s) 3) Kings Dominion, one of the best theme parks I've never been to. 4) Pizazz magazine. I still have about 10 issues myself. Thanks for the memories 😉

[@Lovejazz01]

blinkereye123 who’s the first greatest band from the 70’s?

[@blinkereye123]

@@Lovejazz01 Earth, Wind & Fire...who else😁.

[@Lovejazz01]

blinkereye123 I agree, just curious!👍🏾

[@timothysprengeler4071]

1:40--One of several great jingles based on the "Windex Shine" theme. 3:41--Back when deodorant usually came in aerosol (before the ban--pun intended--on CFC's) and roll-on rather than the solid form most common today. 12:38--I believe if you ask for plain old "cider" in the UK, you'll get what is called "pub cider" or "hard cider" here in America.

[@Lovejazz01]

“Consult your newspaper for showtimes”, you can still do that in 2018 but who does?

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

The guy at the end of that second VO5 commercial creeped me out more than the garbled tape of the commercial following it

[@elc1960]

She doesn't appear in this ad, but Debra Winger was also in "Thank God It's Friday." Dr. Beeper from "Caddyshack" is in that Speidel ad. It's purely a guess on my part, but judging by the music in the Wolf Trap Gala ad, I'd say Marvin Hamlisch was one of the entertainers that year...?

[@TTrigg]

In Search Of-hopefully Zachary Quinto will do his good friend Leonard Nimoy proud when the reboot(which he is hosting as well as producing) airs TGIF-loved the opening..even the Columbia Torch Lady busted out a dance move before the credits lol(also that lady @ 2:17 had a mean left hook) Pizzazz-if this magazine were still around today,Tom Holland would be lameting that Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is on the cover..also the Star Wars comic would feature Rey,Finn and Poe In Search Of The Castaways-good film..surprised Disney hasnt attempted a remake WRC News-Sears is their favorite store AMC Concord-Gary Ewing pitched cars before working at Ewing Oil..

[@JFD62780]

Congratulations, you just got me hooked on the new In Search Of via an on-demand binge. Like that dude said on the 'Superhumans' ep, Zach seemingly really is Mr. Spock, he fits Nimoy's shoes that good! AND he even goes hands-on, unlike the original show! It's been on for a couple months, and this week is #8. It's on Fridays @10PM EST on History!

[@pika23]

I was about 6 weeks old! 😀😊 👶

[@daintybeigli]

Anyone making comments like that about coffee that I made can go make their own!

[@yusakug]

4:48 - "Flaws"...I know the article was about the mechanical sharks breaking down, but the title could have also served as a warning about the inferior Jaws 2...

[@RHGarciaApr85]

In Search Of 😍

[@billybarnett2846]

Nobody ever brings those couple of years people were obsessed with Bigfoot. Still got the Bigfoot ashtrays that my mom bought. Can't believe people used to complain about the prices back then. i would kill to get a gallon of Glidden paint for $7.99.

[@80sCommercialVault]

If you're looking for some good Bigfootsploitation, this documentary hosted by Peter Graves is my favorite: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYC9oaiJprhpl9k BTW, $7.99 in 1978 money is worth $38.84 today after adjusting for inflation over the last 46 years.

[@HappyHumanist369]

6:12 Where-ever you go, the cancer will grow.

[@80sCommercialVault]

Any links made to saccharin and cancer have been debunked for over 20 years. I'd suggest reading about it before spreading misinformation here. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharin#Warning_label_addition_and_removal

[@RobertAlpizar]

Was that Steve Gutenberg in the Windex commercial?

[@yusakug]

I think it is. Sounds like him.

[@kimmykun]

Yeah, that's definitely him.

[@Farzee49]

That's him alright.

[@Sabrina79]

It sounds like him! I had to watch the clip 3x to confirm yes