The "Dear John" BASF advert location - Wellington, New Zealand

Dear John
The BASF advert that's Famous in New Zealand.
Filmed on the coast between Island Bay and Owhiro Bay, Wellington New Zealand.
Circa 1980/81 by director Tony Williams.
'Dear John' adapted by Murray Grindlay, sung by Jacqui Fitzgerald, , a session vocalist & successful recording artist, won Jazz Album of the Year 1985 with 'The Masquerade Is Over'.
The location is still there but is now under a couple of buildings and a block of townhouses.
The terraces in the background of the advert are still clearly visible and so are the 3 water stained areas pointed out in the video.
Oddly the film Archives place this location as the quarry south of Owhiro Bay.
Of the clips I found (many copies of one of the versions) there was only one I could find of a 2nd version, poor quality with a piece of text at the bottom.

[@lambert2969]

One of my favorite ads of all time.

[@sebastianharker4892]

I remember watching this Ad so many times in the early 1980s. It's an absolute classic. Stunned to hear that it was filmed very close to where I live , here in Wellington. Thanks for sharing and the info.

[@TheButlerNZ]

One I liked a few years later was "Take it easy, Take the train"... Which had someone battling to find a park in the Island Bay shopping centre... I'm not quite sure how Taking the train was supposed to help there. (Odly my GGFather (that owned the quarry, also pushed for the tramway in Island bay (long gone as were the Trams) Course now they ran a Cycle lane through one side (After so many people complained about the cycle lanes) making parking just that little bit more crap. (I've ridden motorcross bikes through forests, and ride a downhill MTB at 50+... I fear riding my bike in the cycle lanes in Island bay (and it's downright scary driving there at night... extremely unsafe if its dark & raining.

[@charanjit7427]

Best advert ever watched one million times

[@TheButlerNZ]

This, and the Great Crunchie Train Robbery... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYLFiZh3rsiVorcsi=Ivtk1n9h5wastCGi

[@lstarrtna4288]

I was thinking about this ad the other day wow

[@TheButlerNZ]

It does get eeeen

[@user-hp2up9oy8v]

I just remembered this ad from Clive James on TV, I think it was. Of course, I had a laughter track from the audience then.

[@TheButlerNZ]

Gotta love Laughter tracks... Making Slapstick American Humour appear to be funny for the last 60 years. (I saw a youtub video on comedies with laugh tracks removed and some were really bad without it.

[@agentprime2179]

I remember watching it on Tarrant on TV.

[@5150show]

Incredible

[@elzelinakriek-breet3092]

I love this ad! Remember it so well.

[@bryanpalmer9660]

I remember this commercial article in the papers said some of the extras were university students and that it was filmed in the Wellington area, well made and fun to watch Thanks for the work you put into tihs much appreciated Auckland New Zealand 2023

[@TheButlerNZ]

We had great adverts made in NZ back in the 70's... They didn't shout at you, they didn't strobe annoying light and images... They didn't confuse you with stupid design... (The latest BK ad gives you so much info on how the Big Mac is useful as a one hand burger that you remember to go to McD's to look for that new burger someone was advertising... Good idea BK... (And if you want a REAL burger you go just round the bay from where this add was filmed to Bay Takaway's and get a 1.5 pound (0.68kg) Super Gourmet Chicken burger (Bacon, double crumb chicken breast) burger for under $13. That's 5 times the weight of a 1/4 pounder... Gone are the days where "Fast Food" was the cheap option. I really miss storyline adverts.

[@helenroach4634]

Was there ever a better ad!!!!

[@TheButlerNZ]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYLFiZh3rsiVorcsi=Tbdt27D_KL84OoYv has a good shot at it. (Another 'Famous in New Zealand' add.)

[@karenanesbitt8487]

Love love love

[@waiata216]

I remember this add from back in the day. Remember having a walkman too. They were a way to fill in time and ignore every one around you, like reading a book was before that. Now we all fill in time and ignore each other by looking at our phones. 😂😂😂

[@TheButlerNZ]

Your so last month... Looking at your watch now... q8)

[@TheButlerNZ]

I removed a big video scratch off his chin. It would b interesting to go and remove all the scratches etc to get it back to a better quality... The 2nd version I found seems to be an odd framerate and I couldn't quite get them to line up, changing both videos by a few percent it still ended up a frame + out at the end of the advert before the cut to BASF advert. Ahh to have lots of money and time on my hands to edit/clean someone else's advert just for the L of it. Maybe next time I'll do the Crunchie advert with (Mr Bryce)? - Teacher from Owhiro Bay school just previous to the making of... (circa '75... )... He's the one hiding behind a huge beard shooting out through the window... I started that primary school after he left so sorry if i got the name incorrect.... Must ask my brother who he taught...).

[@steveolder5971]

I was on that add threw out the mailbag and Trevor McGowan was the pilot helicopters nz

[@TheButlerNZ]

I would have been kicking round on my chopper back then. We made some great adverts back then..

[@mtbwithsmudgespud2416]

Great video!

[@TheButlerNZ]

Welll Tony Williams gets all the credit for one of NZs best Adverts. It would be great to see if there's a better quality one round somewhere... I found 2 versions... maybe someday someone will merge and scratch remove.

[@mtbwithsmudgespud2416]

@@TheButlerNZ Yessir

[@quickcrewvideos]

@@TheButlerNZ and Ron Highfield and Rob Outterside get the credit for all the art department and props. The two of them put it all up that morning and took it down that night. Legends.

[@TheButlerNZ]

@@quickcrewvideos The amount of old NZ adverts that still fly around in my head... Just yesterday I commented to someone "eeezen't it exiiiiiting" then had to explain it was a Griffins (Round wine, Vanilla Wine, Super wine?) biscuit advert from the 70's I was quoting.... some 40+ years later (I think it was the door mouse in a Alice in Wonderland skit... of course to me everything was made in NZ back then...)

[@quickcrewvideos]

@@TheButlerNZ I was lucky enough to work on a whole lot of them. Very lucky. Have you seen the collections at NZ On Screen?

[@stevethomas2850]

who was the actor that played Dear John

[@TheButlerNZ]

Greg Bepper: John Gus Mercurio: Sergeant Jacqui Fitzgerald: Singer Tony Williams: Director, Producer (Also did the Toyota "Bugger" 1999 and "The Great Crunchie Train Robbery" Adverts. 1975

[@stevethomas2850]

@@TheButlerNZ Thank you

[@dontcallmeindymorning]

Good on 'em, for trying to keep this "sheila" possession amongst family and friends. They'd fit in well around the Central King Country with this attitude. I've known of quite a few Kiwis (including a famous NZ rugby player) who FULLY promoted this ownership concept. 😁😁😁😁😁

[@robertwoodroffe123]

Ten four ! Little buddy

[@kinijojicakau3647]

Does anyone know who sang that song So beautiful

[@TheButlerNZ]

Jacqui Fitzgerald. Was well known to most New Zealanders at the time, a session vocalist & successful recording artist, won Jazz Album of the Year 1985 with 'The Masquerade Is Over'.

[@kinijojicakau3647]

@@TheButlerNZ wow didn't thought anyone would know

[@TheButlerNZ]

@@kinijojicakau3647 Just got to ask Dr stupid (the interweb) the right question). q8)

[@kinijojicakau3647]

You must think I'm stupid

[@TheButlerNZ]

@@kinijojicakau3647 I was an IT tech for 20 mumble years... I found you can ask the interwebby the same question 60 different ways and only actually get right the answer once... I got good at IT by knowing how to ask the same thing so many different ways that eventually Google would give up it's secrets... Unfortunately nowadays no matter how you ask a question, google fills the results with "Buy this, here's a new one, watch this gamer comment on something". All the actual info sites are WAY down the search priority.

[@robertwoodroffe123]

Four Shirley

[@TheButlerNZ]

3 is not enough.. 5 would just be silly... so... Four!

[@billynugroho1962]

That is US Army in Vietnam ?

[@TheButlerNZ]

Roughly based on Karea/Vietnam/M*A*S*H Kiwi Actors in Wellington New Zealand.

[@robertwoodroffe123]

Not we’ll ton ! After the big Quake

[@TheButlerNZ]

Which big quake... We get up to a 3 almost every day... the last was a 3.1 in Martinbotough yesterday. You know your in Wellington when theres an earthquake and rather than jumping under the desks, people are casually discussing if it was a 4 or 5 on the scale...

[@robertwoodroffe123]

Basf

[@TheButlerNZ]

BASF - Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik : German for Baden Aniline and Soda Factory Those cassette tapes sure cured the meanest thirst...?