TV Dialing 1970s Commercials #3: Reflections of what we watched, what we bought and what we thought

[@bridgetmccracken1381]

That put a smile on this old weary face, THANK YOU!! 😊

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Bridget.

[@davidrosler5413]

8-tracks! $1,915.00 for a new car? Wow, the sexism, LOL - you can forget! Duncan yoyos - I had the Imperial! Personally, I think the ads from the 1960's were more fun, but this is an amazing way back machine, Fred. Thank you and well done!

[@FredFlix]

Don't worry, David, the '60s are coming, along with the '50s and even the '80s.

[@davidrosler5413]

@@FredFlix love the idea! Thank you!

[@garywright7826]

I remember all of them ! The last one with Robert Conrad was my favorite .

[@tigre7739]

Awesome Fred, so many great ones! What a time that was. Robert Conrad was always one of my favorite actors.

[@FredFlix]

Mine too, tigre.

[@frankwafer6919]

Thank you for all the memories of yesteryear!😮💯🤍💫👍!

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Frank.

[@watershed44]

@FredFlix *Thanks for the memories, this was my childhood! Sure there were problems in the 1970s, technology was where it belonged, in the background, but life was pretty good for many, and people just seemed to be more relaxed, positive, and outgoing too.* Fred is my time machine!

[@FredFlix]

All aboard, watershed.

[@watershed44]

@@FredFlix⏰🔄📺🥸🤓🧐😁😀

[@sparklecanada0112]

The 70's rocked life💕💕👌🏼😎

[@watershed44]

@@sparklecanada0112 They sure did! I remember watching the early years of SCTV made in the mid 1970s, here in the USA during the early 1980s, that was one hilarious show especially things like Theatre North America. I never laughed so hard, Canadian humour is a blast and far better than SNL.

[@Daviticus042]

Without technology FredFlix wouldn't exist.

[@ChantelleBrown-fb7gy]

I am so thankful for you Fred! I hope you know you are very dear for bringing back better days!!!❤

[@gregggoss2210]

Jeez Fleetwood Mac, Steve Miller, Little River Band. What a show that would have been. RIP Robbie from the Band and now Mr. Margaritaville himself Jimmy Buffet. They're dropping like flies Fred.

[@FredFlix]

While our guitars gently weep, Gregg.

[@sparklecanada0112]

😔💔☹🤝🏻

[@jedgar63]

Lindsey Buckingham replaced Bob Welch, featured as special guest in the concert, as guitarist for Fleetwood Mac.

[@robertscott2210]

Ah, those were the days. Some great memories in this one Fred. 👍 The second car I ever drove was a '72 Dodge Polara. That big block could pass anything on the road but a gas station lol. I think it got about 3 gallons to the mile. 😁 Good times 👍

[@FredFlix]

That they were, Robert.

[@pickfairguy]

Agreed. Got one after I wrecked my Opel Kadette. Like transitioning from a Curtiss Jenny to an F4 Phantom in terms of both performance and fuel cost. As others have said: Good times. 😅

[@merce10554]

Funny how many car models had animal names: cricket, rabbit, gremlin... well, sort of. 🤭 That Duncan Butterfly yo-yo I had back in the early 60s. My favorite NBA Game of the week theme song was the one from 1971/73 seasons with the twangy guitar. And I could go on and on. Great series, Fred. 💜🤟

[@FredFlix]

Working on '50s, '60s and even the '80s, Mercedes.

[@merce10554]

​@@FredFlixSo grateful for that. ☺️💜🤟

[@sparklecanada0112]

Mustang...Pony...Impala...etc...😁

[@Portugal2025]

Also Mercury Cougar. Of course the Jaguar was its own make

[@Red-rl1xx]

Yep! Remember Robert Conrad in the battery commercials, too!

[@FIREBRAND38]

Another terrific job assembling this video.

[@FredFlix]

Glad you enjoyed it, Firebrand.

[@Red-rl1xx]

I'm gonna get me one of those 8-tracks!

[@Red-rl1xx]

I remember our bicycles in the '70's. One was purple metalflake with a purple and white seat and a tall sissybar and a drag slick tire on the back. My brother had a "Spirit of '76" bike that was red, white and blue.

[@ThisSideGlassbottle651]

I put a drag slick in the front and my friends and me raced our bikes LOL

[@sparklecanada0112]

Banana Seats and Clickers on the spokes😁😎👍👍 With baskets and bells and streamers...Those bikes were decked out!😉😂😂

[@ThisSideGlassbottle651]

We were wreckless when this was the Evel Knievel Days no baskets LOL@@sparklecanada0112

[@banjo1241]

Wow! Thanks Fred!

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Banjo.

[@TerriDavisCTV]

Fantastic. I'm mesmerized.

[@Red-rl1xx]

I remember those Kodak cameras with the instant pictures.

[@dougmorris9317]

Fred, you are my main man! I loved the Cher & SNL promos, but that yo-yo commercial was THE BEST, omigod that took me back! Sorry for the delay in commenting but I wanted to watch these on my tv while having dinner--I just wish I had a Quasar! THANKS FRED! 😊👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Doug. I gave a kid a yo-yo for his 7th birthday in 2018. He didn't know what it was!

[@dougmorris9317]

@@FredFlix Hahaha! Good Lord!

[@terawattyear]

Fun stuff Fred. I have been watching some of your older uploads too. All of it makes me want to go back in time.

[@FredFlix]

Thanks, terawattyear.

[@B81Mack]

Great clips, hard to believe how many years have gone by.

[@B81Mack]

How depressing, Sears only has something like 11 stores left today.

[@JasperDale]

Thanks so much for posting me. I had some seizures and this is brought me back to my childhood. It is opening up memories i've forgotten. Thank you so much It is a true blessing.

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Jasper.

[@claycarpenter8625]

Love this so many channels show the classic commercials but I like the ones I havent seen before or dont remember. Some are only shown in certain markets

[@FredFlix]

I'm glad you liked it, Clay. I tried to pick commercials that were less common than the "classic" ones that are always shown, with good jingles that perhaps aren't as well remembered. I have many more volumes of not only '7s ads but also '50s, '60s and '80s that I will post i the next few months.

[@jehobden]

Thanks again, Fred! 5:56 - This is from Buck Henry's SNL hosting in Oct. 1976 from NBC studios in Brooklyn, since NBC was preparing to use Studio 8-H at Rockefeller Center for Election 1976 coverage in November. John Belushi put a gash in Buck Henry's forehead with that sword, ouch! 7:03 - When he wasn't "settling Alice's hash" or trying to fix clogged drains... :) 8:58 - I don't think Kodak cut much into Polaroid's instant camera sales, even with Dick Van Dyke in its commercials. 13:07 - Johnny Carson & Tim Conway had funny takeoffs on this classic Eveready Battery commercial featuring tough-guy Robert Conrad.

[@FredFlix]

Thanks, Jon!

[@jedgar63]

7:03 Or proving the voice for dozens of cartoon character, including Magilla Gorilla.

[@marathonfortruth4768]

I don't remember any of these. The Fleetwood Mac tour bit was cool. Love these Fred!

[@FredFlix]

Many more coming, M4T.

[@TenNoZeorymer72]

I miss my '76 Gremlin, which was my first car. Built like a little tank, had enough get up and go to survive southern California interstates and didn't have the Pacer back end!!! 😉

[@emilysantoyo918]

A lot of great groovy 70s commercials Fred.

[@brendajeanproffitt6919]

❤❤❤❤this Fred don't see these anymore thank you for everything

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, friend Brenda.

[@brendajeanproffitt6919]

@@FredFlix Thank you my friend I just hope your weekend is going good for all of you

[@Daviticus042]

0:00 "Coke brings your ancestors back from the dead."😉 2:31 Penguins love Fleetwood Mac. They think they're real cool.🐧🥁🤪 7:04 He wants her to freeze to death so he can collect the insurance money!😜 11:40 They used to advertise yo-yos on TV. Awesome.😊

[@Ij-jan]

I almost missed this one! Thank you as always

[@FredFlix]

Glad you found it, l j.

[@ernestcruz6316]

Who was making decisions at the auto manufacturers back in the '70s? They went from fast animals and vicious predators like Cougar, Mustang and Impala to... Rabbit and Cricket. What the hell happened, Fred? (sigh) Oh well, such is progress. Nice collection though. I know I've said it before, and here it is again: you're the man, FredFlix!

[@FawleyJude]

I don't know who was the more threatening, Robert Conrad or that guy on the TWA ad. That Bell system ad encouraging you to dial long distance yourself--when I tell younger people that you used to have to use an operator to make a long-distance call, they can't believe it. That Chrysler Cricket looked like a Datsun or Toyota, but it was made in the UK, with all the mechanical reliability UK cars were (not) known for.

[@watershed44]

It shows you how far we've come (I think in a bad way) with our culture. Back then a forceful delivery was supposed to evoke confidence in people, I understood that as a child back then, and it didn't appear aggressively threatening to me at all. Today what do we have? A lot of men appearing very weak and indecisive in modern TV advertisements, if not weak, bumbling, soft, or just plain stupid. I hate modern ads. The Cricket was a slightly modified Hillman Avenger with a very advanced four link suspension, and it handled and rode very well for the money way ahead of its time. But like you said the reliability was not good mainly because of all the strikes that affected the ability to build and deliver the car in a timely manner to get the quality up to par.

[@DigbyOdel-et3xx]

Robert Conrad at the time of the battery commercial was at the height nog coolness, a real man's man. He starred as Greg 'Pappy' Boyington in the tv series Baa Baa Black sheep. As a kid, an aviation fan he rocked.

[@wildforthecats661]

He will always be James T West to me.

[@Red-rl1xx]

I used to have that Fleetwood Mac album.

[@douglaslawlor622]

I also remember us having an under the dash mounted 8 track player mounted in my mother's 76 Oldsmobile Omega. You couldn't kill those 250 straight six engines.

[@jasonbrabazon4723]

C'mon . . . Beat this nostalgia. I DARE ya

[@FredFlix]

Nice, Jason!

[@tintindb]

Think I had the Duncan butterfly. Mine was orange with a battery inside. It would light up in the dark. Thanks!

[@sirdarklust]

Thanks. I remember Capone. Ben Gazara did the best Capone ever. Also, I saw that episode of SNL when it debuted. It was a great one. Take care.

[@FredFlix]

You too, sirdarklust.

[@fylarcrockley1107]

wow MINT

[@OofusTwillip]

1:30 - Woolworth's - voiceover by Billie Mae Richards, the voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

[@douglaslawlor622]

I certainly don't miss long distance calling. I remember making a call back in the early 80s for around $20 Canadian an hour.

[@sparklecanada0112]

I still drink Fresca😁😂😋 I loved Tab too(Not Sorry). Those were the days and life was sweeter(even without diet drinks lol😉🤣🤣).

[@dr.hookyeah2883]

I was born in 1970 and I have three older sisters. Initially, I really thought that Sergeant peppers was an album with Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees. I had no idea about the Beatles album.

[@eringo-bragh4243]

Does anyone else remember replacing vacuum tubes in their TVs?

[@sandrastreifel6452]

Yes, we would use the tube tester machine, at the corner store, to check if that tube needed to be replaced, and they sold many!

[@Stacey7742]

I’m so glad long distance phone calls are a thing of the past!

[@robertromero8692]

Not a good way to phrase it. Of course people still make long distance calls. They just don't have to pay toll charges.

[@gittes98]

Thanks Fred: Love the irony of picking two of the crappiest movies of the 70s, Capone and Sgt. Pepper to spotlight in this video. Now playing at a theater near you, oops, missed it.

[@FredFlix]

Didn't want to pick the standard Jaws,/Godfather/Star Wars stuff that everybody knows.

[@bradburks696]

Johnny Carson did a couple of takeoffs on Robert Conrads battery commercial on The Tonight Show. Of course that was after his time as James West On The Wild, Wild, West. The NBA on CBS was at a time when the Finals were taped delayed. Of course, TWA and Sears are long gone, but Stevie Nicks is still touring.

[@jeffreysantner3717]

A crappy 8 track from crappy Shack was originally $60? 50 years ago? I soooo want one!!!

[@eringo-bragh4243]

RIP Sears

[@thomaschristopher8593]

since the 70s and up to 10 years ago I found it interesting that a serviceable bike always costs about $65. I checked Amazon and it looks like now you need to add about $50.

[@luisreyes1963]

I think Ben Gazzara does a better job in portraying Al Capone than Jason Robards, but Robert De Niro trumps them both. Thanks for the memories, FredFlix. 📺

[@FredFlix]

You're welcome, Luis.

[@eringo-bragh4243]

When Radio Shack was King

[@wheeler71]

👍📺 nice

[@FredFlix]

Thanks, Lance.

[@dflf]

Woolworths must've been like KMart in some parts of the US

[@ThisSideGlassbottle651]

They dont make TV like in the old days

[@rolfsinkgraven]

1915 bucks for a car, the darn thing costs a lot more now lol.

[@robertromero8692]

That Noxzema commercial is a classic, Fred! Today's wokeocracy would never allow such a thing, or the Fresca commericial.

[@FredFlix]

Nope!

[@sandrastreifel6452]

Nobody’s stopping you treating women as objects, Robert. There’s no “wokeocracy” conspiracy, but we didn’t want to be just sex objects then, or now.

[@robertromero8692]

@@sandrastreifel6452 You just proved my point. People like you would come down on someone like a ton of bricks for making a commercial like that, and you know it.

[@sandrastreifel6452]

@@robertromero8692 I would have done the same in 1972. You have Constitutional Freedom of Expression, but not freedom from criticism. No one is censoring you, but advertisers want customers to buy their products, not just Robert.

[@robertromero8692]

@@sandrastreifel6452 The wokeocracy does more than "criticize". It would demand the firing of all who authorized such a commercial. So much for "Constitutional Freedom of Expression".

[@davidbradshaw9965]

1:26

[@michaelfisher7170]

30 dollar 8 track player?! Sign me up! BUT...a new car no matter how odd priced at 2798 dollars? Oh come ON. That never happened.

[@fylarcrockley1107]

stephen collins?

[@fylarcrockley1107]

nope

[@michaelpohas2608]

Kodak was sued by Polaroid for patent infringement

[@MMAfighter38113]

Sam the butcher @ 7:08??

[@ranger1411]

My Granddaughter think it was funny.

[@davidbradshaw9965]

Is that Kevin Nealon from SNL in the Sears commercial?

[@watershed44]

It does look like him , he would have only been in his late teens when the Sears ad was made though in 1976?

[@davidbradshaw9965]

Good point.@@watershed44

[@davidbradshaw9965]

Kevin Nealon was born 1953. So that might have made him about 23 when the commercial was made? @@watershed44

[@Red-rl1xx]

Kinda looks like him, but no.

[@FredFlix]

Not him.