When I was a kid, my family visited Springfield, Illinois. We visited Lincoln's old house and other sites. At a souvenir shop, I bought a facsimile newspaper from the day of the assassination. There, in tiny columns of type, you could read all the telegraphic communications that conveyed information in bits and pieces to all corners of the nation: The President has been shot. His condition is grave. Abraham Lincoln is dead.
Then I turned the page and there was a full-page ad: Are you CONSTIPATED?
The heck of it is, quality appliances area godsend for a stay-at-home spouse. Even in a two-income household, whichever person typically does a particular chore is going to appreciate a gift that makes that chore quicker or easier. Heaven knows, though I cook out of necessity rather than love, I am enamored with some of the good cookware my wife and I got for our wedding.
But that's not what this is about, not really. It's about the assumption that it's going to be the wife who stays at home to do all the cooking and cleaning. And that assumption is sexist and unfair... and probably true at the time. So as bad as some of these ads may seem today, it seems to me they weren't as awful back when they actually ran.
Except the Midol one. Even then that had to have been seen as sexist, right?
Not sure what year that Tipalet ad is from, but that may actually be a reference to Laugh-In. That show had a number of random catchphrases that became popular for a little while, and one of them was "Blow in my ear, and I'll follow you anywhere."
The style may be different, but the substance is essentially the same. In most of today's ads the woman is still shown doing housework such as cleaning the bathroom or doing laundry. And if a male is seen doing anything domestic they're usually depicted as well meaning, but totally incompetent. Meanwhile, men are usually seen doing "guy" stuff like mowing the lawn, painting the house or changing the oil in the car. Speaking of laundry, there's the advertising theory that products aimed at women have circles or round shapes on their packaging. "Tide" for example. Men's products tend to have more angular shapes on them. "Just for Men" hair dye has squares and rectangles on the box. These aren't absolutes, but they're still predominant. I guess things really haven't changed that much since the olden days.
I love vintage advertisements. And I don't look at them through today's "standards". I see them as a product of their time.
Mike Bloodworth, I see current advertisements in a much different light. If an ad contains a man and a woman, the woman has all the answers and the man is the dolt. Is this progress?
Here's something you'll like, Ken. A former Trump aide says he believes Trump will drop out of the 2020 election because he wouldn't be able to cope with defeat. Looking at the poll numbers, he'll drop out instead of going through the humiliation of losing.
The key to this is whether Mr. Trump is still around a year from now - when it's time for the debates. Does anybody believe that any of the Democrats in the race right now will let Mr. Trump get away with that "Incredible Hulk" crap that he pulled on Hillary Clinton? Any of them? Sen. Warren? Sen. Harris? Mayor Pete? Bernie? Joe? The first two named here wouldn't stand for pseudo-macho horsepuckey like that for a second. The guys - maybe they'd be a touch more polite about it all … Academic, though; Mr. Trump will likely be a no-show at any debate - because he simply lacks the guts. He does have a gut - a very fat gut, located directly in front of his very fat butt, beneath his silly fat face. But deep down, even he has to know that both of the women front-runners here - and also the others in the race - are, separately and together, far more articulate, mature, and intelligent than he is. It's not even a contest. So Mr. Trump will stand in front of Chopper One, throw his standard hissy-fit about how "You're All Against Me!"tm, stamp his widdle foot, and stalk off (care to give odds that he'll go in the correct direction?).
Shortly before the 2020 election, I will mark my 70th birthday. I am NOT looking forward to either of these events.
I think I'll start calling Mr. Trump names after all. I kinda like "Mar-A-Lago Fats" …
Mike, unless I'm mistaken, isn't it compulsory for presidential candidates, especially the incumbent president, to participate in election debates? I don't think Trump could get away with that.
If Anthony Scaramucci is correct in his prediction, it'll be interesting to see how Trump would spin withdrawing from the election. My guess is it would be something along the lines of "I've done more in four years than any other president in history. I've made America great again, but the attacks from the Democrats and the biased news media have upset my son Baron. My family comes first and so for his sake I am reluctantly withdrawing my candidacy for the election."
Ken, You might find this interesting. "The Eleven Laws of Showrunning" by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of_showrunning_nice_version.pdf
Covarr: It doesn't matter who does the chore, it's a shared responsibility and it's *work*. A washing machine or microwave oven is *not* a gift. It's an investment in shared infrastructure.
I recognize several of these ads from the issue of Life which followed the assassination of JFK. Late November of 1963, hence the Christmas aspect of some.
We've only been having Presidential debates since 1960 (Nixon-Kennedy). Even then, Nixon-Kennedy was a one-off; the next three Presidential races were debate-free. It wasn't until 1976 that Jimmy Carter debated Gerald Ford. Come 1980, Carter refused to debate Ronald Reagan if John Anderson were allowed in; this led to Reagan vs. Anderson in one debate, followed by the cancellation of the second on (and a VP debate between GHWBush and Mondale), and Carter coming back to take on Reagan, minus Anderson. Debates only became regular in 1984 - and they have never been compulsory. It's more a matter of "being a good sport" - or something like that.
This is why I believe that Mr. Trump will do whatever he has to in order to avoid an ad-lib debate with any of the available Democrats. - Not to mention any moderators who, if they remember his antics from '16, will be far less likely to put up with his hemorrhoidal debating style. That's what I hope for, anyway.
@Janet: Paramount/CBS apparently cannot be bothered to acknowledge that ALMOST PERFECT even exists, much less to make it available on DVD or via streaming. It doesn't even appear in their Syndication Bible, though practically everything else they own does, dating back to OUR MISS BROOKS.
Paramount is, though, making LIFE WITH LUCY available on DVD in October. LIFE WITH LUCY, for those unfamiliar with it, was a late-career blot on the television career of the legendary Lucille Ball. It had a brief run in the fall of 1986. All twelve completed episodes will be on the DVD. Fans of quality television will appreciate the irony that LIFE WITH LUCY will be available everywhere in the country while ALMOST PERFECT gathers dust in the company's vaults, will apparently about as much chance of ever being seen again as AMOS 'N' ANDY.
@Mike Doran: Fats Domino was a standout genius at what he did. Minnesota Fats was a standout genius at what he did. Trump? Nominal determinism. A fat old white fart. No reason to worry about an insulting name. Just go out in 2020 and make sure to Make America Great Again. You know ... a Great America not led by a fart.
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I guess it's not for nothin' that, in 2013, Burr Tillstrom was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I go on gay cruises entirely for the hand puppets.
ReplyDeleteHow about those triangular windows in cars to flick cigarettes out of?
ReplyDeleteNo, that's not Him in the Dr. Miles ad. That ad is an amazing misreading of the Gospel. At least that's my gut reaction.
ReplyDeleteThe ads seem like ones I would make up to parody and idea of old advertising
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, my family visited Springfield, Illinois. We visited Lincoln's old house and other sites. At a souvenir shop, I bought a facsimile newspaper from the day of the assassination. There, in tiny columns of type, you could read all the telegraphic communications that conveyed information in bits and pieces to all corners of the nation: The President has been shot. His condition is grave. Abraham Lincoln is dead.
ReplyDeleteThen I turned the page and there was a full-page ad: Are you CONSTIPATED?
Aren't some of these current Republican campaign posters?
ReplyDeleteThe heck of it is, quality appliances area godsend for a stay-at-home spouse. Even in a two-income household, whichever person typically does a particular chore is going to appreciate a gift that makes that chore quicker or easier. Heaven knows, though I cook out of necessity rather than love, I am enamored with some of the good cookware my wife and I got for our wedding.
ReplyDeleteBut that's not what this is about, not really. It's about the assumption that it's going to be the wife who stays at home to do all the cooking and cleaning. And that assumption is sexist and unfair... and probably true at the time. So as bad as some of these ads may seem today, it seems to me they weren't as awful back when they actually ran.
Except the Midol one. Even then that had to have been seen as sexist, right?
...Right?
It looks like Charles Nelson Reilly is enjoying watching the puppet show.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what year that Tipalet ad is from, but that may actually be a reference to Laugh-In. That show had a number of random catchphrases that became popular for a little while, and one of them was "Blow in my ear, and I'll follow you anywhere."
ReplyDeleteThe style may be different, but the substance is essentially the same. In most of today's ads the woman is still shown doing housework such as cleaning the bathroom or doing laundry. And if a male is seen doing anything domestic they're usually depicted as well meaning, but totally incompetent. Meanwhile, men are usually seen doing "guy" stuff like mowing the lawn, painting the house or changing the oil in the car.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of laundry, there's the advertising theory that products aimed at women have circles or round shapes on their packaging. "Tide" for example. Men's products tend to have more angular shapes on them. "Just for Men" hair dye has squares and rectangles on the box.
These aren't absolutes, but they're still predominant.
I guess things really haven't changed that much since the olden days.
BTW, Watch the blasphemy, Ken!
M.B.
P.S. Maybe it's time to bring back "Josephine the Plumber."
ReplyDeleteM.B.
I love vintage advertisements. And I don't look at them through today's "standards". I see them as a product of their time.
ReplyDeleteMike Bloodworth, I see current advertisements in a much different light. If an ad contains a man and a woman, the woman has all the answers and the man is the dolt. Is this progress?
Here's something you'll like, Ken. A former Trump aide says he believes Trump will drop out of the 2020 election because he wouldn't be able to cope with defeat. Looking at the poll numbers, he'll drop out instead of going through the humiliation of losing.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-2020-reelection-drop-out-withdraw-anthony-scaramucci-a9063621.html
"I guess it's not for nothin' that, in 2013, Burr Tillstrom was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame."
ReplyDeleteIn "Kukla, Fran, and Ollie"- Fran was the beard
Hello, Peter:
ReplyDeleteThe key to this is whether Mr. Trump is still around a year from now - when it's time for the debates.
Does anybody believe that any of the Democrats in the race right now will let Mr. Trump get away with that "Incredible Hulk" crap that he pulled on Hillary Clinton?
Any of them?
Sen. Warren?
Sen. Harris?
Mayor Pete?
Bernie?
Joe?
The first two named here wouldn't stand for pseudo-macho horsepuckey like that for a second.
The guys - maybe they'd be a touch more polite about it all …
Academic, though; Mr. Trump will likely be a no-show at any debate - because he simply lacks the guts.
He does have a gut - a very fat gut, located directly in front of his very fat butt, beneath his silly fat face.
But deep down, even he has to know that both of the women front-runners here - and also the others in the race - are, separately and together, far more articulate, mature, and intelligent than he is.
It's not even a contest.
So Mr. Trump will stand in front of Chopper One, throw his standard hissy-fit about how "You're All Against Me!"tm, stamp his widdle foot, and stalk off (care to give odds that he'll go in the correct direction?).
Shortly before the 2020 election, I will mark my 70th birthday.
I am NOT looking forward to either of these events.
I think I'll start calling Mr. Trump names after all.
I kinda like "Mar-A-Lago Fats" …
Mike, unless I'm mistaken, isn't it compulsory for presidential candidates, especially the incumbent president, to participate in election debates? I don't think Trump could get away with that.
DeleteIf Anthony Scaramucci is correct in his prediction, it'll be interesting to see how Trump would spin withdrawing from the election. My guess is it would be something along the lines of "I've done more in four years than any other president in history. I've made America great again, but the attacks from the Democrats and the biased news media have upset my son Baron. My family comes first and so for his sake I am reluctantly withdrawing my candidacy for the election."
Ken, You might find this interesting. "The Eleven Laws of Showrunning" by Javier Grillo-Marxuach.
ReplyDeletehttp://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of_showrunning_nice_version.pdf
Covarr: It doesn't matter who does the chore, it's a shared responsibility and it's *work*. A washing machine or microwave oven is *not* a gift. It's an investment in shared infrastructure.
ReplyDeletewg
Hello
ReplyDeletedo you know when almost perfect will be available on dvd or online to view?
thanks
janet
The 1960s ended that stuff Ken, not pc culture or #metoo.
ReplyDeleteI recognize several of these ads from the issue of Life which followed the assassination of JFK. Late November of 1963, hence the Christmas aspect of some.
ReplyDeleteHello again, Peter:
ReplyDeleteWe've only been having Presidential debates since 1960 (Nixon-Kennedy).
Even then, Nixon-Kennedy was a one-off; the next three Presidential races were debate-free.
It wasn't until 1976 that Jimmy Carter debated Gerald Ford.
Come 1980, Carter refused to debate Ronald Reagan if John Anderson were allowed in; this led to Reagan vs. Anderson in one debate, followed by the cancellation of the second on (and a VP debate between GHWBush and Mondale), and Carter coming back to take on Reagan, minus Anderson.
Debates only became regular in 1984 - and they have never been compulsory.
It's more a matter of "being a good sport" - or something like that.
This is why I believe that Mr. Trump will do whatever he has to in order to avoid an ad-lib debate with any of the available Democrats.
- Not to mention any moderators who, if they remember his antics from '16, will be far less likely to put up with his hemorrhoidal debating style.
That's what I hope for, anyway.
Thanks for the info, Mike. I'd always assumed the debates are an entrenched part of the election process.
DeleteKen, is the cookies popup new, or have I only just noticed it?
ReplyDelete@Janet: Paramount/CBS apparently cannot be bothered to acknowledge that ALMOST PERFECT even exists, much less to make it available on DVD or via streaming. It doesn't even appear in their Syndication Bible, though practically everything else they own does, dating back to OUR MISS BROOKS.
ReplyDeleteParamount is, though, making LIFE WITH LUCY available on DVD in October. LIFE WITH LUCY, for those unfamiliar with it, was a late-career blot on the television career of the legendary Lucille Ball. It had a brief run in the fall of 1986. All twelve completed episodes will be on the DVD. Fans of quality television will appreciate the irony that LIFE WITH LUCY will be available everywhere in the country while ALMOST PERFECT gathers dust in the company's vaults, will apparently about as much chance of ever being seen again as AMOS 'N' ANDY.
@Mike Doran:
ReplyDeleteFats Domino was a standout genius at what he did.
Minnesota Fats was a standout genius at what he did.
Trump? Nominal determinism. A fat old white fart.
No reason to worry about an insulting name. Just go out in 2020 and make sure to Make America Great Again. You know ... a Great America not led by a fart.