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Question of the Day | 11/17/2008 11:00 pm

What is the most memorable television commercial you ever saw?

© Shutterstock
Liz Smith

Liz Smith | 11/17/2008 11:00 pm

Liz Smith on What Ann Richards, Mario Cuomo Were Selling

The most memorable TV commercial I ever saw was of the former governor of Texas Ann Richards eating Doritos with former NY Gov. Mario Cuomo.  The money went to charity.

Click here on this text to read my New York Post column.

Joan Ganz Cooney

Joan Ganz Cooney | 11/17/2008 11:00 pm

Joan Ganz Cooney's Two Favorite Commercials

Some years ago, Taster’s Choice coffee ran a series of commercials on television that were a continuing story about a man and a woman falling in love. Many people I know followed the story and talked about it when together. As I recall, the series stopped rather abruptly and I never learned what happened to the couple but I also never forgot them. On radio, hands down; Bert and Harry Piel in the 1950s. Alas Piel’s beer was no good so sales shot up when the commercials started and then dropped like a stone.

Candice Bergen

Candice Bergen | 11/17/2008 11:00 pm

Candice Bergen's Favorite Commercial Is for Beer (Video)

I have no memory but my favorite recent commercial is for a beer. Maybe Anheuser-Busch? It is a sassy little piece about a (maybe it’s Budweiser!) draft horse and a Dalmatian dog and the horse is rejected for the lead position pulling the beer wagon and is very down. The Dalmatian puts him into a training schedule and it’s scored to the "Rocky" theme and the next time, our guy is chosen and it is definitely a Bud moment of triumph.

Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas | 11/17/2008 11:00 pm

Marlo Thomas's Picks for the Funniest and Meanest Commercials (Video)

Call me a sucker for goofy stuff, but I think those commercials with the E*Trade baby are a riot. I know, I know — putting grown-up voices in babies’ mouths is the oldest trick in the book. But that child is so damn cute — and the voice that comes out of his face is so PERFECT, I howl every time. Phil and I call each other to hurry in the room every time one comes on.


Watch an E*Trade Baby commercial below and laugh with Marlo:

The other one is the famous Lyndon Johnson ad that ran during the 1964 presidential campaign. It was the first famous attack ad, and it was supposed to scare voters into thinking that Johnson’s opponent, Barry Goldwater, was a dangerous man who would lead us into a world war. The commercial showed a little girl picking the petals off a flower and counting them, while, in the background, a voice counted down the launch of a nuclear missile. Then the screen dissolved into the image of a giant mushroom cloud. It was so horrifying that it only aired once on TV — too many people complained about it. But, the real irony is, people today would just shrug at that kind of ad. That’s how bad political advertising has become.

Watch the controversial Lyndon B. Johnson 1964 presidential campaign ad:

43 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Donnelle Koselka
The Staples back to school commercial that uses “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” as its soundtrack is one of my all-time favorites. The end shot of the dad sailing by on the shopping car makes me chuckle every time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPIIMbG9R4w Most of the ESPN “This is SportsCenter” ads crack me up as well.
By Donnelle Koselka on 11/18/2008 3:28 pm
a broadabroad
A ten-second spot for VW, from the Seventies. A triumph of minimalism and not a car in sight: Extreme close-up of two adorable white rabbits nestled together facing the camera. No music. After 2 seconds, an imposing voiceover: “In 1948, there were only two Volkswagens in the United States”. Fade out. I looked for it on YouTube but didn’t find it.
By a broadabroad on 11/18/2008 3:56 pm
Bonnie Oliver
Favorite or most memorable television commercials: The first one that came to mind was the “daisy commercial” but I only ever saw it during documentaries or news stories. However, some others that I recall with pleasure and humor and not shock are: 1) The Diet coke commercial with the fantastic guy. 2) Those Ross Department store ads with lots of wonderful looking guys. 3) The original Polaroid camera commercials with James Garner and Mariette Hartley who portrayed a married couple so well that viewers began to think they were married. 4) The Ronald Regan “morning in America” political ad. 5) Any and all of the Budweiser commercials with the clydesdale horses. 6) The original Jack-in-the-Box whopper commercials “hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us”. This was fun. Thank you wOw.
By Bonnie Oliver on 11/18/2008 3:57 pm
Delete This
Yeah…E-Trade…really funny. The LBJ ad? I’m a Democrat and glad he lost based on that ad alone. Despicable. Demo or GOP I do not like that kind of crap. Too bad, because he and Lady Bird did a lot of good….but c’est la vie. An ad like that deserves to lose.
By Delete This on 11/18/2008 5:10 pm
Judy Gosnell
I still laugh at the wonderful Tabasco ad which shows a mosquito sucking blood from a Tabasco-lovin’ guy, and then the mosquito flies off and explodes in the air….now that’s some “fire!” Very clever.
By Judy Gosnell on 11/18/2008 7:42 pm
Delete This
The hysterical (Swedish? Danish?) condom commercial that’s been viewed so much around the world gets my vote. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nojWJ6-XmeQ
By Delete This on 11/18/2008 8:03 pm
Saj Rising
Shake n Bake for chicken…..the little girl says in a southern accent…”.and I helped”
By Saj Rising on 11/18/2008 8:25 pm
central coast cabin home
Oh come on…the Kodak moments always made me cry!
By central coast cabin home on 11/18/2008 9:59 pm
Jo Vaughn
There have been times when the commercials were better than the show. I always get a kick out of the Aflac duck and the early Energizer bunny ones when you didn’t expect him to come wandering through. And I like the M&M commercials. Sometimes a commercial will send me into hysterical laughter and when it’s over, I can’t remember what the product was. Oh, and I loved the little blonde girl who did the grape juice adds. And then there are the commercials that irritate the life out of me…Mama get real kill is the #1 all time killer.
By Jo Vaughn on 11/18/2008 11:02 pm
Jan Allman
I always like those Hallmark Commericals, when the mom comes walking down the stairs and her son is standing there home from the service. Tears ya up everytime. Great
By Jan Allman on 11/19/2008 8:33 pm
Dubs Mate
The best commercials are those with children. There is one I remember from my childhood for Bayer aspirin and the thought still makes me smile. A little blonde haired boy knocks on a neighbors door and when the lady of the house answers the door he says with a definite lisp, “Can Susie come out and play?” She tells him no because Susie is sick. He says, “Oh, does she hurt and have a temperature?” If memory serves me, she tells him she gave Susie Bayer aspirin and he says, “Oh, that’s what my Mommy gives me.” Anyway, it is soooo sweet. Another one I love but can’t remember the product, Coke maybe, was a little boy running through the grass with about 10 puppies on his heels. He falls down and they crawl all over him, licking him and he is laughing so hard. Adorable. And, finally, a little boy on a Blue Cross Blue Shield commercial (Triton) which can still be see on You tube. So cute. I love kids.
By Dubs Mate on 11/20/2008 1:36 pm
Char Star
For a humorous commercial the most memorable is: the old lady who demanded, “Where’s the beef” in her hamburger. For a serious commercial, it’s the American Indian who looks at the land the white man stole from him, which Indians had respected, cared for, & felt a close bond with over many generations—& a tear slowly escapes from his eye at the pain of seeing how the white man ruined, disrespected, & polluted the land—he felt both the Earth’s pain & the shame & waste of how white men live. It made a very powerful impression on me that lasts to this day.
By Char Star on 11/23/2008 5:03 pm
Theresa K
The coffee commercial where the college son comes home at Christmas and the little sister and he make coffee and Mom comes down the stairs to spot him…makes me cry every time.
By Theresa K on 11/23/2008 7:38 pm