Monday’s ad is for is by the U.S. Brewers Foundation, from 1959. Beginning during World War II, the USBIF began a series of positive ads under the name “Morale is a Lot of Little Things” followed by an unnumbered series of illustrated ads that were a precursor to the numbered “Home Life in America,” the crown jewel of ads which ran from 1945 to 1956, also known as the Beer Belongs series. But they didn’t end there, and for a short time afterward, beginning in 1956, several more similar ads were created but without the numbering or the “Home Life in America” association. Shortly thereafter, the ads continued to use thematic elements from the earlier ads, but they became more conventional, using photographs instead of art.
In this ad, another one entitled “Good For You,” two couples are out for an evening of bowling, which at the time was one of the most popular pastimes. In the 1950s, the highest rated sports television show was “Bowling For Dollars,” which seems crazy today. “What a great feeling to see all the pins go down…”