Saturday’s bonus ad is our final one for Falstaff, again from 1964. It’s the sixth, and last that I know of, in an odd series of ads featuring a gorilla that Falstaff did that year. This one shows the gorilla having just parachuted from, presumably, an airplane. For the look on his face, things didn’t go to well. Luckily, his smiling gal pal has a six-pack of Falstaff to soothe the savage breast.
Max LOL – what an ad series to promote a lousy beer … it’s still around in some places as one of the “generics” (a la Schlitz/Stroh’s/Schaefer/God knows how many other regional brands). Falstaff was the 1st beer to sponsor the Giants on radio (lasted 58-early 60’s), & was the beer most sold by the vendors in the stands in Seals’ Stadium.
Falstaff had some of the best TV ads from the same era; those featured a cartoon character called the “Old Pro”, who was always in some kind of predicament & finding crazy expletives (e.g., “Blast that fladderup”) until the falstaff appeared to relieve his stress. Those ran during many sports broadcasts (Fri nite fights, Sat CBS baseball Game of the Week; NFL games on CBS, & occasionally during a prime time show. Old Pro also was in a few PaperMate Pen ads from the late 50’s.
Same era, CA had the “Burgie Guy”, a meek & mellow cartoon character who was quite amusing pitching a sub-premium beer. When family moved to DC area late ’62, cartoon beer ad amusement came from National Boh (featuring crabs &/or orioles – they were a big sponsor of both the Senators & the O’s).
Were someone ever to come up with a video of all the classic cartoon beer ads (including the Hamm’s bear, which probably had the widest distribution back then – & was a beer my dad liked more than Falstaff/Burgie/Natty Boh), I’d buy it in a heartbeat (ditto for a “coffee table” book of print ads that had stuff like the Falstaff Gorilla series – for sure that one would also have a lot of old Guinness ads).