Friday’s ad is for the malt liquor Colt 45, from 1970. This was at the height of the space race, the year following landing on the moon, so turning the can of malt liquor into a rocket was marketing genius. What’s the only thing better than a six-pack of Colt 45? Why two, of course. Very subtle. Associating the kick of a rocket with the kick of increased alcohol? Genius. “Take Off Time” indeed. “All Systems Are ‘Go'” to get drunk.
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1941. This ad was presumably from the months before America entered World War 2, when life was still relatively normal. A time when the “thoughtful wife” has Schlitz waiting for her husband when he arrived home from “a day’s hard work.” For some reason she left the icebox door wide open, letting all the cold air out and warming up the beer, not to mention all of the food in there.
Wednesday’s ad is for Olympia, from the 1950s. I suspect this was originally a billboard ad, and it’s surprisingly colorful. A Stubby bottle of Olympia sits next to a full pilsner glass on a table in front of a grand piano. What is that box on the table to the right of the beer? Tissues, cigars or something else?
Tuesday’s ad is for Italy’s Peroni, from 1976. The headline, “chiamami Peroni sarò la tua birra, translates roughly to “call me Peroni I’ll be your beer” or possibly “call me, Peroni’ll be your beer.” And in the ad copy there’s “sono la birra pùr bevuta la Italia,” which is something along the lines of “drinking the beer while in Italy,” and finally “Lo sapevi,” meaning “did you know?” What makes this ad stand out is how exactly is she holding up that beer mug in her hand with all five of her fingers spread wide? Either she just let go and the photographer snapped the picture before it smashed to the floor, or that’s one slick magic trick.
Monday’s ad is yet another one for Falstaff, also from the late 1950s. This is the fourth Falstaff ad I’ve come across equating manliness with beer, and in particular sports. While the last ones were for golf, baseball and bronco riding, while this one celebrates surfing as its “Man Size Pleasure.” Like yesterday’s ad, this one was also a doubletruck ad, that is a two-page ad, showing off the man surfing quite impressively.
Sunday’s ad is still another one for Falstaff, also from the late 1950s. This is the third Falstaff ad I’ve come across equating manliness with beer, and in particular sports. While the last ones were for golf and baseball, while this one celebrates the horsemanship of bronco riding as its “Man Size Pleasure.” Yesterday’s ad was also apparently a doubletruck ad, that is a two-page ad, but I only have half of it, but a reader who collects Falstaff breweriana tells me the other half “has a runner sliding into base.”
Saturday’s ad is yet another one for Falstaff, also from 1959. This is the second ad I’ve found equating manliness with beer, and in particular sports. While the last one was for golf, this ad touts baseball as its “Man Size Pleasure.” It’s got a “A taste to satisfy your biggest thirst … yet always light enough to leave room for more.”
Friday’s ad is for Falstaff, from 1967. This is such a simple ad, but I actually really like it. Just a full glass and then an empty one; I came, I thirsted. I wonder what that is in Latin? Veni Bibi? And I just love the tagline at the bottom. “Beer after beer — the choicest product of the brewer’s art.”
Thursday’s ad is for Guinness, from 1974, when the James Bond film Man With the Golden Gun was released, which was Roger Moore’s second film portraying the British spy. Today is the birthday of Bond’s creator, author Ian Fleming, and is also known as “James Bond Day.” The Guinness ad is essentially a modified version of the film’s poster, with a man holding a glass of beer in the foreground and round logos replacing the zeroes in 007. And yes, I know Guinness isn’t golden, but the alliteration was too funny not to use. Although apropos of nothing in particular, Guinness announced recently that they will be launching Guinness Golden Ale and last year made a Blonde American Lager.
Wednesday’s ad is for Falstaff, from 1954. The ad includes a great illustration of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean, who’s show relaxing with some beers and showing off his many trophies to a younger couple. AT this point in his career, he’d been retired for years and had been inducted into the baseball hall of fame the previous year.
