Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from the 1951. Showing a couple wearing near-matching outfits, and certainly the exact same apron, with the man having constructed a gadget to do as little work as possible while the meat on the grill cooks. Check out his socks, and the white bucks. They never quite explain what the “Something more than Beer” might be, but apparently it’s “The Companion of Contentment.”
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from the 1955. It’s one of their “Know the real joy of good living …” series of ads, shows a couple at the beach, though they don’t actually look anywhere near sand or a spot where they could get onto the water. All I see are high, rocky cliffs. Maybe that’s why, despite the towel around his neck, they’re both bone dry.
Friday’s ad is for Hampden Mild Ale, from the 1950s. Hamden Brewery was located in Massachusetts. I’m not sure that troubadour singing “Enjoy Yourself, Enjoy Yourself” from atop a beer barrel would make anyone want to drink their beer, but who knows. The tagline at the bottom is pretty interesting. “The First Truly Mild Ale in America.” I wonder who true that was?
Thursday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1950. It’s a funny little poem about Aladdin — though the illustration might be controversial today — where the bartender is the genie in the lamp.
Aladdin …
— was a lad in old Bagdad
He had a lot of luck
with a lamp he had
He rubbed that lamp—
a man came flyin’
and served him up some Ballantine.
You can steal Aladdin’s tricks
Lamp or no lamp this one clicks
Wednesday’s ad is another one for Schafer, this one from 1973. It shows just one grand glass of beer in a mug on a bed of ice, , with a can of Schafer beer next to it. Just like yesterday’s ad the foam looks just a little unnatural to me. Too perfect. And maybe this says more about me than the ad, but it seems a little phalic, or at least some sort of foam comb-over.
Tuesday’s ad is for Schafer, from 1970. It shows two grand glasses of beer in mugs on a Schaefer tray, although the foam looks just a little unnatural to me. Too perfect. And while I understnd the tagline “Every glass of Schaefer tastes the same,” I’m not as sure about the follow-up “that’s what makes it different.” That was pretty much he goal of every brewery.
Monday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1950. It’s one of Pabst’s “What’ll You Have” ads, but featuring a sports celebrity, George Mikan. In post-war America, Mikan was known as “Mr. Basketball” and was the Lakers’ center when they still played in a state with lots of lakes. He’s considered a pioneer of modern basketball, and retired as the all-time leading scorer. The NBA actually altered the rules of the game to reduce his dominance and he was directly responsible for the three-point line was and partially for the shot clock. And apparently he drank Pabst.
Friday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1952. It uses their popular “If you love beer … you’ll love Schlitz” mantra that graced so many of their ads. But this one seems slightly odder. For example, I don’t quite get the animated discussion that appears to be centering on that red hunting cap. But perhaps more interesting is the bottom left corner, where they’re attempting to teach consumers that brown bottles protect beer better. And I thought that was a new tactic.
Thursday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1963. The ad apparently is meant to look older, from the century before the Sixties. But the notion that “old-time flavor likes you best” strikes me as hilariously odd.
Wednesday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1955. Showing scenes of two groups playing golf, 100 years apart, the 100 Years In America they’re referring to vaguely tied to being “still the National Champion of Quality.” They also make the connection that golf courses are unchanged, and the beer is unchanged, over that same century. And that must be one really tiny pilsner glass, as it’s been filled to the top, but the bottle is still half full.
