Wednesday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1954, during their minimalist period. They seem to be well ahead of the curve showing a variety of different cheeses, including a giant vat of cheese sauce. We all know how well cheese and beer pair together. Unfortunately, I’m not sure Miller High Life has enough flavor to stand up to most of those cheeses, especially the blue.
Tuesday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1961. While Ballantine may be one of the few American breweries in the 1960s making ales, this ad is for their Double LL, which was a “Light Lager.” You have to admit “Double LL” sounds better than light lager, even if it doesn’t quite make sense. Wouldn’t it just be “Double L” since “Double LL” would actually be “LLLL?” Either way, it’s “the ‘crisp’ refresher…”
Monday’s ad is for Carling Black Label, from 1948. The ad is in French for the Canadian market and boasts that Carling is Canada’s most popular lager. But there’s no translation for “Mabel, Black Label!” But I’m still not sure why they’re playing tic-tac-toe on the tablecloth.
Friday’s ad is for Narragansett, from 1961. After the tragedy in Boston and the swift capture/killing of the perpetrators last night and today, I thought an ad with the Red Sox was in order. This one shows Boston’s schedule for the 1961 season, and shows a cask of the Rhode Island beer emblazoned with the tagline “Straight from-the-Barrel Taste.” It’s hard to believe that was what they were going for in 1961, or that people would respond to such a claim.
Thursday’s ad is for Molson, from 1957. Although I don’t speak (or read) French, I only know it says something along the lines of “Molson, a full table” thanks to Google translate, though I’m confident there’s some idiomatic translation that’s more poetic.
Wednesday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1947. Part of a series of ads Pabst did around that time, all showing an illustration inside of a big blue ribbon. This one shows a fisherman pulling out some cans of Pabst that he’d been cooling in the river while he fished.
Tuesday’s ad is for Blatz beer, from 1944. Trying to stay classy, the show their rather plain-looking beer bottle on a silver tray with a bouquet of flowers behind it. I”m not sure it works. According to the ad copy, Blatz is “Never sharp … never bitter … always mellow.”
Monday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from either the late 1950s or early sixties. It’s during the phase when all of Miller’s ads showed this Spartan, minimalist decor, like sets built by kids using Dad’s barn. Despite the weird looking South Pacific artwork, apparently it actually came from Carlebach Gallery in New York. But my favorite part of the ad is their characterization of California. “In colorful California … a land noted for its charm and gracious hospitality….” This is also one of the few ads I can remember seeing a half empty beer bottle; almost always it’s either full or empty.
Friday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1947. In the background the three Ballantine rings are being used to play horseshoes, while in the foreground a man who’s a dead ringer for Will Rogers in a bow tie is reaching out for a beer. The tagline, “I’ll take Ballantine Ale,” neatly works as both slogan and as a description of what’s going on in the ad.
Thursday’s ad is also for Budweiser, from 1956. Anheuser-Busch did a few of these ads, with a scene shown through a glass of beer. This one appears to be a musical rehearsal or party where the attendees are singing a lot. It uses the “Where there’s Life … there’s Budweiser” slogan that was popular in the Fifties, but I love the tagline at the bottom best of all. “Treat Yourself A Little Better….”
