Friday’s ad is entitled Supper on the Sand, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #111 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a group is cooking hot dogs on the beach — a weenie roast — along with a cooler full of beer cans. One man has just shown up with a ukelele, so you know shit’s about to get real.
Thursday’s ad is entitled Friends From Across the Lake, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Haddon Sundblom. It’s #110 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a group of people are in the back of their lakeside cabin at night — but the women still in cocktail dresses — spinning vinyl, listening to music on their portable record player. One of the is waving to a woman down at the dock, apparently Friends From Across the Lake.”
Between 1951 and 1953, P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company, or simply Ballentine Beer, created a series of ads with at least thirteen different writers. They asked each one “How would you put a glass of Ballantine Ale into words?” Each author wrote a page that included reference to their beer, and in most cases not subtly. One of them was Ernest Hemingway, who wrote several memorable novels, such as the The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea.
Today is the birthday of Ernest Hemingway (July 17, 1899–July 2, 1961). He “was an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works. Additional works, including three novels, four short story collections, and three non-fiction works, were published posthumously. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature.” His Ballantine ad ran in 1952.
His piece for Ballantine was done in the form of a letter on fishing, written from Cuba:
Bob Benchley first introduced me to Ballantine Ale. It has been a good companion ever since.
You have to work hard to deserve to drink it. But I would rather have a bottle of Ballantine Ale than any other drink after fighting a really big fish.
We keep it iced in the bait box with chunks of ice packed around it. And you ought to taste it on a hot day when you have worked a big marlin fast because there were sharks after him.
You are tired all the way through. The fish is landed untouched by sharks and you have a bottle of Ballantine cold in your hand and drink it cool, light, and full-bodied, so it tastes good long after you have swallowed it. That’s the test of an ale with me: whether it tastes as good afterwards as when it’s going down. Ballantine does.
Wednesday’s ad is entitled Friends Over on the Fourth, and the illustration was done in 1955 by John Gannam. It’s #109 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a group sits in a back yard on the 4th of July watching the fireworks. And, of course, beer was being served, even during the fireworks themselves.
Tuesday’s ad is entitled Showing Off the New Power Mower, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Fred Siebel. It’s #108 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, suburban manly men stand in the yard, oohing and awing over a new power mower, that to 2016 eyes looks positively old-fashioned. Despite two out of three of them doing actual yard work, they all have beers in their hands, and one of the woman back at the house looks to be delivering a tray of more beer, which certainly seems like a good idea if he’s going to mow the lawn.
Monday’s ad is entitled Love at First Sight, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Haddon Sundblom. It’s #107 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, someone brought a basket full of puppies to a backyard party. I suspect the owner is now plying them with beer in the hopes that the guests will drink enough that they’ll take one of the puppies home with them.
Sunday’s ad is entitled Showing Off the New Kitchen, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #106 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, they almost look like they could be twin sisters. A woman is showing off her new kitchen to another woman, while their husbands ignore the kitchen, beers in hand, and look as if they’re talking about anything else. It’s weird to see the center island made of brick.
Between 1951 and 1953, P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company, or simply Ballentine Beer, created a series of ads with at least thirteen different writers. They asked each one “How would you put a glass of Ballantine Ale into words?” Each author wrote a page that included reference to their beer, and in most cases not subtly. One of them was Erle Stanley Gardner, whose most well-known character was Perry Mason.
Today is the birthday of Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1889–March 11, 1970). He “was an American lawyer and author. Though best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces, as well as a series of non-fiction books, mostly narrations of his travels through Baja California and other regions in Mexico.” His Ballantine ad ran in 1952.
His piece for Ballantine was done in the form of a Perry Mason script, written on his personal stationary from his home in Temecula, California:
If you are calling upon me to put a glass of Ballantine Ale into words, I’m inclined to retain Perry Mason to state the case for me:
Mr. Mason:- “We offer in evidence this green bottle containing an amber beverage, bearing the famous three-ring label.
“We propose to prove that the content of this bottle is accepted as the nation’s outstanding ale, from the standpoint of purity, body and flavor.
“In fact, your Honor, we contend that Ballantine Ale begins where other brews leave off! And the whole country knows it.”
- The District Attorney:
- “I object. How can you prove that the whole country knows it?”
- Mr. Mason:
- “That fact already has been proved, your Honor. Ballantine Ale is America’s largest-selling ale … outsells any other 4 to 1!
“And, if the Court please, may I suggest that the Court try a glass of Ballantine Ale? And when you do, may it please the Court!”
At this point, Mr. Mason and I rest our case.
This one is definitely one of the cheesier ones in the series. I’ll feature the rest on their respective authors’ birthdays throughout the year.
Saturday’s ad is entitled Indoor Barbecue, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Haddon Sundblom. It’s #105 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, maybe it’s raining outside. Because for some reason they decided to grill steaks on the fireplace. I guess if you drink enough beer it makes sense.
Friday’s ad is entitled Chess, and the illustration was done in 1955 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #104 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a couple is enjoying a couple of beers while playing chess. Based on body language, I think the woman has the upper hand in the game. She’s sitting back in her chair, relaxed, and smiling, while playing with her necklace. The man, by contrast, is sitting cloer to the table, head down, staring down at the game with an expressionless face. He’s going down.
