Thursday’s ad is for Falstaff, some artwork that looks to be from the late 1940s (post-war) or 1950s. Presumably the actual ad had added copy and this is just the raw art.
Beer In Ads #327: George Sanders For Blatz
Wednesday’s ad is for Blatz Beer, and features Hollywood leading man George Sanders, whose most famous role was probably in All About Eve in 1950, though I know him for playing Simon Templar in the Saint series in the 1940s (I’m a huge fan of Leslie Charteris’ “The Saint” books, movies and TV shows). The funniest part of this ad is the headline: “I’ve been to Milwaukee, I ought to know … Blatz is Milwaukee’s Finest Beer!. Yeah, ’cause to visit a place is to know everything about it. I’m not exactly sure when the ads is from, though there’s a small “100” in the lower right-hand corner suggesting 1951, which would have been the Blatz Brewery‘s 100th anniversary, having been founded in 1851.
Beer In Ads #326: Budweiser, Say When
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1960, and it’s one of their “where’s there’s life … there’s Bud” series. This one shows a couple enjoying an evening on the floor. Cigarette hanging from his mouth, the man is pouring a bottle of Budweiser while his lady friend watches expectantly. Holding her hands on either side of the filling beer glass, her expression seems to be waiting to say “when.”
Beer In Ads #325: Schlitz, Cowboy Music
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1950, and is one of a series of three panels ads that Schlitz created through the 1940s and 50s using as captions for the panels, “I was curious …,” “I tasted it …,” “No wonder Schlitz is …” blah, blah, blah. This one shows a country musical group. The fiddle player/snger tries some Schlitz and then the whole band starts smiling and playing again.
Guinness Ad #58: This Little Piggy Went To Guinness
Our 58th Guinness ad shows a farmer and his pigs, with one in particular being significantly larger, presumably from drinking Guinness. After all, as the tagline reminds us, it’s “Guinness for strength.” Or it may be the man carrying the largest pig who is able to do so thanks to the strength-giving properties of Guinness.
Beer In Ads #324: Boddington’s, The Cream Of Manchester
Friday’s ad is rather newer one, from 1996, is for Boddington’s, whose nickname — at least in ads — was “The Cream of Manchester.” It was a very popular imported brand for a time, though almost exclusively in the 16 oz. can. I always thought the ads with the ice cream scoop were a clever way to communicate the idea of its creaminess.
Beer In Ads #323: Worthington’s At The Jolly Angler
Today’s ad, from 1895, is a postcard for Worthington’s White Shield. A trio of boaters are having bottles of beer poured by the bartender from The Flying Angler. It’s a pretty idyllic setting.
Beer In Ads #322: Bud Sailing
Today’s ad, from 1949, is for Budweiser and shows two couples out for a day of sailing, and drinking Budweiser in the process — which strikes me as not the best way to sail, especially the way that boat is listing. “Don’t drink and sail.”
Beer In Ads #321: Bud Man
Today in 1969, Budweiser’s cartoon spokesman “BudMan” debuted. Though it was most popular throughout the Seventies, it’s still being used today. For a time, A-B produced different stickers, with new ones every year. So here are a few examples of Bud Man sticker ads over the years.
Beer In Ads #320: Little Kings Mini Rocket Car
Today in 1997, the Boston Beer Co. took possession of the Hudephol-Schoenling Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of their most well-known brands was Little Kings Cream Ale, so I found an ad for Little Kings from the early 1980s for Monday’s ad. It shows a scary-looking costumed Little King “introducing … The Little Kings Mini Rocket Car.” It was based on a real rocket car that the brewery sponsored, driven by Larry Nagel. Nagel has some nice reminiscing about the rocket car and even the brewery’s involvement in his Flickr gallery. Here’s his commentary for this ad:
Little Kings cream ale brewery sponsored my rocket car. Here is a picture of the promotional go kart, a mini replica of my rocket car they had built. Little Kings was a family owned brewery based in Cincinnati, OH and treated me like part of the family. Every year in Champaign, IL, a college town, they have Little Kings day. The bars open at 6am and people would belly up to the bar and have a bowl of cheerios with Little Kings instead of milk. I had the Pocket Rocket outside on display and when I went inside the bar, sitting there with all the kids eating his cereal drowned in beer, was Bill Schoenling, owner of Schoenling Brewing. I had a whole new respect for this man. Talk about staying in touch with your demographic.
