Saturday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1900. In this ad, an impressively large woman sits on the Arctic circle of the Earth, hops and barley in her hair, opening the tap stuck into Milwaukee, Wisconsin and filling a bottle of beer almost as tall as the Earth itself. I can’t even imagine what size the fermenters would have to have been to brew that much beer just to fill that one bottle. No wonder they felt like they were on top of the world. That is pretty impressive.
Thursday’s holiday ad is for Schlitz, from 1953. A rosy-cheeked, happy-looking couple is sledding home with two six-packs of beer, which should definitely make for a happy holiday.
Saturday’s Halloween ad is for Schlitz, from 1949. Part of Schlitz’s “I Was Curious” series, each employing a three-panel structure, this one takes place at a Halloween party. A man dressed as a bear spots a table full or Schlitz beer and was apparently thirsty enough to get a beer, forcing him to reveal himself by removing his bear helmet/mask to drink the beer, at which point, the bunny behind the table removes her rabbit head to reveal a fetching blonde, and the two appear to make googly eyes at one another. Which should mean the ad will have a happy ending. But in the first panel, the bunny was holding on onto a tray while a pirate poured beers into glasses, and then briskly goes off to deliver the beers to other guests at the party. That might suggest that he’s one of the hosts of the party, and possibly the bunny’s husband or boyfriend. So maybe this ad is racier than you might think at first glance. Perhaps we’re seeing the start of an affair?
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1951. A suitor holds a ball of yarn on the sofa as his best girl as he eyes the tray of bottles of Schlitz on the end table. There’s also two glasses and an opener on the tray. But she’s watching his expression pretty carefully, too. This is a test.
Sunday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1934. It’s just after prohibition ended and Schlitz is definitely going classy. Apparently Schlitz is seen in “the smartest places” and is “served in well-ordered homes.” Not to mention what a big deal out of their brown bottles. But by far, my favorite line in the ad copy makes no sense whatsoever. “Flavor in Schlitz beer is like style in a Worth frock.”
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1935. The Great Chicago Fire took place on October 8, 1871, or today 144 years ago. In this Schlitz ad from two years after prohibition ended, it shows an illustration of the “Great Chicago Fire,” stating that even before that event in 1871, “Schlitz was making Milwaukee famous.”
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1968. This is at least the second ad I know about where Schlitz used the game Monopoly in one of their ads, which seems strange. I love how the card table really has nowhere to set down a beer glass without disrupting the game, not to mention how each of the four people is wearing a different couple, almost as if each of them was a playing piece, too. But best of all, the wife in green smirks as her husband in orange downs his glass of beer. The other man at the table, presumably the host, in red frowns with the knowledge that his wife in blue has just given him an errand to do, even though he’s already finished his beer, too. I predict they never finished this game.
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1963. This is from the “Real Gusto” series that Schlitz ran for a few years in the 1960s. This one featured, unusually, a ginger man, but it was this sentence in the ad copy that really caught my eye. “It’s brewed light (with just the kiss of the hops) yet it doesn’t hem and haw on flavor.” That’s an awesome turn of phrase. Next time I find a weak beer, it will definitely “hem and haw on flavor.”
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1950. This is from Schlitz’s long-running three-panel “I was curious” series. In this one, a deep sea diver is coaxed out of the water by dangling cans of Schlitz in his face. Once on dry land, he had a beer and a sandwich. I’m not sure if it was the sammy or the beer, but it put a smile on his face. I’m going with the beer.
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1951. A man, apparently just arrived home from work, has his eyes covered by his wife. His comfy chair is ready for him, with his pipe, slippers and a book within easy reach. On the table next to his chair sits a bottle of Schlitz and a full pilsner glass. Behind the beer sits three hat boxes from “Bonnie Hats.” The idea apparently is all of the comforts waiting for him will make the purchase of the hats less of a problem for her. It’s a very sexist ad, reinforcing gender stereotypes, but at the time the ad ran, these were likely considered quite normal, with few questioning them.
