RetroTube

The Beatles' First American Concert (March 1964)

2008-04-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

The Beatles' First American Concert (3/64)
Groovy trailer for the swingin' theatrical film of the Fab Four's U.S. debut in Washington, DC. Not from TV, but it's the real gone livin' end! You dig, chick? ("I dig, Chuck!")

Live Connection (1990)

2008-04-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Live Connection (1990)
Only five bucks a minute (probably more than twice that in 2008 dollars!) for "a soothing voice that cares and understands" -- about everything except your bank account!

It's Potty Time (1991)

2008-04-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's Potty Time (1991)
Instructional video in which a creepy clown potty-trains young kids. "Your children will enjoy this video and you will too! "

Western Union Candygram (1969)

2008-04-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

Western Union Candygram (1969)
Yet another invaluable service that's gone bye-bye in the age of the Internet.

Tiddy Bear Comfort Strap (2007)

2008-04-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

Tiddy Bear Comfort Strap (2007)
For those who haven't seen it, yes, this is a real commercial for a real product...and if you order now, you can get TWO Tiddy Bears for the price of one!

Mountain Dew (1970s)

2008-04-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

Mountain Dew (1970s)
You'll get that barefoot feelin' drinkin' Mountain Dew -- 'cause the caffeine will knock your socks off!

Twister (1966)

2008-04-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

Twister (1966)
The original spot for the game Milton Bradley's competitors decried as "sex in a box"!

Hasbro Super Soaker Oozinator (2006)

2008-04-02T20:30:00.002-05:00

Hasbro Super Soaker Oozinator (2006)
Yeah, everybody's seen it, but there's no way I'd not include it here; one can only guess at the twisted fantasies of the brainiacs who thought this was a good idea. "Major pumping required!"

Post Fruity Pebbles/Cocoa Pebbles (1977)

2008-04-01T01:37:00.002-05:00

Post Fruity Pebbles/Cocoa Pebbles (1977)
When Fred Flintstone spots a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, he turns into the FRUITY MONSTER!

The Voice of Vrillon (ITN 11/26/77)

2008-03-31T23:12:00.002-05:00

The Voice of Vrillon (ITN 11/26/77)
Like the perpetrator of the 1987 Max Headroom pirating incident (posted here on 4/19/07), whoever -- or whatever -- managed to pull this off was never caught. Audio only with on-screen transcript.

Cadbury Flake (UK, 1969)

2008-03-28T01:12:00.001-05:00

Cadbury Flake (UK, 1969)
UHHHHHHH...

Kellogg's All-Bran (2007)

2008-03-27T01:31:00.001-05:00

Kellogg's All-Bran (2007)
Uhhhhhh...

Pressman Witch Doctor Head Shrinkers Kit (late 1960s)

2008-03-26T23:21:00.002-05:00

Pressman Witch Doctor Head Shrinkers Kit (late 1960s)
"Now, shrunken heads for all occasions!"

Oasis Cigarettes (1950s)

2008-03-25T22:49:00.003-05:00

Oasis Cigarettes (1950s)
Full, rich tobacco pleasure...and they're waterproof, too!

American Motors (1967)

2008-03-24T22:20:00.002-05:00

American Motors (1967)
"Noah?" "Yes, Lord?" "I will soon create the greatest flood man has ever known, and so I want you to gather two of every animal in your 1967 AMC station wagon." "RIIIIIIIGHT!!!"

Esso "Extra" Gasoline (late 1930s)

2008-03-21T22:11:00.002-05:00

Esso "Extra" Gasoline (late 1930s)
This played in theaters when TV was still in its experimental stages. Betcha that face on the sign at the end didn't exactly cause audiences to react as intended...

Pepsi-Cola (early 1960s)

2008-03-20T18:52:00.003-05:00

Pepsi-Cola (early 1960s)
Vintage spot with a jingle that borrowed its melody liberally from "Makin' Whoopee", parodied 40 years later by Britney Spears in a Super Bowl commercial.

K-Mart (late 1970s)

2008-03-19T18:44:00.005-05:00

K-Mart (late 1970s)
HALLELUJAH! Blue light specials can HEAL ya! Can I hear an AMEN?

RCA Vista Color TV (early 1960s)

2008-03-18T17:13:00.005-05:00

RCA Vista Color TV (early 1960s)
GOSH! WOW! See what you've been missing, and what your children and your children's children will take for granted!

Pacific Gas & Electric (1950s)

2008-03-17T17:03:00.003-05:00

Pacific Gas & Electric (1950s)
Iconic character Reddy Kilowatt sings about how electricity powers everything in your home...in case you didn't know!

Coca-Cola (early 1960s)

2008-03-14T16:52:00.002-05:00

Coca-Cola (early 1960s)
The classic American folk standard "Things Go Better with Coke", as sung by Glenn Yarborough and the Limelighters.

The Rebus Game (1965)

2008-03-13T16:41:00.002-05:00

The Rebus Game (1965)
Promo for an ABC game show that, like NBC's Concentration, was based on rebus puzzles...but, unlike Concentration, lasted less than a year.

Freedom Rock (late 1980s)

2008-03-12T23:06:00.003-05:00

Freedom Rock (late 1980s)
Come on, people, now...smile on your brother...

Cheerios/V8 Juice (1960s)

2008-03-11T03:17:00.005-05:00

Cheerios/V8 Juice (1960s)
No, not in the same bowl, silly.

Kraft Caramels (1960s)

2008-03-10T03:03:00.004-05:00

Kraft Caramels (1960s)
Chew-chew-chew Kraft Caramels, kids, and get a sugar high that'll make you as out of control as a runaway freight train!

Alka-Seltzer (1960s)

2008-03-07T01:52:00.006-06:00

Alka-Seltzer (1960s)
A young Gene Wilder explains how Alka-Seltzer can help you beat the blahs.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (early 1970s)

2008-03-06T22:25:00.003-06:00

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (early 1970s)
You know an agency is producing a spot on the cheap when the background music is an orchestral arrangement of "Ten Little Indians".

Hershey's Instant (1970s)

2008-03-05T01:49:00.002-06:00

Hershey's Instant (1970s)
The cows are up in arms...because kids don't drink enough milk!

The Carpenters for Morton's Potato Chips (1971)

2008-03-04T01:09:00.002-06:00

The Carpenters for Morton's Potato Chips (1971)
We've only just begun to nosh!

Ralph Williams Bay Shore Chrysler-Plymouth (1970 outtake)

2008-03-03T15:06:00.010-06:00

Ralph Williams Bay Shore Chrysler-Plymouth (1970 outtake)
To celebrate RetroTube's return after a nine-month hiatus, here's the classic outtake from pitchman Chick Lambert...now back on YouTube! NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

2007-06-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

Salem Cigarettes (1960s)
Mmmmmm...taste that fresh air! *choke* *hack*

2007-06-28T21:57:00.000-05:00

Southwest Airlines (early 1970s)
I wouldn't even want to guess at how many times she had to run through this one before they got this perfect take...

2007-06-27T00:52:00.000-05:00

American Dairy Association (1977)
Say! I know a way to get kids to drink more milk -- tell them to mix Kool-Aid powder into it! ...Huh? It tastes like WHAT?

2007-06-26T23:12:00.000-05:00

ABC Friday "Family Night" Promo (1970)
C'mon, get happy!

2007-06-25T01:00:00.000-05:00

Budweiser (early 1970s)
Featuring the wildly successful jingle ("When You Say Bud") that had kids and adults alike singing along!

2007-06-22T21:41:00.000-05:00

Kinder Surprise (late 1980s)
Methinks the folks behind this creepy British spot smoked a few too many chocodoobies.

2007-06-21T12:38:00.000-05:00

Woolworth's Stereo Spectacular '71
The biggest hits of yesteryear at today's thrift store prices!

2007-06-20T22:33:00.000-05:00

Don's Guns
Apparently Don rents the guns for use at his range...you can't take them off the premises. Doesn't make the spot any less disturbing, though...

2007-06-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

Atari 2600 VCS (early 1980s)
How quickly did YOUR paddle controllers wear out?

2007-06-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

Folger's Coffee (1960s)
Woman who is desperate because her hubby hates her coffee knocks on the door of a closed supermarket late at night and is surprised by the manager, who lets her in and explains how instant coffee is manufactured. Makes perfect sense to me...ssshhhhyeah right.

2007-06-15T12:12:00.001-05:00

Ayds (1982)
Almost every line of this spot is unintentionally hilarious today. "Why take diet pills when you can enjoy Ayds?"

2007-06-14T21:31:00.000-05:00

National Dairy Board (mid-1980s)
Yet another reason to be glad the Eighties are over.

2007-06-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

Mattel Small Shots (1971)
This spot features a very young Jodie Foster (with voice dubbed by Dick "Speedy Alka-Seltzer" Beals)!

2007-06-12T22:58:00.000-05:00

ABC Movie of the Week Opening (2/8/72)
This showcase for some of the earliest made-for-TV movies (including Brian's Song, which kicked off the whole "disease of the week" subgenre) debuted in 1969. The opening theme is Burt Bacharach's "Nikki".

2007-06-11T21:50:00.000-05:00

Purina Cat Food (1971)
"The one he'll eat"? After "turning down one brand of cat food after another for days", the poor thing ought to be about ready to gnaw its own leg off...

2007-06-08T00:55:00.000-05:00

Lucky Charms (early 1960s)
The first-ever commercial for the cereal, which at this point is merely "charming" and not yet "magically delicious".

2007-06-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

Mattel V-RROOM! (1950s)
Hook up this gizmo to your kids' tricycles, and LOOK OUT...here come Hell's Toddlers!

2007-06-06T22:56:00.000-05:00

1955 Nash Spot featuring characters from Disney's Song of the South
Since the movie may be too politically incorrect to ever surface on DVD, this clip is one of the few places you'll see 'em.

2007-06-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

Dristan (1964)
If I didn't know better, I'd swear the Arizona Board of Tourism had something to do with this bizarre spot...

2007-06-04T22:50:00.000-05:00

Calgon Laundry Detergent (early 1970s)
This less-than-politically-correct spot continued to air for more than a decade!

2007-06-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Newport Cigarettes (1960s)
Smoke Newports and you, too, can be magically transported to Hawaii...or into a Newport commercial that takes place in Hawaii...or something.

2007-05-31T00:31:00.000-05:00

Transogram Swing Wing (mid-1960s)
This toy was quickly recalled after kids developed chronic neck injuries from playing with it. (Not only that, it also made them look like total dweebs!)

2007-05-30T01:10:00.000-05:00

Nancy Sinatra for RC Cola (1967)
A word about a "mad, mad, mad, mad cola" from the Movin' with Nancy TV special.

2007-05-29T20:38:00.000-05:00

Mr. Bucket (1990s)
The first to put their balls into Mr. Bucket WINS!

2007-05-28T00:40:00.000-05:00

Hostess Ding Dongs (1970s)
Yeah, try airing a commercial today in which two kids sail off to the castle of King Ding Dong. Just TRY it, I dare you.

2007-05-25T00:44:00.000-05:00

Mattel Creepy Crawlers (1960s)
Not to be confused with Incredible Edibles, which you could also burn yourself making!

2007-05-24T00:35:00.000-05:00

K-Tel Presents Bird Dance! (1982)
More industrial strength cheese from K-Tel. "The European dance craze that's sweeping North America!"

2007-05-23T01:36:00.001-05:00

Ozzie & Harriet Show Intro (1950s)
Ad for Hotpoint Appliances featuring then 17-year-old Mary Tyler Moore as Happy Hotpoint!

2007-05-22T01:29:00.000-05:00

Topper Toys Ding-a-Lings (1960s)
Promo for a line of toy robots. Played with yours lately?

2007-05-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

McDonald's McDLT (mid-1980s)
Featuring a pre-Seinfeld Jason Alexander, who'd probably just as soon forget all about this one...

2007-05-18T00:21:00.000-05:00

Rhode Island Poison Center (1970s)
PSA advertising "Mr. Yuk" stickers for household chemical containers. Many young children were actually scared out of their wits by these spots!

2007-05-17T00:21:00.001-05:00

Mystery Date Game (early 1960s)
Will your mystery date be a dream...or a dud...or a pervert...or a stalker...or a rapist...or a serial killer...

2007-05-16T23:55:00.000-05:00

Slinky (early 1960s)
Anyone over age 40 should instantly recognize this one.

2007-05-15T23:12:00.000-05:00

Jeno's Pizza Rolls (1968)
Stan Freberg's parody of the Lark commercial posted yesterday. One of the nuttiest spots ever!

2007-05-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

Lark Cigarettes "Show Us Your Lark Pack" (1960s)

2007-05-11T22:56:00.001-05:00

Buster Keaton for Simon Pure Beer (1950s)

2007-05-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

Kentucky Fried Chicken (1971)
While a singer croons a romantic ballad about chicken, that old rascal Colonel Sanders shares a bucket with a family and walks away with the man's wife. A classic!

2007-05-09T00:16:00.000-05:00

Ty-D-Bol (1970s)
The character that spawned a thousand Match Game questions.

2007-05-08T23:53:00.000-05:00

Peter Max Animated PSA for American Cancer Society (late 1960s)
Stop smoking and even the flowers will want to kiss you!

2007-05-07T12:58:00.001-05:00

Eisenhower for President (1952)
Famous animated spot produced by Disney. 'Course, nowadays they own ABC and can simply kill any news story that's unfavorable toward the folks they support, y'know...just sayin'.

2007-05-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

Chiclets (1971)
Chewing sugary Chiclets gives you the WILL POWER to resist eating all those sugary foods! Oh, wait...

2007-05-03T23:08:00.000-05:00

Studebaker Lark Daytona Wagonaire (early 1960s)
"The swinginest wagon that'll ever be"...why, you can even let a baby ride unrestrained in the back!

2007-05-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

Admiral Cigarettes
Not from TV, and way older than most of the stuff here, but still fascinating: it's an ad shot by Thomas Edison in 1897!

2007-05-01T23:50:00.000-05:00

The Rolling Stones for Rice Krispies (1964)
I know it's only toasted rice, but I like it, like it, yes I do.

2007-04-30T00:24:00.001-05:00

SynthCoke (1970s)
Another spot that just can't be real...except it is! Needless to say, this wasn't around long, as the Feds took swift action against the manufacturer!

2007-04-27T23:57:00.000-05:00

Ballantine's Ale (1950s)
An animated spot for the kiddies...the future alcoholics of America!

2007-04-26T23:26:00.000-05:00

7-Eleven "Oh Thank Heaven" Commercial (1970)
In which we learn of the powerful analgesic effects of aspirin and bread.

2007-04-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

ABC Batman Promos (1966-67)
Twice weekly...in color, of course!

2007-04-24T21:27:00.000-05:00

Ball Buster Game (1975)
Yes, this is a real commercial for a real game...click here for proof!

2007-04-23T18:21:00.000-05:00

K-Tel Records Presents 25 Polka Greats! (1971)
The label's very first release. Talk about having your finger on the pulse of the record-buying public...

2007-04-19T21:42:00.001-05:00

Max Headroom Pirating Incident (WTTW Chicago, 11/22/87)
Click here for more on this notorious interruption of a Doctor Who episode. NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

2007-04-18T00:02:00.000-05:00

Willard Scott as Ronald McDonald (1960s)
The clown makes his debut in this spot for a McDonald's franchise in Washington, DC.

2007-04-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

Pillsbury (Space) Food Sticks (early 1970s)
Notice how they're just calling 'em "Food Sticks" by the time of this ad (even though the name hasn't changed on the packaging) -- guess those moonshots had finally become old hat.

2007-04-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

Pillsbury Space Food Sticks (circa 1970)
Believe it or not, you can still get these here.

2007-04-13T23:44:00.000-05:00

VD Is For Everybody (PSA, 1969)
Don't be the last on your block...get yours today!

2007-04-12T23:34:00.000-05:00

Municipal Auto Sales (mid-1960s)
Local spot from Florida. Watch for the near-miss involving the second and third cars!

2007-04-11T23:29:00.001-05:00

Alka-Seltzer (1965)
Featuring the tune "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)", which became a Top 40 hit for the T-Bones.

2007-04-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Darkie Toothpaste (1983)
English-language commercial for the Chinese brand, which was purchased by Colgate-Palmolive in 1985 and renamed Darlie!

2007-04-09T22:37:00.000-05:00

K-Tel Knitter (1970)
More K-Tel madness. They're supposedly going to be putting a ton of their vintage spots up on their official site soon...

2007-04-06T03:11:00.000-05:00

Johnson for President (1964)
The infamous Daisy Girl spot. This idea of "vote for me or we'll all die horribly" sounds vaguely familiar, eh?

2007-04-05T03:01:00.000-05:00

Dr. Pepper "Charge!" Spot (mid-1960s)
The drink for impossibly wholesome teenagers!

2007-04-04T02:58:00.000-05:00

Racist Jello Commercial (early 1960s)
Yeah, why are they still eating with chopsticks when our Western spoons are technologically superior in every way?! HUH?!?

2007-04-03T02:49:00.001-05:00

The Flintstones for Winston Cigarettes (1961)
Yeah, yeah, I know: we've all seen it by now so there's not much shock value left, but...it almost seems obligatory to include it here, y'know?

2007-04-02T02:37:00.000-05:00

Tabasco Pepper Sauce (1960s)
Diamonds are forever, and so is the Tabasco label design.