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In reply to the discussion: Post a Great Old Commercial! [View all]

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)
18. Cal Worthington - a SoCal/West Coast institution
Thu Mar 21, 2013, 04:10 PM
Mar 2013

A medley of classic "Cal and his dog Spot" commercials:




Calvin Coolidge "Cal" Worthington (born November 27, 1920) is an American car dealer well-known throughout the West Coast of the United States, and to a more limited extent elsewhere due to minor appearances and parodies in a number of movies. He is best known for his unique radio and television advertisements for the Worthington Dealership Group. In these advertisements, he was usually joined by "his dog Spot," except that "Spot" was never a dog. Often, Spot was either a tiger, a seal, an elephant, a chimpanzee, or a bear. In one ad, "Spot" was a hippopotamus, which Worthington rode in the commercial. On some occasions, "Spot" was a vehicle, such as an airplane that Worthington would be seen standing atop the wings of while airborne. "Spot" was officially retired in the mid 1980s, however he is mentioned in some commercials today.
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For nearly a quarter-century, from the 1960s until the 1990s, Worthington ran a series of offbeat television and radio advertisements for his auto dealerships patterned loosely after the pioneering "oddball" advertisements of Earl "Madman" Muntz. They were known as the "My Dog Spot" ads because each commercial would introduce "Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!" However, the "dog" was never a dog. In most cases, it was an exotic animal being led around on a leash, such as a tiger or elephant. These commercials began as a parody of a long-running series of commercials produced by salesman Chick Lambert, who worked for multiple Los Angeles-area Ford dealers over many years. These commercials invariably began with "I'm Chick Lambert, Sales Manager here at Ralph Williams Ford, and this is my dog, Storm." Storm was a German Shepherd, who was usually lounging on the hood of the first car to be featured in the ad.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Worthington



Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Post a Great Old Commercial! [View all] warrprayer Mar 2013 OP
I hate to see them work so hard. Let's go around back where we can't see them Ptah Mar 2013 #1
Hey Fred! warrprayer Mar 2013 #2
Nothing's that complicated! mercymechap Mar 2013 #3
tape a cheetah warrprayer Mar 2013 #4
This commercial makes me die laughing!!! a la izquierda Mar 2013 #48
Fluffo In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #5
Great Caesars Ghost! warrprayer Mar 2013 #8
we are lucky to be alive olddots Mar 2013 #27
There is a jar of fluff in my kitchen to put on peanut butter sandwiches. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #28
Thatssa some spicy meatball! Dr. Strange Mar 2013 #6
Never fly today warrprayer Mar 2013 #9
Thanks for posting that one! Ron Obvious Mar 2013 #70
Back in my days, the commercials were embedded into the programs Brother Buzz Mar 2013 #7
Boomer memories!!! warrprayer Mar 2013 #10
chiparoons? surrealAmerican Mar 2013 #72
gotta run warrprayer Mar 2013 #11
There were so many headache ads, they really got kids curious about headaches! LeftInTX Mar 2013 #12
The Xerox commercial-totally stupid. narnian60 Mar 2013 #14
Another Anacin commercial had the line, narnian60 Mar 2013 #13
Did you know pipi_k Mar 2013 #16
No, I didn't. narnian60 Mar 2013 #17
See the USA! pipi_k Mar 2013 #15
Ah, Dinah Shore. I remember that commercial well. n/t RebelOne Mar 2013 #20
Big San Francisco Chevrolet dealership piggybacked the campaign with their own radio jingle Brother Buzz Mar 2013 #34
By 1970, General Motors had a different concept about advertising cars PuffedMica Mar 2013 #84
Cal Worthington - a SoCal/West Coast institution pinboy3niner Mar 2013 #18
Oh my!!!! LeftInTX Mar 2013 #67
The Fire Sign Theater did great Cal Worthington spoofs olddots Mar 2013 #71
If you're thinking of "Ralph Spoilsport", Doc_Technical Mar 2013 #75
I'd like to Buy the World a Coke cyberswede Mar 2013 #19
Still beautiful. narnian60 Mar 2013 #30
The "Let the Sun Shine In" ad was for some kind of window cleaining product trackfan Mar 2013 #41
Alka Seltzer Prison Cafeteria Ad Moondog Mar 2013 #21
I wonder how much the cost of that is inside. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #29
I'd rather not know. Moondog Mar 2013 #33
The only knowledge I have is about: a truck driver's stepdaughter. In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #36
Calgon cyberswede Mar 2013 #22
Not a super old commercial but it cracks me up abbeyco Mar 2013 #23
Well, it's only 15 years old, but still my favorite of all time... talkingmime Mar 2013 #24
Levy's struggle4progress Mar 2013 #25
'The Whopper' from Burger King Pool Hall Ace Mar 2013 #26
This brings back fond memories of wasting hours on Saturday mornings in a TV coma ... Arugula Latte Mar 2013 #31
M&M's - The Dirty Dealer pintobean Mar 2013 #32
looking back, i wonder if the dude in the first commercial hedgehog Mar 2013 #35
Timex Motorboat Commercial yortsed snacilbuper Mar 2013 #37
My two: earliest one I recall and a public service one that is still relevant. edbermac Mar 2013 #38
Mattel Toy Gun commercials. MicaelS Mar 2013 #39
I had the Zero M Radio Rifle trackfan Mar 2013 #42
I had the sonic blaster warrprayer Mar 2013 #47
Stan Freberg radio advertising commercial, with jazzy jingle sung by Sarah Vaughn marzipanni Mar 2013 #40
Here is one of my absolute favorites Art_from_Ark Mar 2013 #43
when I was 10 warrprayer Mar 2013 #46
I know what you mean Art_from_Ark Mar 2013 #68
I can't believe I ate the whole thing Bombero1956 Mar 2013 #44
One of the best!!! warrprayer Mar 2013 #45
this is not a commercial warrprayer Mar 2013 #49
Ring Around the Collar! warrprayer Mar 2013 #50
And a political commercial warrprayer Mar 2013 #51
Time to make the doughnuts... pinboy3niner Mar 2013 #52
I once worked in a bakery warrprayer Mar 2013 #53
I worked for a time in a doughnut shop/diner during HS pinboy3niner Mar 2013 #56
Another alert warrprayer Mar 2013 #54
Wow. That's a blast from the past. JFK...Vietnam...Lawrence of Arabia...Password... pinboy3niner Mar 2013 #62
Chinese curse warrprayer Mar 2013 #64
Where's the Beef! AsahinaKimi Mar 2013 #55
Best Japanese Car Commercial EVER! warrprayer Mar 2013 #57
And the Kinks! pinboy3niner Mar 2013 #58
It doesn't get warrprayer Mar 2013 #59
This is my favorite AsahinaKimi Mar 2013 #60
hilarious! warrprayer Mar 2013 #61
My earliest exposure warrprayer Mar 2013 #63
This was mine.. Project Aiko AsahinaKimi Mar 2013 #66
gotta fly- warrprayer Mar 2013 #65
Not that old but.... secondvariety Mar 2013 #69
Fig Newton Tabasco_Dave Mar 2013 #73
Stan Freberg Pizza Roll Ad msu2ba Mar 2013 #74
Dial soap. Doc_Technical Mar 2013 #76
Everyone wants a Slinky BootinUp Mar 2013 #77
happier warrprayer Mar 2013 #80
Folgers Sexist Ads from the 60's BootinUp Mar 2013 #78
geez warrprayer Mar 2013 #81
Kodak "Turn Around" Commercial MgtPA Mar 2013 #79
nostalgia warrprayer Mar 2013 #82
Thanks, I needed that! warrprayer Mar 2013 #83
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