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Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



TV commercials: Local yokels and regional ads

Posted: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 2:32 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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I love regional commercials. Many of them are amateurish, which either lends to the charm, or lends to the laughter. And since so much of our nation has become homogenized, with the same big-box stores and chain restaurants from San Jose to Syracuse, it's almost shocking to watch an ad for a store or business you've never even heard of.

In my home state of Minnesota, one of the most memorable regional ads was for a chain of home-improvement stores called Menards.  Commercial pitchman Ray Szmanda actually became known as The Menards Guy for his constant appearances in the ads and his popular catchphrase, "Save big money at Menards!" (Hear him say it here.) The ads don't fit into any of the categories we've been discussing that make for great ads -- they're not especially beautiful, funny, or entertaining -- but Szmanda struck a chord with Upper Midwesterners who couldn't seem to get enough of his familiar face.

As Ray proves, professional sets and fancy costumes are far from required to make a popular local ad. Now that I'm in Seattle, one of the local ad campaigns is for Vern Fonk insurance, an agency with the catchy slogan "Honk for Vern Fonk." I'm not quite sure who Vern Fonk is, but he appears to be quite mad. Witness the madness here.

Local restaurants, fast-food or otherwise, offer up plenty of regional ads. We've discussed here how even those of us who are hundreds of miles from a Sonic Drive-In often find ourselves subjected to their commercials. Now that I've moved, I'm far away from the regional fast-food chain of my childhood -- White Castle -- but I can still sing their old jingle ("White Castle has the taste some people won't live without!"). Here's one of their ads.

Speaking of regional fast-food, who remembers Burger Chef? The chain was so large I sometimes think of it as national, but apparently it didn't quite cover all the regions of the country. But they must have had a pretty national reach to enlist the "Star Wars" cast in this classic commercial.

My Los Angeles born-and-raised husband often speaks fondly of the ads featuring auto dealer Cal Worthington and his dog Spot, who was never a dog. ("If you want a better car, go see Cal...") Here's a great medley of those ads that should really hit the nostalgia button for West Coasters.

Share your favorite regional commercial in the comments. You'll need to describe it for those of us who don't live in your area (or offer up a link). These ads aren't eligible to win our contest, but that doesn't mean they aren't entertaining anyway.

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Comments

Vern Fonk is crazy! His ads make zero sense to me and i usually sit there scratching my head for awhile after each one. They're always good for a laugh, but it's usually out of confusion. I really think he is literally insane.

Sasha, Seattle, WA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 6:45 PM)

I'm a lifelong westcoaster, and fondly remember the Cal Worthington ads("Pussycow, Pussycow, Pussycow"). I wonder though if anybody remembers the other Sacramento area car dealership ad from John L Sullivan. It has Jim Varney as Earnest. Remember Earnest? He went on to star in those campy movies. Jim Varney was also Jeb on "The Beverly Hill-Billies" movie. Were these just for the Sacramento area or did they play in other areas of Calif.?

caineme, Quincy Ca. (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 6:48 PM)

I used to love the Cal Worthington ads when I was a kid.  I could hardly wait to see what "Spot" would look like next.  Good times!

Lola, Medford, OR (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 6:55 PM)

The Trunk Monkey ads for Suburban Ford in Sandy, Oregon are absolutely terrific.  The premise is that if you purchase your car from this dealer you'll have the added help/protection of a chimp in your trunk. There are several versions... chimp beating a wanna-be carjacker with a tire iron.

Dawn W, Salem, Oregon (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:08 PM)

Discount Tire here in Phoenix has tried to retire their ad from the (I believe) late 70s and just have not been allowed to do it.  A stereotypical elderly lady heaves a tire through the front window of one of their stores while the announcer gently intones something like "If you are ever not satisfied with one of our tires, feel free to return it."

Keith, Phoenix, AZ (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:18 PM)

I've grown up with Empire carpet ads, and I don't know how regional they are but I've loved them in the 20-plus years I've watched them.  The bespectecled, mustachioed man who's been doing them for eons has made some memorable commercials over the years.  I especially like the Christmas one with a bunch of elves singing to "Deck the Halls", or the old Halloween one with him as a witch.  It'll be a sad day if that guy ever retires.

I also LOVE "Moo and Oink" commercials.  I've never been to the place, but the ads are so jolly and the short theme is memorable.

BV, Joliet IL (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:21 PM)

Discount Tire ad - I should have known to google it first!  You can watch the ad at (on YouTube of course) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QjTIm-vSKg . It is also now in the Guinness Book for longest continually running ad.

Keith, Phoenix, AZ (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:23 PM)

Caineme you are dead on with the "pussycow" line. My friends and I always laughed when that song came on. It wasn't until they started running that song with subtitles that we realized he wasn't saying pussycow!And yes they played the Jim Varney ads down here in So.Cal. . . wonder what happened to that guy?

Cas, Laguna Niguel, Ca (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:32 PM)

Caineme - Jim Varney/Earnest was also the spokesman for Cerritos Auto Square here in Southern CA.  They tried to find a suitable replacement after he passed away, but no one could match Earnest!  Cal Worthington was big down here too.

Jeff Weidner, San Clemente, CA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:41 PM)

There is a guy in Durham, NC named Marc Jacobson who owns some Toyota dealerships.  They used to be called Toyota of Durham and he would have commercials in which he would mispronounced Durham!  I think he must have had a speech impediment because he would say "Toyota of Duhm", which sounds very much like "dumb" (not a great association for a car dealership).  It is now Marc Jacobson Toyota and he has equally bad commercials that involve his dog.  By the way, what is the deal with car dealerships commercials and dogs?

M, Chapel Hill, NC (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 8:00 PM)

Normally local commercials drive me up a tree, but we have a local car dealer in the Yakima valley who ran an ad with him sitting in the back of his pickup truck, strumming a guitar, and to the tune of "The Octopus's Garden" sang about his buisness. It was cute, and surprisingly un-annoying for a car dealership. The most recent version of this was to advertise a "Dog Days of Summer Sale". He added his 2 pups to the mix, but they didn't cooperate, so the ad is a series of outtakes, with the last 2 finally getting in the message "...with loans to meet your needs, we have a car for you at Gilbert Auto." Not quite as jazzy as Cal Worthington, but it makes me smile every time.

Pam, Yakima WA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 8:24 PM)

These are regional by definition- ads for the Minnesota Twins: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/fan_forum/commercials_2007.jsp
Whatever ad agency does these, they're geniuses there.  My personal favorite for this year is the 'carpool' ad with Johan Santana and Joe Nathan.  Last year's favorite was the one where Joe Mauer gives his infamous sideburns away to a young fan.

Brooke, St Paul, MN (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 9:45 PM)

Many of the really GOOD commercials we enjoy today owe no small thanks to Stan Freberg.  Think Sunsweet Prunes (Today the Pits, Tomorrow the Wrinkles), Jenos Pizza Rolls, Contadina.....

FCB, Atlanta, Georgia (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 9:55 PM)

I wholeheartedly vote for Vern Fonk, but that ad wasn't one of the crazy ones! These are!
Crazy holiday ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc87k5M9C0Q
Napoleon Dynamite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-boEIv_dyA&NR=1
Bad rap ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXeYNWdAVfY

They win!

T, Seattle, WA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:00 PM)

Up here in Anchorage Alaska we have goofy ad for a mattress store called The Mattress Ranch in which the owner has all sorts of crazy puppets and dances like a goofball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICppcKiwrPw

Jessica, Anchorage, AK (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:18 PM)

Living in the Northwest now, Suburban's Trunk Monkey ads are some of the funniest and most unforgetable - it seems like no matter where I go, someone is still talking about them!

Another one my wife and I can't ever forget is from a lawyer in the Pittsburgh area - Edgar Snyder "Call my law firm for a free evaluation of your case!" (with much emphasis on the "e" in evaluation)  The ads repeated his phone number as well, so it's something I will probably never get out of my head!

Matt, Vancouver, WA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:46 PM)

"Save Big Money with Menard's" was in Indianapolis, too.  It might still be.

John Reeder (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:53 PM)

I remember Joe Greed on the Dallas airwaves. He was a car lot spokesman who had a big pair of noveltly sunglasses with dollar signs that were Elmer's Glued on in green glitter. He had a white suit and it was covered in dollar signs, as well a big white cowboy hat.

Chad, Tx (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 10:57 PM)

In Los Angeles, there could be no more annoying commercials than those for Sit n Sleep.  That "or your mattress is FREEE!" screech is like nails on chalkboard.  For an even worse effect, try the radio ads with Larry and Irwin...
http://www.sitnsleep.com/~sitnslee/index.php?id=47

Sylvia, RPV, CA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:28 PM)

down in south mississippi there's an ad for "paw-paw's camper city" in picayune. sweet old guy talks about his current deal...at the end of the ad, his two young grandchildren kick the tires of a camper and say(in their very southern drawls) " That's a good camper paw paw!". hysterical-

nancy houston texas (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:54 PM)

Burger Chef had stores nationwide and even expanded overseas.  There's even a website dedicated to old Burger Chef locations, indexed by state:
http://www.thebawdycloister.com/burger_chef_locations/

R.T., Helotes, Texas (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 1:22 AM)

The Vern Fonk was are always funny.  The guy in the commercials is actually an actor.  I believe the company is now run by Vern's daughter an son in law.  You can see the video's on their website at http://www.vernfonk.com/asp/videos.asp
As for Jim Varney, he passed away back in 2000 of lung cancer.

Jim, Anji, China (originly Seattle) (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 3:30 AM)

Jim Varney's Earnest was the spokesman for any number of regional ads.  When I was a kid in Virginia, he did the ads for Marva Maid dairy products.  It usually involved him annoying the heck out of his neighbor about Marva Maid.

M Webb, Florida (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 6:07 AM)

Here in southern California there is an electronics store called "Crazy Gideon's" and the commercials are so silly they're funny. It's basically Gideon himself being "crazy" for his discounted prices. I love low budget regional commercials! Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ODs4nxNnWM

Norma, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 7:44 AM)

Cal Worthington! Holy Cow, I haven't thought of him in years.  I too can remember waiting to see what Spot looked like next.  The Trunk Money commercials are hilarious, we have them here in Virginia also.  My current favorite commerical is from the Florida Orange Juice people, it shows a boy at a birthday party hitting a Pinata, and when it breaks, a bunch of celery hits the ground, and he looks at it and then yells "CELERY" and all the kids come running, its a great commercial, and you can see it here http://www.floridajuice.com/.

Amy, VA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 8:07 AM)

I've always found local car dealer ads cause the most belly-aching laughter. I grew up near Detroit, and we always got to see a guy, I think Mel Farr was his name, who came on with a cape and played a Superman-like role in some strange attempt to sell cars at "super" prices. They even spent the money to show him "flying" (that was some early green screen on a very local level). Now that I'm near Washington, D.C., I have the misfortune of having a local car dealership's catchy song stuck in my head after seeing the commercial (and they're on the radio too). Eastern's Motors gets local sports stars, many from the Redskins, to appear in the cars, but their song is infectious...it goes something like this: "At Eastern's Motors...Your job's your credit" to a sort of rap like tune. Anybody in the D.C. area will understand me on this one!

Jennifer, Woodbridge, VA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 8:22 AM)

I have seen the trunk monkey ads in several cities now, all for different auto dealers.  The first time I saw it was when I was in college, and the Byers auto group in Columbus, Ohio was using the ad.  Now I see the same ads (or at least the same premise) for a dealership (not sure which) in the Cleveland, Ohio area.  But for me, the trunk monkey will always remind me of Byers, because that is where I saw it first!

Abby, Cleveland, Ohio (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 8:44 AM)

SW Indiana Raben Tire commercials from the 70's/80's featuring two hicks called Ray & Ben preforming such feats as corn field skiing.  
Jim Varney/Earnest also had a local but for the life of me I can't remember what he was promoting.  Just remember him leaning into "Vern" at the end of the commercial and his arms resting on a hot grill.

L R H, Birmingham, Al. (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 8:46 AM)

M., Totally agree w/you about the Mark Jacobson ads! I will never buy a car from him. He and his little dog(s) are SO annoying!

KE, Durham, NC (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 8:57 AM)

In the greater Harrisburg, PA area, there used to be a series of commercials for a discount flooring warehouse known as CarpetMart featuring the chain's owner, Lou. Each commercial would start with an off-screen voice shouting, "Hey, Lou! What's new?" Then Lou would appear in a (usually) extremely cheesy, almost car-salesman-ish performance. I particularly remember him donning a Ghostbusters uniform and singing to the appropriate tune, "We've got piles in the aisles! We've got stacks in the racks! Who ya gonna call? CarpetMart!" That ad, as well as the rest of the campaign (and, for all I know, Lou) has been gone for a while now, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.

Jeff Burkholder, Lititz, PA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:00 AM)

I lived in Oregon as a child and my absolute favorite commercial is this one for Rainier Beer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz-WuLQz_ns

I think it's still one of the most clever commercials ever made.

Mesa, Obernburg, NY (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:16 AM)

Jim Varney (as Ernest) used to do Purity Milk commercials in Nashville, Tn --- along with the ever present, seldom seen Vern....they were great!

Lynn (formerly Nashville,TN) (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:25 AM)

Oh, the Empire guy!  I don't think anyone around here doesn't know the Empire phone number song.  I was shocked when the singers started adding the "800" when I was in high school.  I guess I've gotten used to it, though.

I think the guy tried to retire a few years ago; they started having commercials with his daughter in them, but that didn't last very long.  Everyone just loves the Empire guy too much.

Jenny, Elmhurst, IL (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:33 AM)

I grew up in the Chicago area.  We, too, had the Menards guy (who retired a few years ago, but they had to bring him back), but we also had a number of other memorable commercials with jingles, especially to help remember the phone numbers.  This was in the '70s.  The first I'll mention was for Lincoln, a  carpet store (possibly flooring as well--I was a kid and I didn't care).  I remember an animated semi-truck crossing the screen near the end of each commercial as the jingle played:

"When you're thinkin'Lincoln, Lincoln
"Better carpteting for less
"Call National-2-9000
"National-2-nine [pause] thousand"

Since then, I moved to Minnesota.  I was surprised, in recent years, to hear another familiar jingle, and to see a familiar (albeit older) face on TV.  It was for another flooring company, Empire.  Lynn Hauldren, a copy writer for Empire's marketing firm before he filled in for a commercial shoot in 1973 became the Menards Guy of Empire Carpet.  His bespectacled face and familiar voice made me feel like I was back home again, especially when I heard the jingle (http://www.empiretoday.com/Commercial/07-2004-72r_102004.mp3).  They updated their phone number with a toll-free prefix, but it is basically the same as I heard it in the day:

"5-8-8, 2-300, Empire!"

Andrew James Riemer, Winsted, Minnesota (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:47 AM)

Johnson Automotive has some of the funniest commercials.  They feature a Badger Car Salesman named Grady.

LB, Durham, NC (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:52 AM)

Used to be online, but I can't find it... best Regional commercial I ever saw was Cenex co-op's tire commercial, "Go Home Again."  won a national emmy.  early 70s.

swschrad (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:52 AM)

Speaking of car dealerships, here in the land of Bobby Bowden, we get to hear him telling everyone to go buy a Hun-da (not a HONDA) from one of the dealerships here.  I don't know why, but it drives me crazy every time I hear him say it.  Wouldn't you want your spokesperson to say the name of your product correctly?

Jennifer, Tallahasse, FL (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:59 AM)

Well heck, talk about weird nostalgia.  I've only been to California once in my life and I must have seen one of those Cal Worthington commercials while I was there because as soon as that clip started playing the Pussycow song came roaring back to my memory...and then I couldn't stop laughing.  It's funny how something like that will bury itself in your mind only to pop out years later.

Leslie, New Mexico (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:05 AM)

My wife grew up in Anchorage, and they had a Cal Worthington up there, too.  She always thought it was "mooseycow."  Glad to know she isn't the only one who misunderstood the lyrics!!

Chris, Northglenn, CO (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:13 AM)

Orlando has the best regional commercial/informercial of all time: The Family Auto Mart. "The Family Man" and his brother "The Family Boy" extol the virtues of their car lots by singing, dancing and inviting you to come and run a line of mini-vans with them. They even dress up and perform very un-PC skits. They need to expand out to GA just so that I can watch these again!

Maria, Atlanta, GA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:18 AM)

You can't miss this!  "Don't be wacky nu-nu!"
http://www.appliancedirect.com/main/index.asp (The video links are on the right side of the screen.  Watch them all!)
I don't think I have ever laughed so hard!

Heather - East Hartford, CT (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:32 AM)

Does anyone remember the local ads in Atlanta (or possibly the south) where the little old lady gave consumers the advice "Don't you buy no ugly truck!"  Those were always good local ads...

The trunk monkey ads are used in Atlanta as well, and are very entertaining.  Especially the trunk monkey recall.. (the monkeys can be seen dropping something resembling a body into a river..)

Marcus Hall, McDonough, GA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:49 AM)

Nothing can beat the campiness and tackiness of the Eagleman car insurance commercials in Chicago.   They are so bad they are legendary and people remember them.

James, Chicago, IL (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:49 AM)

I live up in Anchorage, AK and Cal Worthington runs his adds nonstop here.  The song is still around getting lodged in people's heads, but he no longer has a Spot to share his time with.

Rob, Anchorage, AK (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:16 AM)

Oh my gosh the Trunk Monkey commericals are the best! My current favorite is the one with teens parked at a make out spot and when the young guy starts to make his move on the young lady the trunk monkey comes out to stop them. Cracks me up every time. Here's a link to their website: http://www.suburbanautogroup.com/ou/sandy-ford/console.do?page=a_aboutus_tv

Karin, Vancouver, WA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:18 AM)

Trunk Monkey commericals are produced by some company and sold to local businesses around the country. There is a series of trunk monkey commercials running for a business, Car Choice, in Northeast Arkansas.
It was the same with Jim Varney's 'Ernest' character. Produced by a company and sold to local businesses across the country. Sadly, Jim Varney died a few years back from cancer.

Debbie, Arkansas (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:23 AM)

By far the worst, and cheeziest commercials I've ever seen were for Bob Rohrman Car Dealerships in Indiana.  I have lived in 3 different TV markets and his adds are on all of them!  The best by far was the "Count Bobula" halloween ad.

JT Brown, Fort Wayne, IN (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:27 AM)

Those from the Cleveland, OH, area may remember C Miller Super Chevrolet and his commercials.  C Miller was tall, thin and somewhat geeky but he made some memorable commercials and always signed off with a thrown kiss.

If you remember C Miller, you may also remember Gordon Ward and his commercials for his appliance store.  He held up signs advertising the current special and it was obvious he was nervous.  Very nervous.  And just to get your attention, the signs were often up-side down.

Lee, Wichita Falls, TX (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:28 AM)

Mattress Mack in Houston Texas. His catch phrase is "We'll save you MONEY!"

A.Hutyra, Lantana, TX (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:33 AM)

I live in Eastern Washington and just saw my first Vern Fonk ad on late night TV last night.  My son and I weren't sure that it was even a real ad, it looked so corny.  And is he an attorney or a used car salesman?

Misti, Republic, WA (Sent Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:39 AM)



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