WBZ-TV (NBC) Commercials - December 24, 1989

Sooooo…yeah, been awhile. Let’s just say that a schedule dominated by work, commuting, and trying to get a house built has not been conducive to putting together 80s commercial compilations (with commentary) on anything like a regular basis.

Tonight, continuing a tradition of posting Christmas commercials months after Christmas, the Basement has given us a selection of ads recorded the evening of Christmas Eve 1989 from WBZ-TV, then an NBC station.

0:00 to 0:29 - Juicy Fruit (Believe it or not, for an ad campaign that so ubiquitous in its time, there doesn’t seem to be all that much information about the production of these ads online---at least any that my DuckDuckGo-fu has been able to uncover---so here’s a metal cover of the jingle:    • Juicy Fruit | METALIZED Commercial Classics  )

0:30 to 1:00 – Kellogg’s Nut & Honey Crunch (this discontinued cereal was comprised of corn flakes coated with honey and crushed peanuts. As of this writing, it’s still being sold in Australia as Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Cereal https://tinyurl.com/y9gu2m4k)

1:00 to 1:29 – Shedd’s Spread Country Crock (fun fact: Shedd’s used to be owned by Beatrice Foods, a conglomerate now owned by ConAgra that, in its heyday, also owned such disparate brands as Avis Rent-A-Car, Dannon Yogurt, Krispy Crème, and Samsonite. Also, the man in these ads was voiced by Rugrats’ own Jack Riley.)

1:30 to 1:50 – ALF/Super Bloopers and Practical Jokes/Bill Cosby Salutes Alvin Ailey Promo (Alvin Ailey, who had died from AIDS complications in December 1989, was a choreographer best known for popularizing modern dance and establishing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This promo goes down as the least creepy appearance by Bill Cosby on this channel) https://tinyurl.com/ycamrsrp

1:50 to 2:00 – Chameleons promo (This was a failed TV pilot by producer Glen A. Larson of “Magnum, PI”, “Battlestar Galactica”, and “Knight Rider” fame about the adventures of a woman trying to solve the murder of her mysterious crime-fighting superhero uncle Captain Chameleon. You can watch the whole movie here:    • chameleons 1989 TV Movie  )

2:01 to 2:30 – IBM feat. Alan Alda (This was part of a series of IBM ads that, for some reason, featured the entire cast of “MASH”. You can watch some of these ads here:    • Видео  )

2:31 to 3:01 – Aqua-fresh For Kids feat. Aquakid (In some parallel universe, you just know Alan Moore re-imagined the Aquakid character as something…unspeakable.)

3:02 to 3:22 – “Potpurri of Parades” feat. King Orange Jamboree, Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, Tournament of Roses Parades

3:22 to 3:52 – Folger’s Singles

3:52 to 3:56 – WBZ News Update

3:56 to 4:26- Extra Sugar-free Gum

4:27 to 4:56 – Oreo (The jingle here was written by Joey Levine, who also wrote the jingles for, among other things, Mounds, Diet Coke, and Budweiser.)

4:57 to 5:27 – Ore-Ida

5:27 to 5:57 – Kellogg’s Christmas (the brown elephant, named Tusk, is supposed to represent Cocoa Krispies. If you ask me, though, this commercial, like most things in life, needs more Big Otis https://tinyurl.com/ydyvn5py)

5:57 to 6:16 – NBC promo repeat

6:16 to 6:26 – NBC News Special: The Eighties promo (it always amazes me when I can find obscure stuff like this in full online    • Видео  )