WCVB-TV (ABC) Commercials - November 15, 1987

Yes, I’m still alive. Without going into too much detail, the past couple months have been crazy, crazy, CRAZY busy for me. While things have calmed down a bit, the Basement was able to pass along this collection of retro ads from WCVB-TV on the evening of November 15, 1987.

0:00 to 0:30 - Date with an Angel promo (That Roger Ebert’s review of this critical and commercial 1987 flop includes the sentence “This movie ought to be shot” should tell you everything you need to know. http://tinyurl.com/hhcyp5q)

0:31 to 1:01 - Doritos feat. Jay Leno (this was one of a series of Doritos commercials starring Jay Leno, which you can watch here:    • Cool Ranch Doritos Commercial Featuring Ja...  ,    • 80s Commercial | Jay Leno | Cool Ranch Dor...  ,    • Doritos Commercial From The 80's With Jay ...  . I was amused.)

1:02 to 1:32 – Kleenex “Coming Home”

1:33 to 2:02 - PLUS Learner of the Month (this was part of an adult illiteracy awareness program called Project Literacy US. Spearheaded by ABC and PBS in December 1985, the program produced PSAs like this one, as well as news reports, documentaries, and very special episodes of TV shows on the theme of literacy. You can read more about it here: http://tinyurl.com/hofvqou)

2:03 to 2:33 - Yoplait feat. Phylicia Rashad

2:34 to 3:03 - Big Red

3:05 to 3:09 - Disney Sunday Movie Interstitial

3:10 to 3:18 - MacGyver promo (I honestly cannot get enough of that synth. In case you’re wondering, this particular episode was filmed in Squamish, BC)

3:18 to 3:48 - Panasonic OmniMovie Camcorder (it’s likely that the specific model being sold here was the PV-100, which represented Panasonic’s first foray into the compact VHS camcorder market. While it had a $1600 MSRP value in 1987 ($3365 in 2015 dollars), today you can pick a functioning unit on eBay for less than $60. Here’s a review of the camcorder from the Chicago Tribune: http://tinyurl.com/hcvx87s)

3:49 to 4:18 - Kentucky Fried Chicken

4:18 to 4:23 - Chronicle promo (this episode was likely about the Fryeburg Fair, the oldest and largest annual agricultural fair in Maine. http://www.fryeburgfair.org/.)

4:25 to 4:55 - My First Sony

4:56 to 5:26 – Avon (one of those direct marketing cosmetics companies, competitor to Mary Kay and Amway)

5:27 to 5:56 - Keebler Townhouse Cheddar Juniors

5:57 to 6:27 - Lady and the Tramp VHS (these days, a copy of the original 1987 VHS release will set you back at least $50 http://tinyurl.com/h5gc678)

6:27 to 6:58 - Kudos

6:59 to 7:28 – Volkswagen (…and how well you program your fuel injection system to cheat emissions tests)

7:30 to 8:00 - Boy Scouts of America anti-drug PSA feat. Julius Erving

8:00 to 8:20 - Perfect Strangers/Head of the Class promo (these days, “Head of the Class” is best known for two things: having British comedian Billy Connolly play the lead in the final season    • Head of the Class - 1990 Promo  , and for being the first sitcom to have an episode filmed entirely within the Soviet Union)

8:20 to 8:50 - Hallmark

8:51 to 9:21 - Quaker Oatmeal feat. Wilford Brimley (9:10 to 9:18, my God that man loves his oatmeal)

9:21 to 9:52 - "The Thanksgiving Promise" promo (Based on the 1983 novel “Chester, I Love You”, the lead actor, Jordan Bridges, is best known for portraying Frankie Rizzoli, Jr. on “Rizzoli & Isles”. You can see the movie here:    • Видео  , and read the NYT review here: http://tinyurl.com/hane2jz)