1950s Television Advertising

“Winston tastes good like a cigarette should” and “You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent” are only two of the many slogans associated with advertising on television in the 1950s. There were celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Eden, and Peter Lorre who performed in commercials; there were shows built around a single product (e.g., The Texaco Star Theater and The Colgate Comedy Hour); there were numerous premiums offered to children (e.g., The Sky King Detecto Microscope, The Mickey Mouse Club Magazine), and gimmicks used by sponsors to attract viewers to their shows (e.g., “Win a Wagon Train Pony” and “The Howdy Doody Smile Contest”).

This is the first and only book of its kind; it is a nostalgic, trivia-filled history presented through the actual programs and commercials of the 1950s. In addition to two extensively detailed sections, which have never been released online or in any other book (“Sponsor and Program” and “Program and Sponsor”), rare television theme songs with their original sponsor tags (products mentioned in the theme songs) are also presented. It all began on July 1, 1941 when WNBT (the NBC affiliate in New York City) televised the first commercial, a ten second spot for Bulova Watches.

Author Biography

Vincent Terrace has been a researcher for ABC television and is the television historian for BPOLIN Productions. He has written more than 50 books about television and radio.