Madison Avenue Memory Lane: The Fall Classic

I know I’ve said it before, but I love this time of year. It’s late October and the best teams in baseball are battling to see who will be crowned world champion. It’s a time when legends are made and hearts are broken.  (And in case you hadn’t noticed from the first two clips, there is a glaring lack of actual baseball footage on the internet. Thanks MLB! So here is my greatest childhood baseball memory, lovingly recreated using NES RBI Baseball.)
So I thought it might be fun to look back as some classic commercials featuring the Boys of Summer; some of baseball’s immortals and some not so much. Back in the 50s and 60s, it wasn’t uncommon for ballplayers to take winter jobs to supplement meager earnings. So picking up an extra few bucks to shill for breakfast cereals and disposable razors was a welcome windfall. Here are a 5 of my favorites:
1) I was always a big fan of the Bob Uecker Miller Lite ads, and being a Yankee fan, this one helps me to forget the miserable season we just went through. I’m sure they’re great seats Ueck, but with the ticket rates at the new Yankee Stadium, I’ll never know.
2) This is a strange one: Mickey Mantle for Karo Syrup. I’m not sure what I like more, Mick’s delivery or the fact that they managed to sober him up long enough to get through the filming.
3) This isn’t your kid’s Playstation: Roger Maris hawks Action Baseball game. Roger wasn’t the most charismatic ballplayer of all time, but I can’t hit a curveball, so what do I know?
4) Duke Snyder sells Ovaltine, with the help of Captain Midnight. I’ve got a 3 word secret clue for you. Ovaltine tastes nasty.
5) Several Dodger greats, including Roy Campanella, Don Zimmer, and Louisville’s own Pee Wee Reece pitch Gillette Speed Razors. And I’ll even throw in a link for a companion spot featuring Yankee, Dodger and Giant “greats” with one of the best unibrows since Frida Kahlo around the 1:22 mark. Enjoy.