Rating: 
Summary: From The Ad Tycoons Of Yesteryear!
Review: I want to add my nod of approval to those of the other reviewers who found this collection worthwhile.Yes, this looks like, as Johnny Legend would say, "a below Low-Budget but just a step above No-Budget masterpiece!" Simple but pleasing cover design, minimal printed info inside, but a well categorized collection of classic TV ads swept from Americana's memories and possibly "this close" to being tossed into the fires of video-tape extinction. Many of the the ads here look like bad 3rd generation transfers from neanderthol VCRs, but the fact that these survive on VHS & DVD at all is just plain cool. You can find TV Ad compilations out there with clean video copy for a select few of the bigtime sponsors from yesteryear. What is harder to come across is the plethora of lesser known commercials. The prime example, from the annals my 1970s youth, are the "Not Another Hamburger!" ads by Der Weinerschnitzel, the coolest being Dracula rising out of his coffin, looking up, and gasping in horror, crying "NO! NO! Anything but that....NOT ANOTHER HAMBURGER!" I honestly thought I was the only TV obsessed adult who still had that catch-phrase imprinted in my pop-culture memory bank. You get a detailed look at TV commercial past with the now outlawed cigarette ads, the most mind-bending and hysterical being the spot for Winston Cigarettes featuring..... The Flintsones! If you have not seen this ad where Fred and Barney sneak into the backyard for a Winston break, then you must pick up this DVD. The Flintsones peddling tobacco on its own is worth the price for Classic Commercials! As many commercials that are featured on this DVD, I can't help but thinking... how many more commercials--- advertising national as well as regional products--- are lying dormant in video vaults, missed, forgotten, overlooked by everybody from DVD producers to pop-culture historians? There are some hep companies, most notably "Something Weird Video," who have revived multitudes of forgotten B-Movie classics and public service films from the video graveyards, and given them a new lustre. I hope more commercials like the ones in this "Classic Commercials" collection, whether the video quality is clean or thrashed, surface on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: From The Ad Tycoons Of Yesteryear!
Review: I want to add my nod of approval to those of the other reviewers who found this collection worthwhile. Yes, this looks like, as Johnny Legend would say, "a below Low-Budget but just a step above No-Budget masterpiece!" Simple but pleasing cover design, minimal printed info inside, but a well categorized collection of classic TV ads swept from Americana's memories and possibly "this close" to being tossed into the fires of video-tape extinction. Many of the the ads here look like bad 3rd generation transfers from neanderthol VCRs, but the fact that these survive on VHS & DVD at all is just plain cool. You can find TV Ad compilations out there with clean video copy for a select few of the bigtime sponsors from yesteryear. What is harder to come across is the plethora of lesser known commercials. The prime example, from the annals my 1970s youth, are the "Not Another Hamburger!" ads by Der Weinerschnitzel, the coolest being Dracula rising out of his coffin, looking up, and gasping in horror, crying "NO! NO! Anything but that....NOT ANOTHER HAMBURGER!" I honestly thought I was the only TV obsessed adult who still had that catch-phrase imprinted in my pop-culture memory bank. You get a detailed look at TV commercial past with the now outlawed cigarette ads, the most mind-bending and hysterical being the spot for Winston Cigarettes featuring..... The Flintsones! If you have not seen this ad where Fred and Barney sneak into the backyard for a Winston break, then you must pick up this DVD. The Flintsones peddling tobacco on its own is worth the price for Classic Commercials! As many commercials that are featured on this DVD, I can't help but thinking... how many more commercials--- advertising national as well as regional products--- are lying dormant in video vaults, missed, forgotten, overlooked by everybody from DVD producers to pop-culture historians? There are some hep companies, most notably "Something Weird Video," who have revived multitudes of forgotten B-Movie classics and public service films from the video graveyards, and given them a new lustre. I hope more commercials like the ones in this "Classic Commercials" collection, whether the video quality is clean or thrashed, surface on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: It delivers what it advertises, but needs a little polish
Review: If you're looking for a collection of television commercials from the 50s through the 70s, then this is the item to get. Just be aware that the DVD was put together a little shoddy. I'm not complaining about the quality of the commercials themselves (although a little noise reduction would have been nice). However, since chapter stops are placed before a block of commercials sharing a common theme instead of individual clips, you may have a hard time viewing your favorite. On the plus side, you get what's promised for a low price. It's a nice little time waster that will appeal to those who are into television history. If this is your cup of tea, then it's more than worth the price. Just don't expect slick DVD visuals and you won't be dissapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: It is what it says it is
Review: Madacy, the people who made this DVD title, make titles that probobly do not draw a lot of attention. This is probobly why not a lot of money is spent cleaning up content or doing extras. We are talking small Canadian Company, not Walt Disney Home Video here folks. I have seen other Classic Commercial montages before, and this one is not bad. Granted, there really is no special features on this two disc set, but what do you expect for 10 bucks. On most of these commercials, it looks as if the original source has long been gone, and these are copies of the commercials that were inserted in shows before they were sent out to the tv stations. I have read complaints about the editing, but only saw this ture on one or two clips. It looks like some filters WERE used, because several of these commercials I have seen in other compilations, and this is by far the best quality I have seen. Also, remember that the early days of television did not have the best of picture or sound quality. Just looking at an old episode of The Honeymooners should prove that. In all, this product delivers exactly what it advertises, over 3 and a half hours of non-stop classic commercials. You will see cigarete commercials, Hamms Beer Commercials (From The Land of Sky Blue Waters), toothpaste commercials, Mountain Dew commercials, etc. For 10 bucks, I would like you to show me a Commercial set that pumps in more features for this price.
Rating: 
Summary: ...adjust your rabbit ears...
Review: o.k....so, the quality isn't great, and, unless you are a fan of advertising, you probably shouldn't be watching this in the first place...but to all those complaining about sound and picture quality, grow up...you've been so spoiled by all the latest effects and production values, that you think 'star wars' looks antiquaited...but yes, there was a time when these commercials looked great, and sold products...3 channels on the philco...that's all we had, that's all we needed...and we thought it was cool...so put away your xbox, and put your mindframe back to the days of an icebox...
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Commercials
Review: Save your money and do not buy this dvd. The picure quality is very poor as well as the audio. The dvd was produced by copying the 4 video tapes of Classic Commercials which Madacy Entertainment produced last year. The video tapes were copied in the EP format which gives the worst video quality. The dvd is almost twice as long as the vhs tapes because some extra's have been added, but it is still a very poor product. It would be better to wait to buy a dvd with Classic Commercials until a major production company decides to release one. All you will do is waste your money as I did.
Rating:
Summary: You all missed the point...
Review: The people who complain about 'poor audio/video quality' remind me of people who won't watch silent movies because they look scratchy, the action is 'jumpy' and of course, no sound. These commercials were probably discarded after being shown the nunber of times they'd originally been paid for. For all we know they were taken from various vaults, garages, broom closets, etc. Just as tens of thousands of educational films are already lost, imagine what becomes of a commercial after its been shown and then tossed out... Having said that, this is a fun collection. My personal fav. is the 'V.D.' Public Service Announcement, as imagining that playing now is...unimaginable! Also seeing older characters such as Rosie and Mr Whipple is always good. Some ads are downright bizarre, like the Kool Aid ad with 3 of the Monkees, and Bugs Bunny thrown in for no reason. Having been born in 1974, I can't imagine a time when cigarettes were advertised on TV, but here's the proof! Also interesting to note how Crest toothpaste busts into the 70's head first, featuring african americans as college professors, etc. Try finding that even now! Hopefully there will be more of this. Come on! Where's the Kal Kan 'disappearing vitamin' ad? Or Kool-Aid's 'Oh Yeah!' pitcher guy? Bring them on! I'll gladly fork over another 10 bucks for it hehehe.
Rating:
Summary: "From the land of sky blue waters"
Review: This 2 DVD set is a fun collection of commercials for all sorts of products dating from the 1950s through the 1970s. The first DVD has 9 chapters including Cigarettes & Cigars, Cleaning products, Cosmetics & Medications, Clothes & Accessories, Electronic appliances, Automobiles, Toys, and Public Service Announcements. The second DVD, which I think is the most fun, has four chapters: Food & Drugs, Celebrities, The Drugstore, and Horror and Sci-Fi. The menu pages are well done and cute with television sets flipping through a selection of commercials complete with static. There are over 200 commercials here. Highlights include: an S.O.S. "opera" ad on the Garry Moore show, a live demonstration of a Westinghouse refrigerator where the hostess can't get the door open "somebody's playing games," Arthur Godfrey's frank advertisement for Lipton chicken noodle cup of soup on the Talent Scouts show "there's chicken, you won't find it but it's there," a surprising sing-along public service announcement for V.D., the Flintstone's advertising Winston cigarettes (imagine cartoon characters doing that today!), the cute Quisp cereal guy plus Frankenberry, Boo-berry, and Count Chocula, commercial legends Mr. Whipple ("please, don't squeeze the Charmin") and Rosie ("Bounty: the Quick picker upper"), the famous crying Indian for a pollution public service announcement (one I actually remember!), and a bizarre slogan for Crest toothpaste ("I only got one cavity!"--I guess Crest wanted to leave a little room for error). Some of the best celebrity spots include the Monkees for Kool-Aid in 1969 after Peter Tork left the band (either Instant Replay or Monkees Present era), the 5th Dimension for Jell-O, the Three Stooges for Simoniz, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts for Post Grapenuts, Lucy and Desi for Philip Morris ("Call for Philip Morriiiis"), Chico and Harpo Marx for Prom home perm (they must have really needed the money, maybe for Chico's gambling debts), Buster Keaton for Hamm's beer, Gale Sayers and Tom Seaver for Phillips 66, Jimmy Durante for Scotties tissues, Dinah Shore for the upcoming '59 Chevy--the list goes on. Quality is not the best here but, considering the material, it is understandable. Editing is also a problem as clips of the show or commercial that follows the featured commercial are sometimes left on. Another editing error: the screen shots on the back case of disc one are of commercials that are on disc 2 and vice versa. Numerous renditions of nearly the same commercial (i.e. Crest, Safeguard soap, Puffs tissues) sometimes bog down the viewing. If you are interested in old commercials, however, you cannot beat the price of this set. Hopefully, someone will put out a set of old commercials with information like the year it came out, the climate of the times that affected the style and message of the commercial (i.e. the economy), who the celebrity spokesmen are (some I could not recognize, and they are not listed on this set), etc. Until then, this is a fun set and a nice time machine. Now let's see some '80s commercials that I will remember!
Rating:
Summary: "From the land of sky blue waters"
Review: This 2 DVD set is a fun collection of commercials for all sorts of products dating from the 1950s through the 1970s. The first DVD has 9 chapters including Cigarettes & Cigars, Cleaning products, Cosmetics & Medications, Clothes & Accessories, Electronic appliances, Automobiles, Toys, and Public Service Announcements. The second DVD, which I think is the most fun, has four chapters: Food & Drugs, Celebrities, The Drugstore, and Horror and Sci-Fi. The menu pages are well done and cute with television sets flipping through a selection of commercials complete with static. There are over 200 commercials here. Highlights include: an S.O.S. "opera" ad on the Garry Moore show, a live demonstration of a Westinghouse refrigerator where the hostess can't get the door open "somebody's playing games," Arthur Godfrey's frank advertisement for Lipton chicken noodle cup of soup on the Talent Scouts show "there's chicken, you won't find it but it's there," a surprising sing-along public service announcement for V.D., the Flintstone's advertising Winston cigarettes (imagine cartoon characters doing that today!), the cute Quisp cereal guy plus Frankenberry, Boo-berry, and Count Chocula, commercial legends Mr. Whipple ("please, don't squeeze the Charmin") and Rosie ("Bounty: the Quick picker upper"), the famous crying Indian for a pollution public service announcement (one I actually remember!), and a bizarre slogan for Crest toothpaste ("I only got one cavity!"--I guess Crest wanted to leave a little room for error). Some of the best celebrity spots include the Monkees for Kool-Aid in 1969 after Peter Tork left the band (either Instant Replay or Monkees Present era), the 5th Dimension for Jell-O, the Three Stooges for Simoniz, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts for Post Grapenuts, Lucy and Desi for Philip Morris ("Call for Philip Morriiiis"), Chico and Harpo Marx for Prom home perm (they must have really needed the money, maybe for Chico's gambling debts), Buster Keaton for Hamm's beer, Gale Sayers and Tom Seaver for Phillips 66, Jimmy Durante for Scotties tissues, Dinah Shore for the upcoming '59 Chevy--the list goes on. Quality is not the best here but, considering the material, it is understandable. Editing is also a problem as clips of the show or commercial that follows the featured commercial are sometimes left on. Another editing error: the screen shots on the back case of disc one are of commercials that are on disc 2 and vice versa. Numerous renditions of nearly the same commercial (i.e. Crest, Safeguard soap, Puffs tissues) sometimes bog down the viewing. If you are interested in old commercials, however, you cannot beat the price of this set. Hopefully, someone will put out a set of old commercials with information like the year it came out, the climate of the times that affected the style and message of the commercial (i.e. the economy), who the celebrity spokesmen are (some I could not recognize, and they are not listed on this set), etc. Until then, this is a fun set and a nice time machine. Now let's see some '80s commercials that I will remember!
Rating:
Summary: Lame
Review: This collection of commercials could have been a masterpiece. I agree with the previous reviews that mention how some of the commercials end and then you see a few seconds of another program before it goes to the next commercial. That's a serious editing no-no. Also, I think it would have been better to have an actor or someone easily recognizable from classic commercials narrate the piece. They could introduce each commercial, let us know what to look for and how things have changed, and perhaps talk about the product a little and make corny jokes about it. There is, of course, no narrator. At the least, it would have been nice if when the commercial comes on, a little box in the corner of the screen lets us know what year the commercial aired. We aren't even granted this much. What we get is an endless stream of old commercials with no break (and no narrator in between them to laugh along with us) that just keeps going, and going, ang going... I don't even know if they're in order. And old black and white commercial advertising soap will come on and that's followed by a more modern looking color commercial for cigarettes. Are these from the same year or did we jump a decade? I watched the first disc for about 3 minutes and got bored after viewing 8 cigarette commercials in a row. I put in the second disc hoping it would get better and it didn't. This along with the
poor editing make this set awful. Save your money and wait for
another company to come out with a set of classic commercials. I'm sure that anyone would be able to do a better job.
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