My Top 10 Classic California TV Commercials

Periodically I find my mind wandering back to television commercials that I watched while growing up in Southern California in the 1970s and early 1980s. These are a sampling of my favorites, all of which were strictly regional companies and limited to the Los Angeles media market or California media markets.

The ahead-of-his-time Shadoe Stevens used to do local "Fred Rated" television ads for the Federated chain of home entertainment stores in Southern California long before there were Circuit City or Best Buy stores all over the place, having started way back in 1970 and dying in 1989 as technology and consumer trends changed faster than they could evolve.... the story of business success or failure.

Miller's Outpost created many ads over the years of my youth with this being just one. The company began in 1972, changed its name to Anchor Blue Clothing Company in the late 1990s and entered bankruptcy during the Great Recession in 2009 and ceased to exist in 2011.

"Go See Cal!" Who can forget these ads growing up and watching television in Southern California in the 1970s and 1980s? Cal Worthington's "Go See Cal" campaign actually ran from the 1960s to 1990s.

Round Table Pizza had a great advertising campaign featuring these guys throughout the 1980s.

"Me and Sparklett's Water making friends." I have never forgotten that highly effective ad jingle from Sparklett's Water Company which still exists but is owned by hated Nestle Corporation.

I grew up on Winchell's Donuts which started in Temple City, CA, where I lived for 5-1/2 years in the 1970s into 1980s. I still remember this particular commercial for the drill sergeant.

Adee Heating & Plumbing created a memorable advertising campaign which only reached the Los Angeles media market but I was there and I remember these like it was yesterday. Quite catchy!

The jingle at the end of Roto-Rooter television commercials was inexplicably catchy and effective lasting for decades.

Anybody living in the Los Angeles media market in the 1970s and 1980s cannot but remember the distinctive voice and delivery of Earl Schieb.

I grew up with angry Larry H. Parker ambulance chaser television commercials, most famously, the ones with the black guy who allegedly won $2.1 million from a motorcycle accident, Parker's claimed specialty. After laws changed keeping damage amounts secret, the commercials had to only hint at the dollar amount that by later times was legendary and even satirized on comedy shows and late night television monologues. All the earlier commercials from the 1970s and 1980s are only hosted by Larry H. Parker who has disabled embedding so I can't share any of those here. However, I was able to find this 1995 commercial that gives you the idea of what the earlier ones were like and does feature the motorcycle guy. Note: nobody seems to be able to find any legal record of Larry H. Parker winning this man such a judgement and thus speculation is that his story is a fabrication.

My Top 10 Favorite 2017 Super Bowl Ads

This year I enjoyed Super Bowl LI (51) more than any such game in many years. However, I noted with some slight dismay the continued trend of not as many good and funny ads being featured during the game's various commercial breaks. Below are my favorites this year in no particular order.


Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster Commercial "Easy Driver"


Skittles | "Romance" | Super Bowl LI Commercial


Tide | Super Bowl Commercial 2017 with Terry Bradshaw


Super Bowl LI 2017 John Malkovich Commercial


Bai 2017 Big Game Ad - Starring Justin Timberlake and Christopher Walken


2017 Kia Niro | “Hero’s Journey” Starring Melissa McCarthy


Justin Bieber's Super Bowl 2017 Commercial for T-Mobile


TurboTax 2017 Commercial "Humpty Fall"


Bud Light 2017 Super Bowl Commercials Between Friends


Budweiser 2017 Super Bowl Commercial | “Born The Hard Way”

My Top 10 Favorite 2015 Super Bowl Ads

Here is my top ten list of favorite Super Bowl advertisements for Super Bowl XLIX (49) which was played today. This year's installment is shown in relative descending order of prominence.Visit my selections for Super Bowl XLVII HERE and Super Bowl XLVIII HERE.
Note: to read more about these and other advertisements from this year's game go HERE.


Mophie "All-powerless"


Turbotax "Boston Tea-Party"


Kia Sorrento "The Perfect Getaway"


Skittles "Settle It"


Doritos "Middle Seat"


Fiat "Blue Pill"


Snickers "The Brady Bunch"


Avocados From Mexico "First Draft Ever"


Carnival Cruises "Come Back To The Sea"


Dodge "Wisdom"

Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse

Apparently they are currently in my San Luis Obispo County tonight.... reducing to ecstatic tears at least one girl seen on the local news tonight by the simple fact they are here. A pox on all their house! Note I do not mention them by name having already sullied this blog by posting their visages here.... I'm such a whore!

My Top 12 Favorite 2014 Super Bowl Ads

This year's Super Bowl XLVIII advertisements in the aggregate were a bit off in comparison to a year ago. However, there were some real gems again and here is my Top Ten list which is actually a bit more than that.

Check out my Top Ten List from Super Bowl XLVII HERE.and Super Bowl LXIX Here.



Audi "Doberhuahua"


Radio Shack "In With The New"


Kia "Matix"


Toyota "Muppets"



GoDaddy "BodyBuilder"


Doritos "Finger Cleaner"


Coca~Cola "Going All The Way"


Axe "Make Love, Not War"


Seinfeld "Reunion"



Jaguar "British Villains 'Rendezvous'"


Volkswagon "Angels Wings"


Chrysler "Bob Dylan"

My Top 13 Favorite 2013 Super Bowl Ads

The following list is actually a Top 13 favorite videos from this year's just-completed Super Bowl XLVII, but I had more than ten favorites while this is also a top ten list, hence the incongruity.
My absolute overall favorite ad from the pop cultural mega-event I posted yesterday, but I include it again here at the top of this list which otherwise is in no particular order of significance.
Watch my faves from Super Bowl XLVIII HERE and Super Bowl XLIX HERE.


AllState Mayhem's "Forbidden Apple"


Fiat "Wedding"


Kia "Space Babies"


Coca~Cola "The Chase"


Doritos "Fashionista Daddy"


Taco Bell "We Are Young"


Oreo "Library Whisper Fight"


Toyota "Wish Granted"


Milk Mustache- The Rock "Got Milk"


Hyundai "Stuck"


GoDaddy "Your Big Idea"


Hyundai "Team"


Dodge Ram "Farmer"