TIME MACHINE: BUTT OUT: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CIGARETTE ADVERTISING ON TV (TV)
Summary
One in this anthology series of documentaries aired under the umbrella title, "Time Machine." This documentary traces the history of cigarette advertising on television from the 1950s until the last commercial was aired in 1971 and features interviews with cigarette company executives and television executives. Topics covered and highlights include the following, among others: in the early days of television, cigarette companies sponsored television shows so heavily they practically owned and ran the shows; Perry Como sings about his sponsor, Chesterfield cigarettes; on "I Love Lucy," Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball could hardly finish a program without plugging their sponsor; some companies even controlled the content of the programs such as "The Price Is Right," "The $64,000 Challenge," and "The Garry Moore Show"; Steve McQueen does a commercial for Viceroy on the set of a movie; advertisers made certain their product name was prominently displayed on the screen most of the time; Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore enjoy a cigarette while relaxing at home; Phil Silvers does a commercial for Camel cigarettes; Ed Wynn, along with many other television comedians, built comedy sketches around commercials; some commercials would last up to eleven minutes because they were integrated into a sketch; Jack Benny and Humphrey Bogart plugged Lucky Strikes; smoking was an acceptable practice when advertising cigarettes became popular; most ads ran catch phrases or went for the one-on-one approach, with Dennis James being the most popular spokesman; advertisers even had endorsements from doctors who gave smokers a clean bill of health and endorsed specific brands of cigarettes; "Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour" had sponsorship from Old Gold cigarettes and the Heart Foundation; Reader's Digest published an article in 1952 about the possibility of cancer being linked to smoking; this did not deter advertisers at all because the invention of the filter cigarette created a market for new and better commercials; the competition became intense between companies and they would do almost anything to sell their product; when the quiz show scandal occurred, cigarette companies gave up their heavy sponsorship and now began buying time on shows; shows such as "Make Room for Daddy," "Rawhide," and "The Flinstones" were now sponsored, not controlled, by cigarette advertisers; politicians didn't want to challenge the cigarette companies because of the influence of the tobacco growers in the Southern states; in the early 1960s, anti-smoking commercials became very common on television; in 1964, the government unveiled scientific studies that found cigarettes unhealthy; warning labels were added to cigarette packs and cartons, but not to the television commercials; joining the many commercials, anti-smoking public service announcements showed up in primetime television; and in 1971, the last cigarette commercial -- for Virginia Slims -- aired during "The Tonight Show." Commercials deleted.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Marc Haas and Helen Hotze Haas Foundation, 1996.
Details
- NETWORK: A&E
- DATE: December 11, 1992 Friday 8:04 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:43:55
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:29245
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Advertising - Cigarettes; Advertising campaigns; Cigarette industry; Documentaries; Endorsements in advertising; Television advertising
- SERIES RUN: A&E - TV series, 1991-1994
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robb Weller … Executive Producer, Writer
- Gary H. Grossman … Executive Producer, Writer
- John F. Showalter … Coordinating Producer
- Ira Gallen … Co-Producer
- Sue Nadell-Bailey … Segment Producer
- Jack Perkins … Host, Narrator
- Grant Tinker … Guest
- Desi Arnaz
- Lucille Ball
- Jack Benny
- Humphrey Bogart
- Perry Como
- Dennis James
- Steve McQueen
- Mary Tyler Moore
- Phil Silvers
- Dick Van Dyke
- Ed Wynn