Ever since the first TV signal flickered to life, people have been inundated with commercials. They want you to buy so many different things. TV shows got into the act, with a lot of tie-ins for send-aways. It was really ubiquitous in the 1940’s and 50’s. This video here is a prime example of such a thing. It’s a commercial for an offer from a show called “Captain Video” that ran from ’49 to ’55.
We see a Brylcreem-adorned young man who talks about being an agent for Captain Video. He wears his ring all the time and now fans can get their own Captain Video ring – all they have to do is either buy two Powerhouse Bars or one Jumbo one and send the wrappers to get the ring sent to them in two weeks. Quite different from ordering online, isn’t it. It hearkens back to a seemingly simpler time.
One true sign of this being from a different era – when they give the address to send the wrappers to, the city and state are New York 46, NY. They used a two-digit zip code back then and it was only used in larger cities until ’67. Now they are five digits and you often have to tack on another four digits to really ensure that your letter gets to where you want it. It’s so much simpler to send an email…
This reminds me of the Ovaltine scene in “A Christmas Story” where Ralphie sends away for secret decoder. He checks the mailbox daily… and it finally arrives! He writes down the code from the radio show that night… and then eagerly dashes to the bathroom. While his brother pounds the door to use the bathroom, he feverishly writes out the code… “DRINK YOUR OVALTINE!” I wonder if the same thing happened to Captain Video fans…
Do you remember growing up during that time? What did you think of offers like this? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments section!
https://youtu.be/sTGEe96KT0s
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