We know how you did on the 3rd Annual Quiz. And you thought that you knew something. Ha!
This quiz is on old advertising and magazines, brands and phrases you’ve heard a million times. So no excuses. Here’s your chance to redeem yourself, and prove that all those who say that your memory’s gone are only half right. Here goes nothing…
1. What popular dramatic radio program did Cecil B. DeMille produce from 1936 to 1945?
a. Gangbusters
b. Lux Radio Theatre
c. Donna Reed Show
2. In the late ’40s, what was “Best buy for bread and budget”?
a. Parkay Margarine
b. Oscar Meyer Wieners
c. Skippy’s Peanut Butter
3. What brand’s green “has gone to war?”
a. Spam
b. Lucky Strike Cigarettes
c. Willys Jeep
4. In 1949, what promised “…the very peak of feminine loveliness”?
a. Catalina Swimwear
b. “Mild and Gentle” Camay Soap
c. The new “Disguise” bra. Here’s a hint for that old brain of yours…
5. In 1947, “More Doctors Smoke ___________ Than Any Other Cigarette”
a. Camels
b. Kents
c. Raleighs
6. Which was the name of a popular fountain pen in 1952?
a. InkNoMore
b. Esterbrook
c. JustRite
7. In the ’50s, Miles Laboratories in Elkhart, Ind, had a funny little guy promise “instant alkalizing action” with what product?
a. Alka-Seltzer
b. Pennzoil
c. Miles Nervine
8. In 1952, what product used the headline, “I just couldn’t believe my hands!”
a. Lux Soap
b. Beemer’s Gloves
c. Chrysler Power Steering
9. In 1956, P&G proudly announced, “Triumph Over Tooth Decay” with what product?
a. Pringles
b. Crest Toothpaste
c. Pepsodent
10. “She was losing him…and she didn’t know why” was the headline for what product?
a. Colgate Dental Cream
b. Prell Shampoo
c. Listerine
11. What was a “Sign of Good Taste” in 1958?
a. Cadillac
b. Coke
c. Dick Clark Jewelry
12. “Is it true…blondes have more fun?” introduced what product?
a. Georgiana Wigs
b. Lady Clairol
c. Brylcreem
ANSWERS
1. b. Lux Radio Theatre
2. a. Parkay Margarine
3. b. Lucky Strike Cigarettes*
4. c. The new “Disguise” bra from Hedy of Hollywood. It featured removable rubber pads and a scandalous “Deep-Plunge Neckline.
5. a. Camels
6. b. Esterbrook. You probably had one. Remember the ink all over your hands?
7. a. Alka-Seltzer
8. c. Chrysler Power Steering. The subheading in a Motor Trend ad read, “‘Want to driver her?’ Jim asked…and then I had the greatest experience I’ve ever had in a car!”
9. b. Crest Toothpaste
10. c. Listerine Antiseptic stopped bad breath, also known as the dreaded halitosis.
11. b. Coke
12. b. Lady Clairol
SCORING
10 – 12 correct: Boy, are you old!!! Not only older than dirt, but also smart as Quiz Kid (one of television’s earliest game shows). Now if you could only remember where you put your glasses.
7 – 9 correct: Approaching dirt, and definitely dusty.
0 – 6 correct: Good thing you can call your spouse “Honey,” considering you can’t remember that name either. Some Suddenly Senior you are!
NOTES
* Here, as they say, is the rest of the story (courtesy of BurntOfferings):
“Lucky Strike Green Has Gone to War!” was heard over and over on the radio, but seldom seen. There were no magazine ads, posters or billboards produced, only cigarette carton inserts.
Six drawings of the US’s military might, plus a catchy slogan, made this 1943 patriotic advertising campaign a huge success.
A tank and a submarine, motorcycles, a destroyer, a fighter plane, and an AA gun emplacement helped to show off Lucky’s new white uniform.
Lucky Strike Cigarettes sponsored several radio programs during the war, including Information Please. The program’s creator, Dan Golenpaul, decided to go to war with George Washington Hill, the president of The American Tobacco Company, over how often his radio announcer was ordered to use the slogan. Golenpaul felt the constant uttering of the phrase was ruining his show, so he filed a lawsuit against the cigarette manufacturer.
Radio listeners taking part in a 1943 Woman’s Day Magazine poll voted “Lucky Strike Green Has Gone to War!” one of their most disliked commercials. When questioned why he would annoy his radio listeners, Hill spat on a boardroom table. After wiping up his spittle with a silk handkerchief, Hill explained that this disgusting episode wouldn’t soon be forgotten.
George Washington Hill was president of The American Tobacco Company from 1925 until his death in 1946.
The 1940’s most successful advertising slogan, “Lucky Strike Green Has Gone to War!,” was conceived by Mr. Hill while duck hunting on Monkey Island, North Carolina. Several days earlier Richard Boylan, head of purchasing for ATCo, had informed Hill that there was only a three months’ supply of green ink available for printing Lucky Strike labels. Chromium, an element which is essential to solid green ink, was a war material in short supply. Boylan told Hill “Just like the soldiers, green ink has gone to war.”
George Washington Hill knew that the green Lucky Strike package didn’t appeal to women, but he needed a reason to change colors. When Hill found out that there was a shortage of merchant ships able to carry war supplies to England and Russia, and that older wood-hulled ships were being pressed into service, he had his reason.
