The 1950s were arguably the golden age of television and many people of a certain age look back fondly at some of the shows of the time The Lone Ranger, I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. These shows were in black and white and were watched on a set that got its signal from a huge antenna on the roof, but they were loved just the same.
Almost as compelling as the TV shows themselves, were some of the commercials of the time. TV was still a novelty during the 1950s and companies were anxious to cash in on the new craze. Particularly popular were commercials for cigarettes, cars and state of the art kitchen appliances. And the average length of TV advertisements was around a minute compared to the 30 seconds or less today.
Beer was also one of the products widely advertised on TV during the 1950s. At first, it was only late at night and never on a Sunday, so as not to offend anyone. During the early part of the decade, Blatz Beer became one of the beer industry's biggest advertisers, partly due to the company's sponsorship of the popular Amos 'n Andy show.
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One of the most instantly recognizable characters in television advertising at the time was Mabel. Mabel was a chirpy blond waitress who appeared on screen with a tray of Carling Black Label beer. Almost every Carling commercial featured the phrase that became famous Hey, Mabel, Black Label!
Cigarette advertisements were commonplace during the 1950s a big change from television today. Some of the biggest tobacco manufacturers of the time spent a lot of money trying to convince us that smoking was sophisticated and fun, including Lucky Strike, Tareyton and Winston.
One famous Lucky Strike ad featured a clever combination of cartoon and live action, featuring the singer Gisele McKenzie. Tareyton had an ad that featured what appeared to be two children dancing around a giant pack of cigarettes. And who can possibly forget the Fontane Sisters singing the praises of Chesterfield cigarettes?
Car manufacturers went to great lengths to advertise the latest models on television during the 1950s despite the loss of aesthetic effect on a black and white screen. The Ford Edsel was advertised at great length as the most beautiful convertible in the world, complete with such wonderful and innovative features as teletouch driving and air suspension.
It wasn't all just cars, beer and tobacco. Some healthier products were advertised as well. One of the most well known ads of the era was for Pepsodent toothpaste. The TV ad featured a cute cartoon couple kissing after having brushed their teeth, and the catchy and unforgettable slogan You'll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!
TV advertisements for kitchen appliances pointed out features that we now take for granted. A General Electric ad from the time for a new refrigerator consisted of a proud couple explaining the features of their sleek new fridge which included shelves that slid out, storage space behind the door, and a separate freezer compartment.
And some things don't seem to have changed much over the years. Tupperware ran a series of TV ads during the 1950s which featured an exciting Tupperware storage container party at a typical suburban home, organized by a hostess. Almost as much emphasis was placed on the social aspect, as on the actual features of the product.
One of the most prolific TV advertisers during the 1950s and subsequent decades was Pepsi. Their advertisements captured the feeling of the times like few others. One of the company's earliest featured the actress and singer Polly Bergen enjoying a barn dance and a refreshing glass of Pepsi-Cola.
Not to be outdone, Coca-Cola was just as prolific with their ads and came up with several memorable slogans, such as There's nothing like a Coke. Coca-Cola also went after the young crowd, with an ad featuring people at diners and drive-in movie theaters and a jingle that claimed Zing! What a feeling!
Many television viewers firmly maintain that the advertisements are just as good as the actual shows themselves! It seems as though that was especially true back in the 1950s. And if you just can't get enough of those old commercials, you can enjoy some of them on DVD or online.
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Because I'm in a generous mood today, I'm going to give you a couple of free beer brewing recipes. Today you can get a supper special, summer discount on 700+ beer recipes, plus instructions, and best places to buy equipment when you click HERE!
A FEW FREE GERMAN BEER 🍺 RECIPES
Granolabrau
Category Pale Ale
Recipe Type All Grain
Fermentables
6 lbs 6-row cracked pale malt
1 lbs white or brown rice
1 lbs yellow corn grits or flaked maize
6 oz flaked barley
4 oz oatmeal
1.5 lbs clover or orange blossom honey
Other
4 oz millet
Yeast Wyeast German ale yeast (#1007)
Procedure Cook rice, grits, oatmeal and millet together in plenty of water for 3 hours to gelatinize. The result should be a mushy, gummy mess.
Mash malt, barley and gelatinized grains in moderately hard water at 150F for 1-1/2 hours. Raise to 168F to deactivate enzymes. Sparge with hot water (168F) to collect 250+ degrees of extract (e.g., 6 gallons at S.G. 1.042).
Boil 1-1/2 hours, adding all but 1/2 ounce of hops after 1 hour, honey towards end of boil. Chill wort and add cold water to bring S.G. to 1.050. Pitch with working starter. Dry-hop with reserved hops in hopping bag. Primary fermentation takes 5-7 days. Wyeast 1007 will require 3-4 weeks in secondary fermenter to settle out. Bottle, then age 2 months. Drink and enjoy!
Weizen? Why Not?
Category Wheat Beer
Recipe Type Extract
Fermentables
6 lb Williams wheat extract
1 lb crystal malt
.5 lb toasted barley
1 lb honey
Hops
2 oz Cascades hops (boil)
.5 oz Cascades hops (finish)
Yeast 1 package Wyeast wheat yeast
Procedure Make a 2-quart starter before brewing. Steep crystal and toasted barley in 4 gallons water for 40 minutes (use grain bags to make this easier). Add extract, honey and bittering hops. Boil wort for 1 hour. Remove from heat. Add finishing hops and steep 2 minutes. Chill and pitch yeast. After 3 days, rack to secondary. Bottle after 8 days.
Alt
Category German Ale
Recipe Type All Grain
Grains and hops used should be German.
Fermentables
8 lbs pilsner malt (or 6 pounds light
4 oz 10L crystal malt
4 oz 60L crystal malt
4 oz 120L crystal malt (assumes 75% extraction
Hops
6 oz German hops (Hallertauer
Yeast Wyeast #1338 or #1007
Procedure Cold condition in secondary.
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