MovieChat Forums > Classic TV: The 50s > public service announcements

public service announcements

posted 9 years ago by NewtonFigg
2 replies | jump to latest

In the early 50s, even the NBC flagship station in NYC couldn't sell all the advertising spots they'd left room for between programs, so they ran public service announcements.

See your army recruiter, he's.. your opportunity man.
Only you can prevent forest fires.

Then, they had "brotherhood" spots with animation that made Speed Racer look like high tech.

George Washington liked good roast beef. Haym Solomon liked fish. But when Uncle Sam served liberty they both enjoyed the dish. I may not know a lot of things, but one thing I can state: both native born and foreign born have made our country great.

And there was a cartoon trapeze artist who wouldn't grab hold of the arms of the guy sent out to catch him in mid air because the guy was the wrong color or the wrong religion. He got three chances. When he turned down the 3rd guy, he fell, and the announcer said "Oh Joe, you Schmo!"
Chorus: Don't be a schmo, Joe, be in the know, Joe. Religion and race just don't count in this place. So, be in the know, Joe, wherever you go, Joe. Remember that and you won't fall on your face.

(I think the trapeze artist's name was Joe.)

[–] Thor-Delta 9 years ago

I uploaded a similar (but not the same) trapeze artist PSA to the Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/1952Anti-prejudicePsa

Here's another PSA from the same people:
https://archive.org/details/antiracism1952ad3

Here's a navy PSA:
https://archive.org/details/navy1952ad2

Have you played Atari today?

[–] NewtonFigg 9 years ago

I think that is the same Joe Schmo, and the other two ads you found ring a distant bell.

Another sort of PSA featured an odd looking child with a nasal voice who sang about the advantages of owning a TV, no particular brand, just a TV. All I can remember is "I want a television Christmas, a world of magic all my own" I guess the ad was aimed at the people who went to watch television at a neighbor's house.