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Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 335 Today's Peep Smokes! Cigarettes on TV: A Journey Through Forgotten Commercials, How Cigarette Ads Shaped a Generation, From "Marlboro" Masculinity to "You've Come a Long Way Baby" and Meet Mr. Cig
Pat reflects on the once-common sight of people smoking on television, particularly Johnny Carson, which sparked memories of his own five-year smoking habit from ages 16 to 21.
• Pat recalls quitting smoking after experiencing breathing difficulties at a young age
• Discussion of the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970, signed by Nixon, which banned cigarette TV commercials effective January 1971
• Detailed reminiscences of memorable cigarette ad campaigns including Virginia Slims, Marlboro Man, and Winston
• Pat shares memories of the "Father Like Son" anti-smoking PSA from 1967
• Examination of cigarette marketing tactics, including celebrity endorsements from John Wayne and characters from The Flintstones and Beverly Hillbillies
• Discussion of bizarre marketing strategies like "Mr. Cig," a cigarette mascot who distributed free cigarettes in hospital respiratory wards
• Pat plans to discuss his weekend concert experience (Foghat, Blue Oyster Cult, and BTO) on his radio show
Check out Pat's radio show tonight 7-10 on KFBK News Radio 93.1 FM, 1530 AM, and visit the Roc & Sol Diner in Sacramento for two-for-one meals anytime. #patspeeps @patspeeps.com
Welcome to the Pats Peeps podcast. Yo, it's a Monday. Pats Peeps 335. Thank you for being here. Hope you had a great weekend. Looking out the studio window into the beautiful foothills of Northern California. It's a beautiful day, but it's going to be hot again. We got the hot temperatures coming back. Where's my little peep at?
Speaker 2:where's my little?
Speaker 1:where's my little peep? There we go, hi there. Yeah, I would recap Where's my little beep at. Where's my little beep? There we go, hi there. Yeah, I would recap the football from the weekend my Rams had the Eagles beat. How do you get two, two field goal blocks, blocks on field goal attempts in a row? Anyhow, I'm not going to even go there. Whatever, whatever on field goal attempts in a row. Anyhow, I'm not going to even go there. Whatever, whatever. Here we go with another week, my friends.
Speaker 1:This weekend I took my brother, steve, for his birthday, which was September 1st, but I took him and my nephew Daniel, my friend Robin the Interrupter, my other friend, sherry Cunningham from Riff Riding, kvmr, took them all to a concert. This weekend we saw Foghat Blue Oyster Cult and BTO, and you know what I want to talk about, that concert. But you know what I'm going to do is I'm going to do it on tonight's show, on my radio show. By the way, in in case you don't know him, my name is Pat Walsh. I'm the host of the Pat Walsh show, kmpk News Radio 93.1 FM, 1530 AM. I also want to just really quickly say we may. I'm not sure yet, but maybe around Thursday or Friday there may be some big things, some other big things happening, for my business is that if it happens, it's going to be huge and you're going to want to know all about it. For those of you who've gone to the rock and soul diner in sacramento, got you two for one meal any time of the day. Thank you, hope you enjoyed that. They're wonderful. But I will talk about the concert on my show tonight. There's a reason I'm going to do that. I want to save some of the content and some of my reaction to that show.
Speaker 1:Um, for my for to that concert, for my show. I don't want to repeat here and there, so, uh, I would have something set up for that. But always a good time with my brother and see my, my nephew and, you know, going to concerts and things. It's just one of my favorite things. By the way, let me say this too Today, first day of fall, even though it's going to be hot, it's the first day of fall, so welcome to fall. I always you know spring and fall are my favorite times of the year. I'd say spring is my very favorite, but then fall is right there with it. So I wish you a very happy first day of fall. I wish you a very happy first day of fall.
Speaker 1:You know, as I was um doing my podcast the other day, running or walking for the podcast portion of it, and then did some laps, you know we were talking about a variety of things, one of those things being the fact that you know something about Johnny Carson, and one of the things that I noticed on Johnny Carson I happen to mention on a couple of podcasts ago was that occasionally you would see him smoking and that it always. Now, when I look back on that, I like, wow, man, look at that they used to smoke on tv and all that, and that I don't really see people smoking very often, smoking cigarettes I mentioned I have the occasional cigar, but I don't really see a lot of people smoking cigarettes. You know I used to smoke cigarettes and I just thought I would talk about cigarettes today for a little bit, because once I'm done with this I'll go on my run. You know it is a precious thing to be able to breathe correctly and I remember I smoked from the ages of like 16. I would sneak Marlboro's red pack, marlboro box, and I smoked to the age of 21. Back then it seemed like I'd smoked forever. In retrospect, now that I'm older, I smoked for five years and that was it. Years and that was it.
Speaker 1:And I loved cigarettes. I can remember after a meal I loved having a cigarette, after a meal especially, or after, you know, with coffee, or if you were, you know, happen to be drinking a beer, you know, something like that I would. I loved cigarettes, but right after a meal was the best. But even at the tender age of, I don't know, probably 20, maybe 19, 20, 21, I knew it was bad for me, you know, and I could feel myself struggling a little bit to get my wind and I thought, geez, I'm too young for that. And so one day I just decided that I'd quit smoking. And so one day I just decided that I'd quit smoking.
Speaker 1:I went from Marlboro box in the red box to eventually and this is when I knew I had to stop to smoking Camel non-filters, remember those? I think they probably still sell those, I don't know. No filter, just a Camel non-filter Little pack. You may pound it in your hand, get the pack in there, light it up. I knew at that point. Then I got tonsillitis, my throat swelled up and I, you know, at the age of 18 or 19, I had my tonsils out. I don't know if one is related to the other, all I know is that happened. You know it's not a great thing to have your tonsils taken out at that time. But you know, I still for some reason in my mind think well, what do you think Something's going to happen? You're smoking these horrible camel nut filters. But I know people still smoke and I do want to go for a run today because I want to keep my lungs clear, I want to keep my heart moving and, you know, working and keep my blood pressure and my weight and all that under control, like anyone would.
Speaker 1:When you think back, if you're old enough to actually remember TV commercials if you're old I guess we have to say that at this point then you probably remember cigarette commercials on TV. Cigarette commercials have not been on television since 1970. And yet, like I mentioned on my podcast the other day, it's still remarkable that if you were even a kid during the time that commercials were on TV for cigarettes, you still remember them, or at least I do, boy. They must have done a great job advertising cigarettes, because I remember them. But cigarette TV commercials banned in the US by the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970, which was signed by President Nixon. See, it wasn't all bad. He did some okay things, eh, not some not okay things. But this ban prohibited cigarette advertising on television and radio, took effect January 2nd of 1971, which, by the way, I'm very proud of myself because the other day, I believe, I said just off the cuff and the top of my head didn't they ban him in like 1971? Might have been 72, but I think it was 71. Bam, absolutely right, 71. But this was a landmark legislation. It was direct response to growing public concern about the health impacts of smoking Marked a significant shift in tobacco regulation.
Speaker 1:You know, by the 1960s there was a lot of evidence linking smoking to serious health problems. It became widespread, prompting public health initiatives calling for reduced smoking rates. You know, as I'm thinking about that, I can remember about that time being a kid and I would be watching cartoons on a Saturday morning and they used to have this PSA. That PSA has come on, if you remember the one with the Indian. He was crying because the trash was thrown out onto the road, which the guy wasn't even an Indian, by the way.
Speaker 1:There were commercials like that, psas, and one of the ones that I remember was an anti-smoking PSA which was directed at kids and at fathers. What they were saying basically, in this commercial that came out in 1967, it was called Father Like Son. I still remember the little flute and everything in the song. Jeez, I haven't heard it since I was a little kid that's how old I am, dang it. But here's a father and everything that the father would do his little boy, this little blonde boy, would do the very same thing and it was all fun until the very end. When they go to the park and they're sitting at a tree and then the um, the kid pulls out cigarettes, just like dad, and lights one up Like son.
Speaker 1:I still remember that little jingle. There's that flute. God, I haven't heard this in 50 years, 55 years. Like father. At the end he goes like father, like son. They're out washing the car together. Son shoots dad with a squirt gun. Now they're just walking having a good time. Now they're going to throw rocks how fun. Now they're at the tree in the park. Dad pulls out smokes, sets him on the ground.
Speaker 1:The kid looks up at dad, picks up the cigarettes father like son, think about it for information on smoking and heart disease, ask your heart association you know, that's amazing to me because I remember that so well again. That was 1970. Federal trade commission, the ftc, required warning labels on cigarette packages. Back in 1964 the public health cigarette smoking act was passed. In 1970, the final cigarette commercial aired in the US on television on January 1st 1971, promoted Virginia Slims on the Tonight Show. Anyone remember Virginia Slims? So Virginia Slims were the cigarette for ladies, the cigarette that women preferred. You know there was the Marlboro man, but what about women? They really played it up and I remember it very well. 1968, virginia Slims.
Speaker 5:In 1910, mrs Pamela Benjamin was caught smoking in the gazebo. She got a severe scolding and no supper that night. In 1915, mrs Cynthia Robinson was caught smoking in the cellar behind the preserves, although she was 34, her husband sent her straight to her room. Can you imagine?
Speaker 1:Can you imagine these commercials now, even though they're Then in 1920, women won their rights.
Speaker 6:You've come a long way, baby.
Speaker 3:Introducing new Virginia Slims, the Slim Cigarette for women, only Tailored for the feminine hand, slimmer than the fat cigarettes men smoke Sure With flavor. Women like Much more fashionable, rich, mild Virginia flavor, fashionable cough. New Virginia Slims in the Slim Purse Pack You've come a long way, baby To get where you got to today, you've got your own cigarette.
Speaker 2:Now, baby, you've come a long long way, you know.
Speaker 1:But you know what that reminded me of. There was another one, there was Benson I had forgotten about this Benson and Hedges, and they had this cool tune. This is just a song from Benson and Hedges and I remember this, 1967, pat's Peeps 335. Remember this song.
Speaker 3:La, la, la, la, la la la la.
Speaker 1:The brass ring disadvantages of you on Dunhill Records. La la la la. Anyone remember this? I can't even believe I remember this. La la la la. My dad and my stepmother smoked Palmol Gold. I used to steal them out of the carton, go around town, elk Grove, smoking them. That's when cartons were so cheap. God, I don't even know how much they are these days. It must be some ridiculous price. But you had the Virginia Slim and all that. But you know what it started off with. It started off with the Marlboro man. It was a manly cigarette, marlboro. Come to where the flavor is Marlboro Country.
Speaker 2:You don't see many wild stallions anymore.
Speaker 1:Oh, the song was so great, the Magnificent.
Speaker 2:Seven right. No, you don't see many wild stallions anymore, and even if he did run off three of your best mares, he's one of the last of a wild and very singular breed Marlboro man looking serious with that cigarette man?
Speaker 1:Ooh, Very serious look.
Speaker 2:Come to where the flavor is. Come to Marlboro Country.
Speaker 1:Bum, bum, bum, bum. Wow, I remember that. I don't know why. That just reminded me of a commercial that has nothing to do with cigarettes. Remember this. At the sign of the cat, anyone remember that. How about, I'd rather fight than switch Tarrington cigarettes, remember this. So here's the lady. She's at the carnival. She gets in one of those photo booths where you put the coin in, shoots out a bunch of photos in the photo booth, she gets it back and she's got a black eye. What?
Speaker 5:Us Tarrington smokers would rather fight than switch.
Speaker 6:Oh no.
Speaker 1:She got in a beef what is?
Speaker 6:Tariton, the taste worth fighting for Just this. There's a difference. You can see in the filter. It makes a difference. You can taste in the smoke. Look, tariton has a white outer filter and an inner filter of activated charcoal. Just like. Lark Fine granules of activated charcoal and pure cellulose. And the charcoal filter works with the white filter to actually improve the flavor of Tariton's fine tobaccos.
Speaker 1:Pure cellulose Not with more cellulose.
Speaker 6:Yes, there's a difference. You can see in the filter. It makes a difference you can taste in the smoke. So get the charcoal filter with a taste worth fighting for. Join the unswitchables. Smoke Tariton.
Speaker 5:Us Tariton smokers would rather fight than switch.
Speaker 1:There was all kind of weird products back then, like Zinc Chlorofion, remember that, or Retsin. I didn't know what any of it was, but it seemed like it was supposed to be good. And then some of the cigarette songs were great. Remember how, about this? You know, and I guarantee you I have not heard this in, I don know it must be. I mean it must be 50 years or 45, 50 years, but I still know the song. It's it, I can even go winston tastes good like a cigarette should. Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. Let me see if I remember that right. Here we go.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 4:Jeez, here comes the clapping, I'll be dang. Winston gives you real flavorful, rich tobacco flavor.
Speaker 8:Winston's easy drawing too. The filter lets the flavor through.
Speaker 1:Winston tastes good like a cigarette show short on me. Thank you, winston. But you know what? How about winston? If you look at winston Winston man, they had the advertising going on Because during those days, remember, there was the Beverly Hillbillies. Remember Granny Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies, she's doing a Winston commercial and then Jed walks in.
Speaker 3:What you doing, granny, making myself a new pipe.
Speaker 8:Oh, I got something here. You want to cotton to?
Speaker 3:What's that?
Speaker 1:Winston cigarettes. Oh, granny's out there smoking a pipe. Granny get the ganja. But here comes old Jed marooner buzz Any of these first rate.
Speaker 3:If you say they're really good.
Speaker 8:Best smoking you ever had.
Speaker 1:Where's Jethro? He lights that. She's got it in her pipe. She's got the Winston in her pipe.
Speaker 3:By thunder. Jed, that is good smoking here.
Speaker 8:Let me hot box it Sure from you know, there just ain't no way of saying how good a Winston is. You got to smoke one to find out.
Speaker 3:Well, I can say this Winston tastes mighty good Like a cigarette.
Speaker 1:Even Jed's got that down. How about this? You know I was pimped. Winston's of the Flintstones, man, Fred and Barney were making the ladies do all the mowing and all the yard work on a sunny day Unbelievable.
Speaker 8:Betty pounding out the rugs. They work hard, don't they, barney? Yeah, I hate to see them work so hard. Yeah, me too, and let's go around the back where we can't see them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that'll make it a lot better. As long as we can't see them. That should make things a lot better while the ladies do the work.
Speaker 8:Gee, we ought to do something, fred. Okay, how's about taking a nap? I got a better idea. Let's take a Winston break there we go. That's it. Winston is the one filter cigarette that delivers flavor. 20 times a pack. Winston's got that filter blend. Yeah, fred, filter blend makes the big taste difference and only Winston has it up front where it counts here ahead of the pure white filter. Winston packs rich tobacco specially selected and specially processed for good flavor in filter smoking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, barney.
Speaker 8:Winston tastes good like a cigarette cigarette jug.
Speaker 1:Pat's Peeps 335. Thank you for joining us. You gotta remember camels Camel cigarettes. You know, of all the cigarettes, guess which one's doctors prefer the most.
Speaker 4:You know, if you were to follow a busy doctor as he makes his daily round of calls, you'd find yourself having a mighty busy time keeping up with him. Time out for many men of medicine usually means just long enough to enjoy a cigarette. And because they know what a pleasure it is to smoke a mild, good-tasting cigarette, they're particular about the brand they choose. In a repeated national survey, doctors in all branches of medicine, doctors in all parts of the country were asked what cigarette do you smoke, doctor? Once again, the brand named most was camel.
Speaker 4:Yes of course, nationwide survey more doctors smoke camels than any other cigarette. Right, why not change to camels for the next 30 days and see what a difference it makes in your smoking enjoyment? Absolutely see how camels agree with your throat, sure.
Speaker 1:See how if you get tonsillitis, like pat did that. See, if that agreed with his, my throat and good tasting a cigarette can be oh my gosh. You know, else apparently liked camel cigarettes was the great john wayne here's john wayne, america's number one dramatic movie star on location.
Speaker 4:As you can see, making a movie can be pretty tough going, but free swinging, heswinging He-Man parts are what John Wayne loves to play and what the audience loves to see him in.
Speaker 4:Okay, cut when the cameras stop. John Wayne takes time out to enjoy his favorite cigarette, camel. Let's hear what he thinks about Camels in his own words. Well, after you've been making a lot of strenuous scenes, you like to sit back and enjoy a cool, mild, good-tasting cigarette. And that's just what camels are Mild and good-tasting, pack after pack. I know I've been smoking them for 20 years. Oh no, why don't you try them yourself? Oh, john, you'll see what I mean. Yes, try them yourself and you'll discover the secret of camels' extra enjoyment. Smoke and you'll discover the secret of camels' extra enjoyment. Smoke-only camels for 30 days. For mildness and flavor, camels agree with more people than any other cigarette.
Speaker 1:So many people that they'd actually walk a mile for a camel. If you remember that this man. He's going through the desert. He's in a nice, he's got like a nice dress out, you know like a dress coat on or a sport coat, Got his floor chimes on, but he's going through the desert, he's got his slacks on. And now there's some Mexicans on horses out there, for whatever reason. Show some prairie dogs here. He comes after a long, long walk. Looks like he's walking through a little Mexican town Somewhere in beautiful Mexico. Everyone's looking at him. He goes into the building Points at camels. Yes, everything's better. I'd walk a mile for a camel.
Speaker 2:This little demonstration was strictly for smokers who never tasted a camel cigarette.
Speaker 1:He's got that hole in the bottom of his shoe Camel smokers, you know what we mean.
Speaker 2:Yep, you other guys start walking. Thank you.
Speaker 1:But what about on Pat's Peeps 335? Come on, you got to give a little play to the menthol cigarette. You know, I remember Salem's as being there was Cool, right, cool and Salem were the two. I remember Cool menthol, salem menthol, and I did this on my podcast a couple of days ago. But I remember the jingle, which I again have not heard this in 50 plus and it's um, you can take Salem out of the country, but it's got a little bing, you can't take the country out of Salem. Let's see if we can go back and remember this from the 60s.
Speaker 7:Oh, there it is Wow.
Speaker 1:Just like I remember it.
Speaker 3:You can take Salem out of the country, but, jeez, you can't take the country out of Salem Country, soft Country fresh, that's the taste you get wherever you light up a Salem Country soft Country.
Speaker 7:Fresh, that's the taste you get wherever you light up a Salem, because Salem gently air softens every puff For the smoothest, most refreshing taste of any filter cigarette. So wherever you are, take a puff, sure, it's fresh.
Speaker 1:Try that these days, it's springtime.
Speaker 3:You can take Salem out of the country, but you can't you can't take the country out of sailing wow, try salem, america's largest selling menthol cigarette I remember was sitting there watching tv at night.
Speaker 1:That would come on. My mom would have like she'd go to like one of the fabric barn or something and she would get like patterns Remember, like patterns. I remember McCall, for some reason She'd get patterns I don't see any women doing this anymore and she'd be on there, you know, be watching TV and she'd be on the living room floor with her patterns Making clothes and I just remember these commercials coming on TV. And occasionally my mom didn't always smoke, but then she'd start smoking and then she smoked for a while and then she stopped smoking. Then she'd start smoking again. I remember my pops at one time smoking the Lucky Strikes.
Speaker 3:Light up a Lucky. It's light up time. Be happy, go lucky. It's light up time For the taste that you like. Light up a Lucky Strike, relax. It's light up time.
Speaker 1:You know what they used to do is they used to send a mascot, mr Sig. How about this? Mr Sig, 1948, used to visit hospitals, a human-sized cigarette mascot known as Mr Sig. What would he do? He would go to the hospitals and he would hand out free cigarettes as part of tobacco advertising campaigns, when smoking was not widely considered harmful, included respiratory wards. Okay, think about that. Mr Sig walks into your respiratory ward to hand out cigarettes, highlighting, of course, a stark contrast with the modern tobacco-free healthcare. The campaign aimed to associate smoking with positive aspects like glamour and social acceptance, to make it approachable, to humanize the product. That's what Mr Sig did with widespread acceptance. Smoking was widely accepted. I should say there was Lark's with a patented filter. I do remember the Lark's with a patented filter. I do remember the Lark's with a patented filter. That seemed to be a very special thing to keep you safe.
Speaker 4:Flavor. Rich, rewarding flavor made a Lark smoker out of this man. But it was the back of the pack that got him to try Lark in the first place. Lark is unique in cigarette filtration. Only in the Keith filter do you find two modern outer filters plus an inner filter of charcoal granules. Science uses charcoal granules to purify water you drink and to purify air you breathe. Lark's granules are not only activated but fortified. A special way. Sure. This selective filtration smooths the taste but doesn't thin out the rich tobacco flavor. Sure.
Speaker 1:Especially with that echo chamber. For sure, that, for sure seals the deal, that seals the deal for me, commander Cody.
Speaker 9:I'm a guy with a heart of gold, the ways of a gentleman, I've been told, the kind of guy who would never harm a flea, commander Cody. But if me and a certain character Met the man who invented the cigarette, I'd murder that son of a gun In the first degree and his lost planet airmen. Now it ain't cause I don't smoke myself and I don't figure it'll hurt my health. Me smoking for 25 years Ain't dead yet. But them nephetean slaves they're all the same. At a petting party or a poker game. Everything's got to stop where you smoke that cigarette.
Speaker 2:Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette, puff, puff, puff, and if you puff, yourself to death tell Steve Peter at the Golden Gate that you hate to make him wait.
Speaker 1:You just gotta have another cigarette. Thank you for listening to my Pat's Peeps 335. You know what I am gonna go for? A run. I have been inspired. I had a game of chance Appreciate ya, holding fortune was doing me right.
Speaker 9:Appreciate you very much Keeps on coming round.
Speaker 1:How about you check out my radio show tonight? I appreciate that too. Two for one on your meals, rockin' Soul Diner and big news to come, hopefully this week. All right, more food stuff. You're going to love it. We can make this happen. I'm trying Behind the scenes. Support local business.
Speaker 9:We'll see you on the radio.
