Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
A series of test commercials for Miles Laboratories (now Bayer). Some in B&W, others in color.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
Both spots in B&W-- 1) QUIZ KIDS TV show opening. "It's time to have fun with the quiz kids!" Illustration of giant Alka-Seltzer box over Miles Laboratory. Cut to creepy marionette of Alka-Seltzer package using Alka-Seltzer; walking by One-A-Day vitamin box; holding Tabacin cold medicine & Bactine boxes. Claymation of freaky Alka-Seltzer marionette introducing the Quiz Kids & Joe Kelly. (2) MOS. This and other Easter items were used as film inserts on Quiz Kids live network TV show. Time Lapse of Easter Lily flowers blooming.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(COLOR) MOS animated sequence for "Here Come Peter Cottontail" song, synched to separate recording; obtuse & angular animated rabbit on yellow block in nature; colorful egg shapes float about against black BG; chocolate bunnies appear on yellow BG; angular Aztec Bunny is formed with series of triangle shapes.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
BOTH SPOTS IN B&W-- 1) Stop-motion animation of Wire-Man, a skeletal figure composed entirely of wire, holding bottle of Alka-Seltzer tablets; he unscrews cap, spills tablets on floor; tablets form the words "first, "fast" & "always"; Wire Man walks to glass of water, drops two tablets in-- plop-plop-fizz-fizz; product shot & rehash of tagline. 2) Animation of man in pain, bringing hand to head: "Have you had a headache lately?"; live shot of two tablets being dropped into glass of water.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(B&W) Live action, two versions of the same Alka-Seltzer spot. CU young Caucasian woman with ugly slightly uneven teeth, posing w/ tennis racket: "This is the life!" she utters w/ cheesy gusto & enthusiasm; MSs woman playing lousy game of tennis, but she doesn t care b/c she's happy! MSs woman working at desk, fighting nagging headache; co-worker delivers Alka-Seltzer, which she takes with glee; MSs woman playing tennis with young white man who misses easy shot; MS young man running on court, leaping over net, joining lady friend; MS woman saying, "This is the life!"
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(COLOR) Audio of operatic vocal rendition of "Easter Parade" song w/ cheesy organ accompaniment. Weird shot of fancy Easter hat swinging towards camera, blue BG. Even weirder shot of white female mannequins wearing 1950s department store chic spinning on carousel. Great but equally strange MS young Caucasian male walking to camera with old still camera, taking picture, flashbulb snapping. A filmed insert for a live show. An illustrious example of how primitive and consequently revolutionary early TV really was. Really strange, laugh-out loud material; we're talking light years beyond "intense art student" strangeness & poignancy.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(COLOR) Hilariously bad purple Easter bunny puppet (you can see the puppeteer's hand occasionally) dancing about colorful set to audio of operatic vocal and organ rendition of "Peter Cottontail". This is rather silly, indeed. Lib's version is better.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(B&W) TLS massive lightning generator at Rosenwald Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago; MS white man turning key, turning on generator at ignition panel (dig that crazy sound of the turbines kicking in); MSs rectifier tubes & other components; h/a TLS lighting being generated, puff of smoke.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(B&W) EST shot Miles Pharmaceuticals; MS white male scientist looking at dark liquid (blood?) in test tubes, taking notes; MS white male scientist w/ large white bunny rabbit (lab animal), the VO saying it is listless b/c of vitamin deficiency; MCUs healthy lab rabbit, happy due to vitamins; MS surly Caucasian boy furrowing brow b/c of vitamin deficiency; CU blond white boy smiling and curling hands in vitamin-induced glee; Product shots of One-A-Day vitamins.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(B&W) Est shot of Miles Laboratories; shots of scientist Richard Reamer explaining drug preparation & manufacturing; CUs quality tests and assurance being placed upon raw materials of Alka-Seltzer; MSs drug manufacturing, production & distribution.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
ALL SPOTS IN B&W-- 1) MSs Bill Wider, in silhouette, eating meal, taking Alka-Seltzer for indigestion, bringing bubbling glass to camera and into light; product shot. 2) MS Bill Warrick sitting uncomfortably in chair after hard day at work, suffering from indigestion; CU bottle of Alka-Seltzer being unscrewed, tablets dropped in water; Bill takes A-S, enjoys the taste (sure, he couldn't feel any worse); MS Bill admiring A-S display in window of drug store or pharmacy. 3) MS/CUs Tommy Thurston (a woman) sitting in lounger chair, reading magazine; she stops to talk to camera; MS Tommy trying on dress, looking in mirror as girlfriend watches on; MSs Tommy suffering from headache late at night, going to medicine cabinet, taking A/S; MS Tommy modeling dress at a "fashion show".
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
ALL SPOTS IN B&W-- 1) Hilarious testimonial spot where a 30ish Caucasian male truck driver sporting dried-out pompadour sits in truck & winks at camera while showing tube of Alka-Seltzer; suffers from headache. 2) MS two young Caucasian women lacing ice skates in locker room, chatting about A-S; MSs woman (Tommy Thurston) using A-S, smiling egregiously; great MS Tommy walking arm in arm with white male beau wearing bow tie, she stopping to wink knowingly at camera. 3) MS Tommy Thurston getting into passenger seat of convertible car, young Caucasian man closing door for her (teenagers on a date); MS middle-aged white woman at medicine chest; CU plop-plop-fizz-fizz of product; MS Tommy taking her medicine, enjoying it perhaps too much; MS teens getting out of car, she carrying tennis racket & putting her head on his shoulder.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
ALL SPOTS IN B&W-- 1) MS middle-aged Caucasian waitress standing at locker, spinning around to talk to cam; she shows off tube of Alka-Seltzer, says she likes it. 2) MSs young white woman (Tommy Thurston again) shopping her a new hat, trying one on in mirror; MSs frazzled Tommy suffering from headache in bedroom, so she opens medicine cabinet, takes A-S; product shot & plop-plop fizz-fizz.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(B&W) MS Caucasian man chomping on smoking pipe while wading in river, fishing; says to camera, "This is the life!"; MS man fly-fishing, pan left to woman in bikini casting reel, tilt down to Junior sitting on rock with makeshift fishing rod; MS Paw smacking at mosquito on face, pulling out bottle of Bactine form vest, applies product to face; MS Maw applying product to soothe sunburn; MS Maw using product on Junior's arm; panning MS family showing off their catches to camera.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
(B&W) MS/CUs druggist or pharmacist stocking shelves behind counter as Caucasian male adult wearing business suit enters, asking for One-A-Day vitamins; the customer rebukes the pharmacist for "pushing" another brand onto him, angrily tells the druggist of all the glories of One-A-Day-- "I'm not taking chances, I'm taking One-A-Day vitamins!" he says as he exits, leaving the befuddled pharmacist to scratch his head and say that others have complained too, so he changes his ways and shoves product into camera.
Alka-Seltzer Test Commercials
BOTH SPOTS IN B&W-- 1) MS young Caucasian man wearing suit & bow tie sitting in parlor of house, waiting for date to arrive; young white girl enters, he stands and wolf whistles and says, "Hi, gorgeous! Say, the boys will envy me at the dance!" The girl says she feels better now. MS girl wearing bulky bathrobe, talking on phone, looking ill; she hangs up, exits. MS/CUs Alka-Seltzer being taken. MS young couple (teens?) slow-dancing. 2) Ms two white office girls (one of them is Tommy Thurston yet again) getting ready to leave for the day; one complains of a headache, so Tommy offers to take her to place & fix her up with A-S; MS office girls sitting at table with young white man, the girl with the headache feeling good enough to smoke a cigarette; product shots.