"And Now a Word From Our Sponsor…”: Advertising Documentaries and TV Ads From the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s April 3, 2009

Event: “And Now a Word From Our Sponsor…” Guest curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare 16mm TV commercials and PSA’s from the 1950’s through the 1970’s, along with several vintage documentaries exploring/ exposing the television advertising industry. The documentaries include “Buy (Buy)” (Color, 1973), “Consumer Power: Advertising” (Color, 1971), “Analyzing Advertising” (Color, 1968) and “TV Ads: Our Mini Myths” (Color, 1977). Plus several hundred of the wildest, weirdest commercials both familiar and obscure from “the golden age of TV”!
Date: Friday, April 3, 2009 at 8:30PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco 94110
Admission: $10.00 RSVP Only to: 415-558-8117 or [email protected]
Web: http://oddballfilm.com/resources/events_parent.html

"And Now a Word From Our Sponsor…”
Advertising Documentaries and TV Ads From the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s

On Friday, April 3, Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare Television commercials and Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) from the “golden age” culled from the massive collection in the Oddball Films archive. Spanning the 1950’s to about 1980, these weird, wild, wacky, funny, frightening and fabulous 30 second slices of vintage TV were designed to entice, dupe or otherwise coerce the American Consumer in a most entertaining way.
In addition, several short documentaries on the subject will be screened.
Showtime is 8:30PM and admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP is preferred to: [email protected] or 415-558-8117.

Films Include:

“Buy (Buy)” (Color, 1973)
Explores the directors who make TV commercials, the agencies behind them, and shows several ads being made. See the genius’ and cretins behind this great American art form. See the director who couldn’t be bothered to put his shoes on for an interview!

“Consumer Power: Advertising (Color, 1971)
With Ralph Nader, before he was a perpetual Presidential candidate and not long after his book Unsafe at Any Speed, which made him a household name as a Consumer Advocate. Here he gets his teeth into the Ad Biz.

“Analyzing Advertising” (Color, 1968)

Humorous look at TV commercials aimed at educating kids- what they sell and what they REALLY sell.

“TV Ads: Our Mini Myths” (Color, 1977)
Compilation of Clio Award (the Academy Awards of Advertising) winning ads from 1966-1977. Among many great ads is the mind-blowing Levi’s commercial, entitled “The Stranger”, made by local designer Chris Blum and featuring the voice of “Word Jazz” genius Ken Nordine.

PLUS: Hundreds of rare and amazing 16mm TV ads- beer, cars, hair products, underwear, junk food and much, much more!!

Curator Biography:
Pete Gowdy (aka DJ Chas Gaudi) is host of San Francisco’s Shellac Shack, a weekly 78 rpm listening party and a DJ specializing in vintage sounds: soul, jazz, country, punk and new wave. A graduate of the Vassar College Film Program, he is an associate producer of Marc Huestis Presents, the long-running movie legend tributes at the Castro and Victoria Theatre.

Official Website: http://www.flarerecord.com