"Don't Touch That Dial..." Vintage TV Ads and more August 22, 2009

Event: “Don’t Touch That Dial…” 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 and consumerism. The documentaries include “The 30 Second Dream” (Color, 1977), “Why Do You Buy?” (Color, 1971), “The Buy Line” (Color, 1972) 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: Saturday, August 22, 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]

"Don’t Touch That Dial…”
Consumer Films and TV Ads From the 50s, 60s & 70s

On Saturday, August 22, Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare commercials and Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) from the “golden age” of television 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:

The 30 Second Dream (Color, 1977)
Award winning mini documentary on the seductive power of TV ads. Juxtaposes carefully selected commercials to reveal how they exploit our fears, hopes and fantasies.

“The Buy Line” (Color, 1972)
Examples of manipulative, misleading and deceptive advertising as well as informative advertising stressing the psychological appeal of ads. Special focus on how consuming relates to self worth and conveys a false sense of fulfillment.

“Why Do You Buy?” (Color, 1971)
Comical, fictionalized commercials demonstrate the emotional elements involved in the consumer’s decision to buy, and how the commercial makers exploit this to hook the suckers.

“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.