Bert and Harry Piels Commercials

Cartoon Brew ^ | 10/31/08 | Jerry Beck

[raccoonradio]

Some of the most influential and popular TV commercials of the 1950s were the Bert and Harry Piels Beer spots created by UPA (and later on animated by Terrytoons). Much of their popularity was due to the great dialogue tracks provided by Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding (aka Bob and Ray) and the appealing animation directed by Gene Deitch. If you’ve been wondering where you could see these, Asifa-Hollywood has just posted a whole slew of the early ones on their Animation Archive blog. Go there now!

[raccoonradio]

I notice that the shorter Bob Elliot voices the taller character, while the taller Ray Goulding voices the shorter character...have seen some old Piel's ads painted on some liquor store side walls (one was in Lynn, MA)

Direct link to ads

[raccoonradio]

http://www.animationarchive.org/2008/10/advertising-upas-bert-and-harry-piels.html

>>Time magazine wrote of the spots...

For five years the softest sell on East Coast TV and radio opened with a gruff, bullying “Hello viewers, I’m Bert Piel and this is my brother Harry.” Cartoon characters created by UPA (Mr. Magoo) and given voice by radio’s Bob (Elliott) & Ray (Goulding), Boisterous Bert and Harried Harry were pitchmen for Piel’s Beer- and invariably the pitch went awry. The lights failed during a taste-test, the man-in-the-street interview turned up a long-winded Piel’s fan who would not let Bert get his motivational research questions in edgewise, the labels got switched during a beer test and Brand X’s foam lasted longer. Bert and Harry not only spoofed Piel’s but Madison Avenue itself, put a new twist in kidding commercials.

The viewers (Bert invariably addressed the radio audience as “radio viewers”) loved it, and for three years Piel’s sales set new records.

[ozzymandus]

Bob and Ray were gut-bustingly funny. One of their radio bits was selling advertising space on a satellite that would orbit the earth slowly at an altitude of 12 feet.

[raccoonradio]

We could do a whole thread on cartoon beer ads. Bring on the Hamm's bear, or some Narragansett ads voices by Nichols and May. Youtube has some, as well as things like National Bohemian ads voiced by Daws Butler (Yogi Bear, Cap'n Crunch, Huck Hound)

It's Dr. Seuss for "'Gansett"!

[raccoonradio]

yeah there are collections of their stuff for sale...they did
some NPR shows in the 80s, too. Ray no longer with us...

Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife
The Komodo Dragon
—ly Ballou (his mic turned on a sec too late...)

[JennysCool]

Thanks for this post! Great stuff!

[raccoonradio]

you’re welcome!

[6SJ7]

As a kid, I remember the Utica Club beer ads featuring the talking beer steins Schultz & Dooley.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Bob & Ray rule!

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Mary McGoon
Lawrence Fechtenburger, Interstellar Officer Candidate and his arch-rival Mug Mellish
Matt Neffer, Boy Spotwelder
William B. William's book reviews that always turned out to be a pirate story, no matter what the book

Those guys slay me!

[Oatka]

Don't forget Olympia Beer's "Artesians".

It's a slow load and the commercial doesn't start until the 19th second. Still, it is great to see Richard Farnsworth again (The Grey Fox)