Forum Topic
"Excelsior You Fathead"
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more sponsors
Date: 05-13-2005
By: jolting joe
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Just finished the book and enjoyed it immensely. Was a huge radio fan from around 1960-70, read just about everything by and about Shep, and caught everything I could on tv.
Bergmann lists some of the radio sponsors, but I clearly remember 2 that were not mentioned in the book:
Shep did numerous spots for Volvo cars-particularly for the now classic P1800. This made such an impression on me a a teenager, that the 2nd car I bought when I was in my early 20's was a Volvo. Alas, the car proved to be a lemon, but I didn't hold that against Shep!
The 2nd sponsor was for a Chinese restaurant in the West Village called Mandarin House. Shep gave such a truly personal and enthusiastic endorsement of this place, that I often had lunch there in my frequent excursions from the burbs to Manhattan. Of couse, I hoped to catch a glimpse of Shep eating there, but despite never catching him, the food was excellent and a bit different from the ubiquitous Cantonese restaurants of the 1960's.
Anyone else remember these sponsors?
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05-13-2005
( Reply#: 23 ) |
Skoonj |
Funny how many things Shep and Barry Farber sold me. I never bought a car, since I couldn't afford or need one at the time. But I bought the Nordmende Globetraveler "portable" 15 band radio based on conversations that Shep had with himself over it. I bought it in 1965, and finally threw it out last year. In fact, I bought the thing the night of the big blackout, though I put it on layaway and didn't take it home for a few weeks.
I bought the KH-11 portable record player from the place that advertised on his show. Shep mentioned the KH-8 receiver, which I didn't buy, but the KH-11 outlasted eight years of active duty in the USAF.
Barry Farber advertised the Hermes 2000 portable typewriter. I owned it for years, and it was good and rugged. He also advertised Quinto Lingo magazine, written in 5 languages, which I took for a year. |
05-23-2005
( Reply#: 38 ) |
Thipu |
Another sponsor I remember from the mid 60s was Rosetta Electric. This was one that Shep could really get his teeth into and often did. I believe there was also a Chinese restaurant in the vicinity of Columbia. Was it Great Wall? |
05-24-2005
( Reply#: 40 ) |
Skoonj |
quote:
Originally posted by Thipu
Another sponsor I remember from the mid 60s was Rosetta Electric. This was one that Shep could really get his teeth into and often did. I believe there was also a Chinese restaurant in the vicinity of Columbia. Was it Great Wall?
He advertised several Chinese restaurants. The one I went to was Happiness, way uptown in Manhattan. Oh, and it was the KLH-11 I bought, not KH-11. |
10-01-2006
( Reply#: 580 ) |
Pete D. |
Yeah, I remember the first Oriental restaurant I heard him speak of, a place called "Ying & Yang," this would be about 1958, on WOR. My older brother had come home in August of '57 with illicit reading material, to wit, Mad Magazine, and there was mention of this guy Shepherd, forget if it was an article in that or a previous issue. Anyhow, within a short time he managed to locate Shepherd on the radio, and I listened whenever I could for about the next five or six years. Only thing I ever managed to be induced to buy was a subscription to the Village Voice, for pete's sake; still have that two years' worth in a crate in a closet. Occasional drawing in them by Shep; a picture of several unknown entertainers, including Billy Joel and Tiny Tim, taken in front of an alleyway somewhere. Strange stuff from the dawn of time.
Well now, this may be sacrilege, but I was never particularly impressed by Shepherd's published stories. He was an unparalleled storyteller, but I did not think that the style translated so well into writing; somehow the laughter was not there, and they bogged down. Enough. The man was a genius, of course! Like many I've read of, I used to hold my ear to a radio under the pillow, until the thing (a relic of the 40's, powered by an ancient rheostat my father had kludged up to it) would get so hot it would begin cutting out and making all sorts of terrific noises. I was always worried about waking up my folks, who slept at the opposite end of the hall. Shepherd would be telling some story, and suddenly do a killer punchline, and I would let out a squawk of laughter and my old man would come down the hall - he knew exactly what I was listening to - and make me turn the radio off. Never forget the time he started fooling around with one sponsor - I hoped they were not listening, they would have fired him for sure - which was Carnation Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk, and he started twisting it around, a word at a time, and ended up with Carnation Instant Non-Milk Dry Fat, and Christ, I thought I'd wet my pants for sure. Probably brought the old man in on that one. Oh, well, please excuse me for rambling. That was a time.
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10-07-2006
( Reply#: 582 ) |
Dan |
quote:
Originally posted by Thipu
Another sponsor I remember from the mid 60s was Rosetta Electric. This was one that Shep could really get his teeth into and often did. I believe there was also a Chinese restaurant in the vicinity of Columbia. Was it Great Wall?
Rosetta Electric was an electrical supply & lighting store. They had a location in downtown NYC and one up in the West 40s somewhere. |
10-11-2006
( Reply#: 583 ) |
diskojoe |
One thing that I noticed, especially from the shows from 1965, is a series of Ballentine Ale commercials which feature Mel Brooks as the 2,000 year Brewmiester, a variation on his famous "2,000 year old man" sketch. I believe that it's Dick Cavett who does the Carl Renier part in these commercials. It seems that Shep wasn't too found of these commercials, from his comments on some of these shows.
Also, to any of the NYC people out there (& feel bad about what happened today re: the plane crash), do any of the places that Shep advertised on his show(i.e., the Chinese resturants) still exist? I have a funny feeling that places like the Paperbook Gallery & the Electronics Workshop have went to retail heaven a long time ago, but it would be nice to hear that at least one of the places that Shep talked about is still around & you can go there for a bite to eat. |
10-12-2006
( Reply#: 584 ) |
m10bob |
Surely the "H&H " is still around??
In Hoc Agricula Conc
In Est Spittle Louk |
10-13-2006
( Reply#: 585 ) |
diskojoe |
I believe that the H&H went out of business a while ago, but I heard recently that a new Automat opened up in NYC. |
10-14-2006
( Reply#: 587 ) |
m10bob |
For years the automats were a thing Midwesterners "had to see" when visiting New York City..I guess admitting this kinda justifies some New Yorkers beliefs about our backwardness?[:D]
In Hoc Agricula Conc
In Est Spittle Louk |
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