70s Spots (Holidays): United Airlines ‘Hawaiian Xmas’ (1970)

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‘Fly the Friendly Skies…’

“United says give your wife Hawaii for Christmas.”

Here’s a good spot for United Airlines promoting Hawaiian vacations for Christmas. The commercial aired in late November of 1970. Hey, remember travel agents?

*Once again I’m seeking help from readers in identifying the two actors in this spot. They both look familiar from other commercials and sitcoms, especially the woman in the red coat (whom I spotted shopping at LA’s Farmer’s Market once in the early ’80s).

**Update: The readers and viewers come through again. Both Warren and videox222ify identified the actor in red as Mary Jo Catlett (Diff’rent Strokes, SpongeBob SquarePants). YouTube subscriber videox222ify also identified the actor in blue as Mary Louise Wilson (One Day at a Time, All My Children). Thanks!

United Airlines ‘Hawaiian Xmas’ Commercial (1970)

Previously on 70s Spots: ‘WKRP’ Xmas Show/’The Last Resort’ CBS Promos (1979)

70s Spots (Holidays): ‘WKRP’ Xmas Show/’The Last Resort’ CBS Promos (1979)

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‘Ho, ho, ho!’

“Monday, WKRP moves to a new time!”

Here’s a Christmas episode promo for WKRP in Cincinnati along with a spot for The Last Resort. The commercial aired in December of 1979.

‘WKRP’ Christmas/’The Last Resort’ Promos (1979)

Previously on 70s Spots: Budweiser ‘Holiday Greetings’ (1979)

70s Spots (Holidays): Budweiser ‘Holiday Greetings’ (1979)

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The Beer Sleigh is comin’ thru!

“Holiday greetings from Budweiser!”

Here’s a Budweiser beer commercial from the waning days of the Seventies. This one aired in mid-December of 1979 and offers “Holiday Greetings” from Anheuser-Busch. Narration by Ed McMahon. Gulp it down for a dose of warm fuzzies.

Budweiser ‘Holiday Greetings’ Commercial (Xmas, 1979)

Previously on 70s Spots: Radio Shack Walkie-Talkies (Xmas, 1977)

70s Spots (Holidays): Radio Shack Walkie-Talkies (Xmas, 1977)

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‘They really work!’

“A great space age gift for kids!”

The commercials are back online! (Big thanks to reader, Clarke, for suggesting VideoPad editor which is getting the job done).

Here’s another Radio Shack Christmas spot starring Paul Burke. This one aired in December of 1977 and shows off Space Patrol Walkie-Talkies. Way back in 2013 I posted another Radio Shack Xmas Walkie-Talkies spot. You can view that here: Radio Shack Christmas Walkie-Talkies (1976).

Radio Shack Walkie-Talkies Commercial (Xmas, 1977)

Previously on 70s Spots: Radio Shack ‘Science Fair’ (Xmas, 1978)

Rad Ads: Las Vegas – Sahara Superstars (1972)

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Las Vegas – Sahara Superstars (‘Billboard’ magazine, November 04, 1972).

Here’s a rather splendid November 1972 ad for the Sahara hotel in Las Vegas promoting the Congo Showroom’s superstar headliners. Let’s see, we’ve got Johnny Carson, Frank Gorshin, Jack Benny, Sonny & Cher, Johnny Mathis, Rowan & Martin, and Buddy Hackett.

I’ll take two tickets for each engagement! And I have to wonder what Carson’s stage show consisted of. Did he perform skits and do magic tricks? Maybe a little song and dance? Or was it a taping of The Tonight Show from the Sahara? I’ve no idea but my imagination runs wild.

Previously on Rad Ads: Gottlieb’s ‘Dragon’ Pinball Machine (1978)

Where Did The Commercials Go?

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Experiencing technical difficulties…

My apologies folks, but I’ve been experiencing technical difficulties with the editing process for the commercials I post and I haven’t yet found a work-around. When I sort out the issues the commercials will return!

Seeking Advice:
Does anyone know of a simple program that will convert .wmv’s (Windows Media Video Files) to MP4s? Movie Maker has suddenly, and inexplicably, stopped performing that function. I’ve tried a few other programs and they’re not getting the job done properly.

Or, a free or inexpensive editor that allows you to edit and enhance .wmvs would be good as well. I used to use YouTube’s built-in editor but they removed it in September claiming no one else used it. Since then, I’ve used the OpenShot video editor but it doesn’t recognize .wmvs, only MP4s.

Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions. Thank you!