A Stan Freberg Classic...

...and another gem from the 50's Babbitt/Hubley reel.
Simple and elegant....and funny!

[And no longer available, due to Philip Morris USA, Inc...]

By the way, after 10 years, I stopped smoking March 31st, 1995, and I advice anyone who smokes, to stop as well, as it WILL kill you!
After trying to stop several times, I decided in the START of March that I would stop midnight next month. I kept smoking a package a day the next three and a half weeks, and when the time came, my mind had already been conditioned to stop. I gave away my remaining cigarettes and I have never felt like smoking again.
Someone (was it Norm Ferguson?) said "Drawing is primarily a matter of the mind," well, so is quitting smoking...

Comments

  1. Michael SpornMay 28, 2007 at 6:51 AM

    Thanks for posting the spot. I hadn't seen this one before. It's not my favorite animation. There are times when I think Art Babbitt's attempt to control everything gets in his own way. The character looks for a more cartoon approach that I think Emery Hawkins would have done well. The idea behind the spot, though, is a great one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mark MayersonMay 28, 2007 at 7:44 AM

    I agree with Michael. This calls for looser animation. Hawkins certainly would have done a good job, as would Rod Scribner, though I don't think that Scribner ever worked for Hubley.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hans PerkMay 28, 2007 at 11:33 AM

    Be that as it may, the commercial is clearly staged, and there is an economy in the actions that betray an enormous experience in moving drawings around. The stilted design forced upon the character by the designer or agency makes this a hard nut to crack for even the best animator, and in this case results in a commercial that may not be your favorite TYPE of animation, but it reads well and it certainly is memorable by its surprise Stan Freberg ending. I think it may have suckered some poor folks into buying these cigarettes, and as such - it would have done the job...

    ReplyDelete
  4. David NetheryMay 28, 2007 at 6:49 PM

    Is it a Stan Freberg piece ? It feels like it could be a Freberg-written piece , but if I recall from reading Stan's autobiography he never took tobacco or liquor companies as clients at his advertising agency (some vestiges of his upbringing as the son of a Baptist minister?)

    Maybe this ad is from the time before he had his own company and he was working for someone else ? I don't have the book handy , but I think Stan made this such an ironclad principle that it ended up hurting his radio program , "The Stan Freberg Show" , which went into Jack Benny's time slot when Benny went over to TV . Freberg wouldn't allow the network to have the show sponsored by a tobacco company and it ended up losing them money and only lasted for a few episodes. But again, maybe this Hubley-directed spot is before Stan decided that this would be a matter of unbending principle for him , to never work for or be sponsored by tobacco companies ?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bill RobinsonMay 28, 2007 at 8:04 PM

    I grew up in a time where cartoon characters were banned from selling cigarettes (Joe Camel was just making his way out when i was around 5 or 6...) so this is very strange to see. On an unrelated note, I've got a question for you Hans, but I'd rather e-mail you about it. (But I can't find your e-mail anywhere...so just e-mail me at billiamrobinson@gmail.com when you get a chance. Thanks!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Boris HiestandMay 31, 2007 at 5:52 AM

    You can tell that the animator was holding back a lot. I'm not sure if advertising agencies have changed much over the years so I wouldn't be surprised if it was the agency that told the animator to hold back. You can definitely see from this commercial the amazing talent that lies behind it. producing good animation is hard, much harder than giving up smoking in fact!
    I gave up 5 months ago!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hans PerkMay 31, 2007 at 7:30 AM

    Boris: tell me you gave up smoking, and NOT producing good animation! It isn't completely clear from your last statement...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Boris HiestandMay 31, 2007 at 10:19 AM

    I generally don't think my animation is any good, but I leave that for others to decide! :)

    ReplyDelete

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