Commercial Slogans of the Fifties Quiz

Answer: Paris

"Evening in Paris" was created in 1929 by Bourjois. It became one of the most popular perfumes in the world. The cologne sold in 25 cent bottles in dime stores and in crystal bottles with glass stoppers in fine department stores. It was a favorite during WWII and through the post-war fifties.

The fragrance might still conjure up memories of wartime dance halls for G.I. vets. The brand was re-launched in limited quantities as "Soir de Paris". There are far more bottles in styles produced during the 1950s for collectors on the market today than those from earlier eras.

Answer: Westinghouse

Westinghouse even offered a free book called "Guide to the Weather" if you purchased one. Their dryers featured the revolutionary "Dry Dial". Westinghouse also made fans, vacuum cleaners, washers, the Electric China Coffeemaker plus the Westinghouse flip-flop toaster. In the fifties Westinghouse began operation of their consumer credit division, Westinghouse Credit Corporation.

Answer: Palmolive

Palmolive was named for the two types of oils in the soap's formula, palm oil and olive oil. Wisconsin based B.J. Johnson Company was making their soap entirely of palm and olive oil starting in 1898. The soap was so popular it was decided to rename the company after it. Kansas based Peet Brothers soap manufacturers merged with Palmolive to become Palmolive-Peet.

In 1928, Palmolive-Peet bought the Colgate Company to create the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company. In 1953 "Peet" was dropped from the title leaving only Colgate-Palmolive Company.

Answer: Camel

Camel is a brand of cigarettes that was introduced by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in the summer of 1913. The ad campaign "I'd Walk a Mile For A Camel" was introduced in 1921 and stayed with the product for decades. Camel regulars achieved popularity through personalities. Edward R. Murrow reportedly smoked up to four packs of Camels per day. Camel cigarette's television commercials could be seen on shows including "McHales Navy", "Hawk", "American Sportsman" and "Bonanza". NBC TV's "Two for the Money" was a game program sponsored by Old Gold Cigarettes. One popular slogan for Chesterfield cigarettes was "They Do Satisfy." One famous ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes read "I light a Lucky and go light on the sweets. That's how I keep in shape and always look peppy."

Answer: Rice-A-Roni

The Rice-A-Roni commercials featured a cable car with the bell clanging. In 1958 the San Francisco based Golden Grain Macaroni Company created Rice-A-Roni by adding a dry chicken soup mix to rice and macaroni. It went nationwide four years later. The company was started by Italian immigrant Domenico (Charlie) DeDomenico who opened a produce store.

He married Maria Ferrigno, an immigrant from Salerno. Her family had owned a pasta factory in Salerno, so in 1912 she persuaded him to set up a similar business in the Mission District of San Francisco. Quaker Oats now owns Rica-A-Roni.

In 1912 three Sicilian immigrants started Prince Spaghetti on Prince Street in Boston. In 1928 Ettore Boiardi opened a factory to keep up with orders for his spaghetti sauce. Prego was introduced in 1981.

Answer: Bon Ami

Bon Ami has been around since 1886. The original nostalgic container boasted that it could defog windows and mirrors, clean and polish glass, windows, mirrors, porcelain, unlacquered metals, chrome, aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic tile, cast iron cookware, whitewall tires and tools. Quite a list.

It also reportedly contained no detergent, bleach, perfume or dye. The naturally-occurring white scouring powder called "Old Dutch Cleanser" is originally from Kern County, California. In the 1960s "Comet" was known for a series of popular television ads featuring the character of "Josephine the Plumber" played by actress Jane Withers. Lava, also known as black soap, is a heavy-duty hand cleaner first produced in 1893.

Answer: Pepsodent

Pepsodent was a very popular brand through the mid-fifties. The manufacturer was slow to add fluoride to its formula so sales of Pepsodent waned. Today it is considered a "value brand" marketed primarily in discount stores and retail outlets for roughly half the price of similarly-sized tubes of brands such as Crest and Colgate. Brylcreem was a hair gel. "Ipana" was popular in the sixties and had Bucky Beaver as its mascot. Crest was first introduced in the United States in 1955 as the first toothpaste to use fluoride.

Answer: Texaco

The "Texaco Star" was worn by station attendants at Texaco filling stations. The company also sponsored many television favorites of the early television days such as "Texaco Star Theater". The comedy-variety show was on radio from 1940 to 1948. It made the transition to television from 1948 to 1956. Milton Berle was the host, earning him the nicknames "Mr. Television" and "Uncle Miltie". "Esso" is an international gasoline brand derived from the initials of the Standard Oil. "Sunoco" is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was formerly known as Sun Company Inc.

The business that became Gulf Oil started in 1901 with the discovery of oil at Spindletop, Texas.

Answer: C & O Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was originally formed after the Civil War. It was always on the leading edge of progress and technology, even installing the first large computer system in railroading in the sixties. It was one of the first to switch from steam to diesel locomotives.

In the post WWII era chairman Robert Young developed ideas for passenger service that were thought to be futuristic. The ad slogan was part of his growth campaign for the passenger trade. Sominex is a common over-the-counter sleep aid. Serta's slogan is "We Make the World's Best Mattress". Sealy is known for their "Posturepedic" mattress.

Answer: Greyhound

Greyhound was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, in 1914 and incorporated as The Greyhound Corporation in 1926. It is now headquartered in Dallas. After WWII the advent of the automobile caused a drop in ridership. The company started offering package tours which boosted sales. It was also available as an economic way to travel for people who didn't own vehicles. Greyhound is also featured in numerous songs in American pop and country music.

The Avis car rental company was founded in 1946 in Detroit by Warren Avis.

Amtrak is a government subsidized corporation that was organized in 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service. Amtrak is a combination of the words "American" and "track".

Chinatown Bus Lines vehicles are also known as "dragon buses". It is a private transportation industry that has served the Chinatown communities of the East Coast.