I make my drive to and from work everyday and during that 20 to 30 minute commute I am constantly bombarded by the radio ads for Cal Worthington Ford. He has been an Alaska icon for his zany television and radio ads over the years but he drives me crazy.
Anybody over 25 who grew up in Southern California or Alaska knows this guy . . . Its Cal Worthington . . . normally ‘with’ his dog Spot as the ads featured his "Dog Spot", except that "Spot" was never a dog. Often, “Spot” was a tiger or an elephant or even a bear.
Now Cal has been at this game appearing in his own television and radio commercials for over 50 years now and I believe he has gotten so old now that when he farts he only blows dust now.
What drives me totally nuts lately is all of the ads for 4x4 vehicles. In one thirty second ad, Cal says the words ‘4x4’ nineteen times. That’s almost one every two seconds and he still has time to give brief details of about 10 vehicles. It’s almost force fed down your throat saying it so many times.
“Go see Cal! Go see Cal! Go see Cal!” Has that not gotten old after 50 years now?
In the one minute version he stated several weeks ago he had 604 rigs on his lot and again says the words ‘4x4’ about 30 or more times with the details of many of his vehicles. This week Cal is energetically yelling at us there are now 667 vehicles ready for sale, the most in Alaska. I guess the dealership is having a harder time getting rid of these rigs as they keep growing in his ads. People may finally be tired of hearing the same thing after all of these years even an old ‘dog’ might have to learn a new trick or two every once in a while.
In 1950, Worthington moved to Huntington Park, California with a Hudson Motor Car dealership, and purchased time for a three hour live country music show on television every Saturday and Sunday. When television became more established, and sponsorship of entire programs was unfeasible, he went to doing commercials, saturating the overnight station break schedules of every local station in Los Angeles. One of Worthington's rivals was a guy named Chick Lambert of 'Brand Motors Ford City' who as pitchman always introduced "my dog, Storm" (a large German Shepherd Dog) as a prop in the commercials. Storm would be seen lounging on the hood of a car, or sitting behind the wheel, or walking with his owner along the rows of cars.
Worthington countered with his first "dog" Spot . . . a gorilla that roared. The response was so positive that a campaign was born, featuring "Cal Worthington, and his dog, Spot!" Among the many creatures featured as ‘Spot’ over the years were a killer whale from SeaWorld; a lion; an elephant; a goose that in a memorable appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, ruined his suit; a tiger; various snakes; a rhinoceros and a caribou.
Quite the gags and a great hook for the viewers to see what would be the next ‘Spot’ but wearing a little thin on these long Alaskan nights in February. I love the smug “We can finance anybody we want too . . . we have our own finance company!” I have heard the stories of how some people with less than perfect credit are almost shamed before they are turned away . . . not a good thing in my book . . . but wait . . . I see it now . . . “anybody we want too” . . . I guess that does not include those looking for a hand up, not a handout.
Maybe with the next generation, Cal Jr. will change it up a bit even though their voices almost sound the same and Jr. will give us a new wave of catch phrases or some other ‘Spot’ type hook to get people in the doors. Maybe great service or low prices, maybe even that warm fuzzy feeling you get as you talk with the 20 salesman who like vultures hover around the lot . . . Not!
Here’s to another 50 years Cal but please give us break with the 4x4’s . . . after all this is Alaska and 95% of the vehicles here are four wheel drive.
Ice
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