A Short Commercial Break

Internet Archive

   You may not know about the Internet Archive, but you will have used it if you use the Internet and we should all support it. It is the library for all of those rotten links that no longer work for you and a massive graveyard where all of the Internet content produced is saved. And you can visit this cemetery for free. Here is what has been saved to date:

35 billion web pages

41 million books and texts

14.7 million audio recordings (including 240,000 live concerts)

8.4 million videos (including 2.4 million Television News programs)

4.4 million images

890,000 software programs

Classic TV Commercials

  I rarely watch current television commercials, but remember some from the past which serve as historical markers over the years. Chances are good that if you want to pull up a commercial from your childhood, you will be able to do so from the Internet Archive where over 17,000 are found dating back to 1949. They can be searched by year, by subject and media type and there are even some non-commercial public service examples. Click on the link above to learn more about the Internet Archive. Click on the links below for some enjoyment:

Cars - A Mustang Mid-60s Ad - The Car Even Had a Stereo-Sonic Tape Player.

Canadian - There are many. See this Zellers one from 1999 or this one from the Nova Scotia Department of Health in 1996.

Cigarettes- There is more Canadian content in this Viceroy ad from 1963 with William Shatner. 

   

   There are even commercials for products that no longer exist. If you have 1:36 to spare, see these Classic Commercials for Defunct Products where you will learn about hair products such as "Tip Toni Curl Permanent" or "Satin Set." 

   Listen to the songs from the decades when you were younger with, K-Tel's Let's Disco Album Commercial or Time-Life's CD set of Love Songs of the 60s. 

 And let's not forget Jim Varney, who you will remember as "Ernest." 

The Bonus: 

  During the summer of 2023 you will have not been able to avoid "Barbie." Here she is over 60 years ago - See "Early Barbie Doll Commercials." 

A REAL COMMERCIAL - DONATE HERE. 

I can assure you that I get nothing if you do so. I just think such efforts need to be supported. Do so quickly since Muicahy's Miscellany may disappear soon and suddenly from whatever cloud it is in.

Rod Spittle

   Mackenzie Hughes is a Canadian golfer who, last week, finished in third place in a golf tournament in the Dominican Republic. Apart from getting a tan, he received $276,000. At the richer Travelers Championship, back at the end of June, he tied for third and won $436,000. On the first of March he finished second at the Honda Classic and the number on the check was $763,000. Playing golf as a professional was not always so financially rewarding.

  Rod Spittle was born in St. Catherines in 1955 and, like Hughes, headed south to Ohio to play golf and get a college education. He went to Ohio State, while Hughes attended Kent State. The economic prospects for professional golfers were not so bright back then and Spittle decided to go into the insurance business which was likely to be more lucrative and, some would say, more exciting.  In an interview back in 1977 he indicated he was spending time in the pro shop and supplementing his income by making wooden drivers like the one illustrated above (a link to the video is provided below.)

Apart from a fine collegiate career, Spittle won the Canadian Amateur Championship in 1977 and 1978. If you recognize him, however, it is likely because you have seen him on the Champions Tour, which is the professional tour for older players. It was only after a long career in insurance that he attempted to become a professional golfer. In 2010 he won the AT&T Championship in San Antonio and has made over $4 million. He retired from golf in 2018. Apparently he is a fine fellow and you can learn more about him below.

Television Archives

I stumbled upon Mr. Spittle when I discovered that some television news footage from a neighbouring state is now available over the Internet. Those who would rather watch events from the past than read about them, will be pleased to know that more archived video material is now being made available. In this case, the Buffalo Broadcasters Association is providing content as part of the New York Heritage Digital Collections.

The Channel F Sports Director interviewed Spittle back in 1977 when he was the Canadian Amateur Champion. You can see the entire interview by clicking on the link provided. There is a short opening glitch, but stick with it and listen to the southern-sounding Spittle talk about his career and the club he has made. It looks better than the one pictured above. (the video is only 2 minutes) WIVB-TV Featured Segment - Rod Spittle-1977.

The Bonus - Local News Coverage

   Those who would like to view local television news coverage will be pleased to know that the archives of the London TV Station CFPL are available at Archives Ontario. Footage is provided for the years from 1953 to 1968. Here is the link to the Ontario Archives. 

   I used the CFPL footage in a post I did about Western students winning a bed-pushing contest in the early 1960s -see, The Important Subject of Bed-Pushing.  Lately, however, I have had problems opening the videos. I hope you have better luck. A few of the CFPL broadcasts are available on YouTube. 

Sources:

   There is a Wikipedia entry for Rod Spittle and a profile on the PGA Tour Champions website. He is also in the Canadian and Ontario Halls of Fame. 

Ontario Golf Hall of Fame 

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame 

For a good profile see:

"Rod Spittle Returns to Hamilton For Historic Career Milestone," Brent Long, Golf Canada. 

My only other post about golf is about golfing in London in the 1930s - see Joy in Mudville.