You know, after piloting an airplane, there is nothing I like better than a long-burning cigarette made with only the highest-quality tobacco.
So indicates the half-page advertisement, complete with photos, testimony, a celebrity and his dame, and scientific proof that Camels are simply the best. This, from the Milwaukee Sentinel, dated Aug. 7, 1939.
There is a reason this advertisement jumped out at me. In fact, as I flipped through the stack of vintage newspapers, I actually laughed out loud when I saw it. Of greater interest was the discovery of even more cigarette ads. Another, this one for Chesterfield, is backed by the Turnesa Brothers - "America's Number 1 Golf Family." There they are, smiling and clearly enjoying themselves, each holding a carton of his own. In a flourish of script at the bottom of the ad, beneath an enlarged carton is the phrase, "They Satisfy."
Fast-forward to my generation. I can recall, in grade school, sitting in a large auditorium with my classmates, watching a public service announcement on the big screen. I remember it going something like this:
Queue a smokestack, belching black soot into the air. Cut to the exhaust pipe of a bus, equally filthy. A male voice narrates, sounding solemn and grave. It could have been the Grim Reaper's younger and underappreciated brother, trying to make a name for himself by narrating public service announcements to American grade-school children. Perhaps this was his breakout role.
To my memory, the message went something like this: "Pollution is everywhere. Busses, factories, cars; they all pollute. But what about the smaller sources of pollution, like cigarettes?" The scene cut to an ashtray, overflowing with butts and with one half-smoked cigarette sending a neat plume into the air. The scene was shot in a dimly lit room, with dark curtains drawn and grimy avocado and gold-accented furniture. It could have been shot in a dingy trailer, the type of place where grade-school kids might get abducted.
The message was clear. I picked it up. By smoking a cigarette, you are just as destructive as an industrial smokestack. Cigarettes have been vilified my entire life. The public service announcement was but one example. Smoking - that is what the bad kids did, around the corner. The kind of kids who skip class and drop out of school. Smoking - that is what you did when you were in high school and wanted to rebel against your parents. Just don't let them catch you.
Just last evening, I put in a movie. It's not enough to be bombarded with previews, now there are anti-smoking public service announcements that, on some DVDs, you cannot skip. I watched the anti-smoking ad, noting that very little has changed since I was in grade school.
This graphic ad featured a woman who literally had to put herself together before leaving her house: wig, voice box, teeth and all. Her flesh hangs from her bones like flaps of toilet paper from the branches of a tree following a juvenile prank. Her condition was the exclusive result of having smoked cigarettes. This is what happens.
I am not bringing any of this up to comment in favor, or opposition, to cigarettes. I've seen both sides of the coin. I used to work as a bartender, at a time when smoking was synonymous to the bar scene. It would take a week to get the stench out of my clothes. Conversely, my first real experience with cigarettes was shortly after high school. There she was, much more worldly and experienced than I. We'd have a cigarette in the evening, underneath the foreign stars. Today, once in awhile, if I happen to catch a passing whiff of tobacco, I am reminded of that time of my life when I was adolescently free; that time that I would not want to go back to now, but I sure am glad I enjoyed it while I did. When I catch that passing whiff, I find it delicious.
And that is why I am so intrigued with the vintage cigarette ads from 1939. Consider how the use of tobacco has changed so dramatically:
For my generation, smoking is for the scum of the earth. You are worse than Hitler, if you light up. Let's ban it from all public places.
For my parent's generation, are you kidding me? There was a war going on. People were getting drafted and killed. There were riots in the streets, open civil disobedience. Who the hell cares about smoking? Can't you see what else is happening?
For my grandparents' generation, hey - it's cool. Let's slow down, take it easy, and enjoy life. Why not try Camel while you're at it? They burn longer, which has been scientifically proven to "add" five cigarettes per pack - more for your hard-earned money. Besides, if Lloyd Child recommends Camel, it's good enough for me.
Lloyd Child was a famous test pilot who power-dived a Curtiss Hawk to 600 mph. He found that the P-36 did not handle well with a mere 700 horsepower engine, so it was redesigned to include a 950 horsepower radial. He was also the first to test-fly the famous P-40 when it was first produced. I wonder what this man would think, if he saw the public service announcements of today.
In light of all of this, I have one question to ask: If cigarettes are so God-awful for you, and the environment, why is there an ongoing discussion about legalizing pot?
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Monday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
So indicates the half-page advertisement, complete with photos, testimony, a celebrity and his dame, and scientific proof that Camels are simply the best. This, from the Milwaukee Sentinel, dated Aug. 7, 1939.
There is a reason this advertisement jumped out at me. In fact, as I flipped through the stack of vintage newspapers, I actually laughed out loud when I saw it. Of greater interest was the discovery of even more cigarette ads. Another, this one for Chesterfield, is backed by the Turnesa Brothers - "America's Number 1 Golf Family." There they are, smiling and clearly enjoying themselves, each holding a carton of his own. In a flourish of script at the bottom of the ad, beneath an enlarged carton is the phrase, "They Satisfy."
Fast-forward to my generation. I can recall, in grade school, sitting in a large auditorium with my classmates, watching a public service announcement on the big screen. I remember it going something like this:
Queue a smokestack, belching black soot into the air. Cut to the exhaust pipe of a bus, equally filthy. A male voice narrates, sounding solemn and grave. It could have been the Grim Reaper's younger and underappreciated brother, trying to make a name for himself by narrating public service announcements to American grade-school children. Perhaps this was his breakout role.
To my memory, the message went something like this: "Pollution is everywhere. Busses, factories, cars; they all pollute. But what about the smaller sources of pollution, like cigarettes?" The scene cut to an ashtray, overflowing with butts and with one half-smoked cigarette sending a neat plume into the air. The scene was shot in a dimly lit room, with dark curtains drawn and grimy avocado and gold-accented furniture. It could have been shot in a dingy trailer, the type of place where grade-school kids might get abducted.
The message was clear. I picked it up. By smoking a cigarette, you are just as destructive as an industrial smokestack. Cigarettes have been vilified my entire life. The public service announcement was but one example. Smoking - that is what the bad kids did, around the corner. The kind of kids who skip class and drop out of school. Smoking - that is what you did when you were in high school and wanted to rebel against your parents. Just don't let them catch you.
Just last evening, I put in a movie. It's not enough to be bombarded with previews, now there are anti-smoking public service announcements that, on some DVDs, you cannot skip. I watched the anti-smoking ad, noting that very little has changed since I was in grade school.
This graphic ad featured a woman who literally had to put herself together before leaving her house: wig, voice box, teeth and all. Her flesh hangs from her bones like flaps of toilet paper from the branches of a tree following a juvenile prank. Her condition was the exclusive result of having smoked cigarettes. This is what happens.
I am not bringing any of this up to comment in favor, or opposition, to cigarettes. I've seen both sides of the coin. I used to work as a bartender, at a time when smoking was synonymous to the bar scene. It would take a week to get the stench out of my clothes. Conversely, my first real experience with cigarettes was shortly after high school. There she was, much more worldly and experienced than I. We'd have a cigarette in the evening, underneath the foreign stars. Today, once in awhile, if I happen to catch a passing whiff of tobacco, I am reminded of that time of my life when I was adolescently free; that time that I would not want to go back to now, but I sure am glad I enjoyed it while I did. When I catch that passing whiff, I find it delicious.
And that is why I am so intrigued with the vintage cigarette ads from 1939. Consider how the use of tobacco has changed so dramatically:
For my generation, smoking is for the scum of the earth. You are worse than Hitler, if you light up. Let's ban it from all public places.
For my parent's generation, are you kidding me? There was a war going on. People were getting drafted and killed. There were riots in the streets, open civil disobedience. Who the hell cares about smoking? Can't you see what else is happening?
For my grandparents' generation, hey - it's cool. Let's slow down, take it easy, and enjoy life. Why not try Camel while you're at it? They burn longer, which has been scientifically proven to "add" five cigarettes per pack - more for your hard-earned money. Besides, if Lloyd Child recommends Camel, it's good enough for me.
Lloyd Child was a famous test pilot who power-dived a Curtiss Hawk to 600 mph. He found that the P-36 did not handle well with a mere 700 horsepower engine, so it was redesigned to include a 950 horsepower radial. He was also the first to test-fly the famous P-40 when it was first produced. I wonder what this man would think, if he saw the public service announcements of today.
In light of all of this, I have one question to ask: If cigarettes are so God-awful for you, and the environment, why is there an ongoing discussion about legalizing pot?
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Monday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
