Late Night Commercials from ’86!
Here’s another batch of late night TV commercials, this time from 1986:
Most of the commercials are dreadfully boring, but that’s the point!
I loved staying up late for as long as I’ve been alive, so ads like these — mostly promoting local businesses that could only afford to advertise during off-hours — take me back to the days when staying up past 2AM made me feel like I was getting away with murder.
Only in the wee hours could I putz around in my bedroom (my favorite pastime) without fear of being called upon for any chores, errands or other to-dos.
It’s weird: When you’re a kid, you have so much free time, but very little of it is actively “yours.” Imagine a ten-year-old boy telling everyone in a busy house not to bother him for 3-4 hours. It didn’t really work that way.
So, god bless those old late nights. Commercials like these scored ‘em.
Red Lobster Commercials!
Hey! If you didn’t catch it on the main page, there’s a new episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast! Go listen to us gab about cool cars.
Here’s a small collection of old Red Lobster commercials. No reason.
Well, maybe there’s a little reason.
When I was tiny, Red Lobster was the fanciest restaurant my parents ever dragged me to. Not really, of course, but it sure felt like it.
There weren’t nearly as many chain restaurants back then. In fact, we didn’t even have a local Red Lobster. Going there meant driving over big scary bridges into Jersey.
This was back when Red Lobster really pushed its nautical theme in all sorts of gaudy ways. The restaurant we went to had random “fishing junk” all over it. I was a stranger in a strange world, but I loved that world.
My favorite part was the lobster tank, which was on clear display right near the entrance. (In retrospect, I have no idea how it lasted there for so long. It couldn’t have been convenient for anyone working in the kitchen.)
I guess I must’ve known that those lobsters were going to end up as dinner, but I viewed them more as potential pets. It helped that I loathed seafood as a kid and wouldn’t touch anything that had even the slightest hint of the sea.
I still hold Red Lobster in such high esteem because of those “fancy” childhood visits, even if I objectively realize that it’s only barely on the level of Applebee’s. I’ll never turn down an invite to go there, even if that only happens once every five years.
Simpsons Butterfinger Commercials!
Just a quickie for tonight:
Here’s a collection of old Simpsons Butterfinger commercials. I don’t remember them meaning much in the later years, but for a while, they were a HUGE DEAL.
Remember, for those first few years, Homer and Bart were white hot. Being able to catch “mini episodes” of the show (even if they were just Butterfinger commercials) at all times of day was absolutely awesome.
Final Escape!
Got something spooky for ya tonight! 😈
Get a load of Final Escape, a 1985 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Several years ago, a coworker cited this episode as one of the few things that truly terrified him as a kid. We sneakily watched it on YouTube while on the clock, and… yeah, this one packs a punch.
Kinda feels like an especially great episode of Tales from the Darkside.
(Final Escape is a reimagining of a same-named story from Hitchcock’s 1950s TV series, which I’ve never seen. From what I’ve read, there are enough differences to keep this version from being a straight-up remake.)
Enjoy! (If that’s the right word.)
