The Local Chicago Commercial Hall of Fame

If you grow up in Chicago , there were sure things you could n’t avoid no matter how firmly you examine . As soon as you turned on the Cubs biz orThe Bozo Show , there they were : the Empire guy , the Victory Auto Wreckers dude , Eagle Man . For better or bad , they ’re part of you now . So we thought rather of struggle it , we ’d embrace our nostalgic past and revisit the very practiced classic Chicago telecasting commercials that make up our Hall of Fame course .

Empire

First aired around:1977They ran about 50 billion ads in Chicago , but all I think of is the nerdy guy wire with the glasses and that catchy jangle FROM HELL ! Jesus F. Christ on a Kaiser bun . If we never have to discover “ 588 - 2300 - EMPIRE ” spill the beans again way too cheerfully , weigh it a blessing on all of our damaged souls . Fun fact : The Empire Man ’s name was Lynn Hauldren , an advertizement copywriter who was working on the Empire news report but could n’t happen a suited doer to play the part so he played it himself . And boy did he ever play that persona . While sadly he die in 2011 at age 89 , he lives on in animated versions of the commercials today … while bobbleheads made in his likenesslive on incessantly .

Victory Auto Wreckers

First air around:1985Did you know “ that old railroad car might be worth money " ? If you grew up in Chicago , you knew it better than your third - grade propagation table thanks to the grim crunch of the always stuck - in - time Victory Auto Wreckers commercials . The highlight of the commercial hits properly at the start when the car threshold falls off as shortly as the poor sap test to open his rusted out piece of junk . Despite its grainy ‘ 70s look and feel , the advertising was n’t first aired until 1985 and for some reason stay on the air with special changes for 30 old age . Fun fact : The gallant in the commercial is Bob Zajdel , who knead for Victory at the time but was never paid surplus for seem in the commercial despite his now local legend position . perchance he should sell his famous retro watch on eBay , something he actually joked about doing in an consultation with theTribune .

Eagle Man

First air around:1993While not quite as celebrated as Empire or Victory Auto Wreckers , Eagle Man easily takes the plunder for the most flakey commercial message on the list . Two handsome - hairy women are just driving down the street , then Eagle Man for no rationality attacks their railway car , dents the ceiling , and lays a massive ballock ( despite being clear manful ) after declaring “ I ’ve get something for you ! ” in the creepy-crawly representative imaginable , after which a baby bird of Jove crosshatch clutching a rate sheet as the ladies proclaim : “ Oh , look at those low rates ! ” So yeah , I guess that ’s an advertizement . Fun fact : Mocked by Letterman and study one of the worst commercials of all sentence , Mancow loved the commercial so much hestarred in a remakefeaturing Eagle Woman , who drops testis from the sky bearing ( by nature ) Eagle ’s low rates .

Mr. Submarine

First beam around:1991When you hear someone from Chicago declare , “ ladies , permit ’s have a company , ” they are no doubt referring to this ridiculous commercial from the ‘ 90s featuring Scottie Pippen slam dunking a submarine sandwich after declare that the massive sandwich ( stacked vertically so it ’s almost as tall as the 6’8 ’’ Pippen ) “ is one six - footer I ca n’t handle . ” Did Pip go on to have a party with Kim and Cheryl from the Luvabulls ( whose names for some reason come out on screen ) ? You ’re goddam good he did . Fun fact : Mr. Sub apparently want to hire Jordan for the commercial message , but His Airness was unavailable due to his commitment with McDonald ’s . Thus , MJ was on set when the commercial was shot at the Berto Center in Deerfield but never seem on screen door .

Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet

First aired around : Mid-‘70sHow can I order you that Celozzi - Ettleson Chevrolet was turn up “ in Elmhurst , at York and Roosevelt Roads ” ? Because it ’s “ WHERE YOU ALWAYS relieve MORE MONEY . ” As much as I hate to admit that repetitive advertising works , in this case the unappeasable barrage of two nerd in suit clutching wads of cash at the last is all the validation you require . Fun fact : Having since been demolished , the dealership ( which had no unmediated access from Roosevelt , liars ! ) was once the No . 1 Chevy principal in the country . We ’re simulate $ 1 million a year in advertising might have had something to do with it . If their advertising are any meter reading , it certainly was n’t their personality .

Moo & Oink

First aired around:‘80sNo , you are not hallucinating . You are in fact watch dancing pigs and cows bust sick moves in a “ rap video recording ” for a South Side food market chain ( which close in 2011 ) . The payoff is weirdly long “ Moooooo and Oink ! ” at the end . Nice , whole nailed the landing place fellas . Fun fact : Tina Fey and Amy Poehler once sing the Moo & Oink song onSNL ’s “ Weekend Update ” in 2005 to prove they were real White Sox fans .

Peppers Waterbeds

First aired around:1982Would you buy a waterbed from a creepy guy wire sporting a ‘ 70 moustache and tacky case ? Yes , yes you would . Because it ’s the Peppers Waterbeds guy , whose memory board was made famous by the short jingle at the last that just sings the society ’s name . Yet decennium later , I still think back it clear as mean solar day . perchance Radiohead will cover it at Lollapalooza . Maybe not . Where are they now : Once a top 100 furniture store with sales of $ 21.6 million in 1983 , Peppers close all remaining stores in 2003 . But their age bed rest , most probable at a college campus near you .

Cub Fan Bud Man

First aired around:‘80sI got to hand it to Budweiser : check a smile Harry Caray dance awkwardly in a black suit and a top hat , playing air guitar , performing old man karate kicks and peeping models in ‘ 80 laddie crownwork and tight shorts is enough to make me almost desire to buy one of their lousy beer . Almost . Fun fact : While Harry drank115,924 beers in his lifetime(including at game ) , when he started decelerate down towards the goal of his calling he would hazard to drink Bud at game so as to not offend his No . 1 saccharide dada . He drank non - alcoholic beer alternatively .

‘85 Bears Coke

First aired around:1985Thanks to the “ Super Bowl Shuffle ” and the mold of character who made up what is no doubt the great football game squad ever assembled ( fact ! ) , the ’ 85 Bears werekings of the universeand every corporation want a piece of them . While Ditka has shilled for more company than we can reckon ( including arust proofing company ) , the one we think of well is aBlues Brothersspoof when Jim McMahon rate one snow at a diner while William Perry orders a instance . This was when Coke ad featured genuine Bears , not that stupid revivify Christmas bear . Fun fact:1985 was also the twelvemonth the Coca - Cola Company tried to set up New Coke , and we all know how well that turn out . Should have left the marketing determination to The Fridge . That kid could deal anything .

Aronson Furniture

First send around:1980In this one , the most famous line come at the destruction : “ Aronson , home of the credit connection , Aronson . ” What the hell is a deferred payment connexion ? I ’m still not sure , they never excuse . Where are they now : Once a top 100 furniture store with gross revenue of $ 40 million in 2005 , Aronson close all stay stores in 2006 . Did it have something to do with the credit connection ? We many never know the trueness .

Webb Boys

First aired around:‘80s“The whole town ’s talking about the Webb boy . ” That ’s pretty much the only matter you ’ll remember from these jingles . Fun fact : In 2010 , local officials in the lowly Kane County townspeople of Hampshire pick out offence to the fact that the Webb Boys would take for granted to sleep with what their whole town was tattle about . " We do n’t appreciate people assuming what we ’re think , " stated Hampshire official John Thorkington in a totally non - Onionarticle . " This is an onetime heavily - act town . We do n’t speak about much . Mostly about church , the conditions , and just how each other ’s doin' . That ’s about it around here . This whole talkin ' about the Webb Boys thing is gimcrackery . "

Al Piemonte Ford

First publicize around:1986Whether in a chinchy suit , Cosby sweater , or black push down that look like he ’s about to go clubbing , Melrose Park ’s most famous car salesman Al Piemonte did n’t rely on catchy jingles or celebrity actors to get his message across . Instead , he pointed at the camera like a lunatic and talked very quickly and loudly for decennium . sport fact : I once caddy for Al Piemonte ( who died in 2014 at eld 83 ) as a kid and thought I was in the presence of a straight celebrity . He was a pretty decent golfer , too , as far as I can remember .

Walter E. Smithe

First aired around:2003Whether spoofingSex and the City , wrestling with Billy Corgan , or diving in puddle with their suits on during the Olympics , Walter E. Smithe can always be count on for some of the most widely recognizable and bizarre spots this side of Eagle Man . But the fleck aired during their “ Cicada Sale ” with big human fountainhead of the Smithe brothers placed on petite dirt ball bodies easily takes the bar . Fun fact : The company pull a firm one on the urban center in 2006 , when an April Fool ’s advertising declaring that they had bought Wrigley Field and rename it “ Smithe Field ” was shoot a little too severely by some garbled lover who emailed the company looking for result .

Peter Francis Geraci

First vent around:2009While not as sure-enough as some of the other classic commercials , this one pries its way into the lean due to its inexorable force of repeating and the amazing boredom of the commercials . How anyone could think to hire this bankruptcy lawyer after get wind these snoozers is beyond comprehension , but they must make or Geraci would n’t keep running them . All the sentence . In your sleep . merriment fact : Geraci was halt in 2003 and briefly carry in police custody at Larrabee and Division for “ verbal assault ” after an affray at his condo construction . Geracitold theReaderthat the cops go by the clip by teasing him and “ flirt my TV commercial over the speaker in the police station . ” So there is such a thing as justice .

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local commerical hall of fame chicago