1960's - The Smoking Lamp is Lit

Barney Rubble for Winstons

I will turn 50 years old this year which means that I was 8 years old when cigarettes were banned from advertising on television in 1970. The thing is that more than 40 years later, and I can still remember the various jingles and "stars" of different brands to this day.

That they used to sell smokes on the air probably doesn't surprise most people, but the younger folks out there might be surprised to see just how many television shows of the 1960's mixed their cigarette ads into the shows themselves.

The Flintstones for Winston

Having made the internet rounds for years, I'm pretty sure that lots of people have seen the above video of the Flintstones selling Winstons, but Fred and Barney weren't the only ones hawking smokes to the masses back in the good old days.

Here's none other than Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez making their push for Phillip Morris

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez for Philip Morris

In fact Lucy and Desi did dozens of ads for Philip Morris over the years, which might tell you something about the fact that both of them died of smoking related illnesses.

It's easy for us to look at these commercials now and think that they are just a little bit insane, but you've got to remember that cigarette ads have been a part of filmed advertisements right from the start, as the below short for Admiral Cigarettes shot by Thomas Edison in 1897 will show you.

Edison was a man who liked to make a buck

Anyway back to television.

Here's several commercials for Kent cigarettes featuring the cast of, The Dick Van Dyke Show....

Dick Van Dyke and Rose Marie for Kent

Dick Van Dyke, Morey Amsterdam & Richard Deacon for Kent

Rose Marie, Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore for Kent

However for just plain bizarre, it's really hard not to look at these ads from the Beverly Hillbillies for Winston Cigarettes and feel like you took a left turn into the Twilight Zone.

Nancy  Kulp, Buddy Epson and Max Baer jr for Winstons

Irene Ryan and Bea Benaderat for Winston

Buddy Ebson and Raymond Bailey for Winstons

Scary stuff in it's own way and really a good example of how smoking was presented to kids as a fun thing to do. 

Like I say it was a different world then.