Memorable TV commercials

Here are a couple TV commercials I have loved, that still make me laugh many years later.

Both are selling beer from Blitz Weinhard, formerly an independent brewery in Portland, Oregon, years ago bought by Stroh's which was bought by Miller and no longer brews in Portland.

The first commercial milked Oregonian's distrust of Californians and what they might do to their forested state (Californicate it).

It showed a big semi pulling up to the Oregon border; on the trailer in big letters was the name Schludwiller's Beer, a clever conglomerate reference to Schlitz, Bud and Miller beers.
The border guard (played by an actor who struck gold with his characterization in this and related commercials) hailed the truck with what became his catch phrase, "Well now." Then he said, "Where you fellas going with all that beer?" The chatty truck passenger said, "Earl here says we got too much beer in California!" Meantime, taciturn driver Earl is just rolling his toothpick around this mouth, looking like he would love to tell his partner, "Shut up, you fool."

The commercial ends with the truck turned away and heading back from the border. Oregonians loved it, even after it was learned that it was put together by an ad agency in San Francisco.


The other commercial was for Blitz's then-new premium beer, Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve (which is still available).
The setting for this one was a sleepy western train station, where a guy comes out of the telegraph office with a piece of paper and the line, "Says here a load of Henry Weinhards is coming in on the next train." Somebody says, "What's Henry Weinhards?" An old whiskered gaffer who is apparently whiling away his time sitting in a chair leaning back against the wall, says, "Cattle! We used to run Henry Weinhards up around Saragossa. Longhorns they was. Or was they shorthorns?"

When the train pulls in and the fellers see that the cargo is beer, the old gaffer just changes his tune slightly as the scene winds to an end. "We used to drink Henry Weinhards up around Saragossa. Longnecks they was. Or was they shortnecks?"