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Good Times, Indeed.
By Kent Taylor
Television, as a home entertainment appliance, had only been in existence for about 30 years when it received a pants-down paddling from one Newton N. Minow, who was serving as the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. The year was 1961 and Minow, speaking to the National Association of Broadcasters, denounced the very programming that these broadcasters were offering to the consuming public. Slapstick comedy, fantastical reimagining of cowboys and Indians, commercials that pitched products to solve problems that didn’t really exist and so on. As a result, television, he said, had become “a vast wasteland.”
Wasteland, USA. Population—everyone! And companies that wanted to sell us their products knew just where to find us: we were seated right there in front of them, eyes fixed on the screen, a batter, waiting for the next pitch.
“Kawasaki Lets The Good Times Roll!”
In our January 11, 1978 issue, CN editor Charles Morey took us inside of the making of a television commercial for Kawasaki motorcycles. Their “Let The Good Times Roll” was on an incredibly successful run. In this spot, Kawasaki (actually, the advertising magnate of J. Walter Thompson) borrowed a theme from the old comic strip of “Li’l Abner.”
We are transported to the deep woods of the Appalachian Mountains, where Abner is trying to win the favor of the fetching Daisy Mae, who, likely for copyright purposes, is renamed Miss Maybelle. Spurned one too many times by Maybelle, Abner realizes that the way to a woman’s heart, especially when she lives in the backwoods of Appalachia, is a road best traveled on two wheels.
There were approximately 37 things that occurred during the filming of this spot that couldn’t happen today, the first of which was the utilization of film. Everything happens in digital format today, with itsy-bitsy information cards that hold gigabytes of HD action. No more film reels, which also means no more hairs or dirt specks in the shutter that can render a hard day’s work worthless. Film processing took time; a digital image can be reviewed immediately, allowing the crew to resolve an issue and re-shoot the scene.
What else will you not see in today’s production shoots? For starters, Morey makes references to the director ordering that the chickens in the scene (all hillbillies raise poultry, of course) have their legs taped together, with twine being used to keep them from leaving the camera frame. No animals were harmed during the production of this commercial (?). Let’s hope the statute of limitations for animal cruelty runs out after 46 years.
Other production elements, things like real scenery and location shooting, are also going the way of the two-stroke street bike. Green screen and what used to be called chroma key dominate the scene. And any ad exec worth their salt knows that women aren’t passengers, riding pillion with the perfect partner. They will ride their own motorcycles, Abner!
Curiously, Kawasaki selected its lineup of two-stroke dual-purpose bikes (which we called “enduros” in 1978) for this commercial, even as the company was in the process of phasing out most of these models. Soon, riding two-stroke motorcycles would be as taboo as riding through what clearly seems to be an unmarked trail through private property.
The company brought out the best in the business for this commercial. FilmFair was a well-known British production company, and the cinematographer, a fellow named Jordan Cronenweth, would go on to a fine career, working on films like Blade Runner, Altered States and Peggy Sue Got Married, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. The cast featured actors Joe Burke and Lisa Lawalin. Who, you ask? Who, indeed! Industry folks will tell you that talent is often the least important aspect of a good production. Even God, they say, focused on lights, setting and props for five days before finally auditioning talent.
Everybody wants to be on a film set to see the magic happen. Be careful what you wish for! Morey’s feature points out the grueling schedule of television production. Grind away in frustration in ever-changing natural light. Many hours of setup were needed to shoot a scene that lasted four seconds. Additionally, chilly temperatures make for shivering young ladies, and Lucy’s real-life mom was quick to cover her young daughter with a warm blanket between the many takes.
The Kawasaki commercial, with a working title of “Mountain Love,” was set to air during Super Bowl XII, which Morey was quick to point out meant the football game and not the indoor motocross event. That contest featured the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. The mountain men in uniform lost that one in a 27-10 beatdown. But the real victory that day belonged to our mountain guy, Abner, who won the heart of his true love, Maybelle. Kawasaki, indeed, lets the good times roll. CN
Want a good laugh? Check out the video below:
VIDEO | Kawasaki Commercials
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