Beer : Slogans , Jingles, Ads

#283- For Archive : www.oaklanddupree@substack.com

I haven’t drank a sip of beer in 35 years and I’m very happy not to, but in younger days I quaffed more than my share and in 20 years of tending bar I served thousands of beers. Recently, in a Mad Men-like memory, I thought of Rheingold Beer’s early 1960’s New York ad campaign highlighting various ethnicities. For me it was funny and trippy, but a huge advertising failure. Probably buoyed by Levy’s Rye Bread ad success, they hatched their Madison Avenue scheme. Levy’s BTW had billboard ads in every NYC subway station and on every train with the copy : “You Don’t Have To Be Jewish To Love Levy’s !” over a large photo of a cute African American kid eating a sandwich, a Chinese kid likewise, or an Indian chief in a feather head dress with a sando. New Yorkers loved the excellent bread and the ads, so the Rheingold people rolled out their commercials. Originally their jingle went “ My beer is Rheingold the dry beer, think of Rheingold whenever you buy beer ”, then they trotted out the ethnic campaign with TV ads showing a group of Puerto Ricans partying and hoisting Rheingold bottles while singing “ Rheingold Beer , el rico sabor, ire presse mejor…extra dry ! Ay Yi Yi ! ” Then the voiceover said “ In New York where there are more Puerto Ricans than in all of San Juan they choose Rheingold… next time they had an Irish party ( not a big stretch) singing and drinking “ In New York where there are more Irish than all of Dublin, they choose Rheingold the dry beer, and finally in another TV commercial they had a group of Jews merrily singing Hava Negilah and dancing the Horah and the announcer spouted “ In New York, where there are more Jews than all of Tel Aviv, they drink Rheingold the dry beer !” and that was it !… every ethnicity involved got together in protest and hated the ads and killed the campaign ! heh heh heh heh heh

My first beers tasted in Upstate NY were : Schaefer ( horrible hangovers) Utica Club , the jingle: “ UC for me today, UC for me, in every taste test that’s ever been done , Utica Club , yes Utica Club wins two to one !” UC also had talking beer steins, Schultz ( German accent) and Dooley ( Irish accent) which people loved. In 1980’s San Francisco, some NY expats opened a small bar on Kearny Street called Schultz and Dooley’s festooned with the talking mugs. As a teen I drank 10 cent glasses of Genesee Beer ( Jenny) at Kitrick’s my local Troy NY neighborhood bar, At 16 I passed for 18 , then the legal drinking age… then there was Ballantine’s which sponsored the NY Yankees and announcer Mel Allen would pour a perfect glass of beer with foamy head into a pilsner glass on camera “ Make the three ring sign for Ballantine ! ( purity, body, flavor) also they put out ale with a macho ad campaign “ Who is the ale man ? he could be you , a man with a thirst for a manlier brew, three out of four men every time choose the bolder cleaner tasting ale , Ballantine ! ”…when I moved to Nor Cal in 1966 I tasted Hamm’s ( From the land of sky blue waters !…also : a beer is a beer is a beer is a beer until you’ve tasted Hamm’s ! ) and Olympia from Tumwater Washington “ when you’re feelin’ hot and dry you owe yourself an Oly , ice cold Oly ” The Burgermeister brewery in SF was by the 101 Freeway with a huge flashing neon sign touted Burgie ! as smoke rose from the brewery. OK that’s enough suds talk for one post.

Reflections and Thoughts on Various : Palm Springs is going after the vanishing Canadian snow birds who brought bucks to that resort town, protected by that mountain to its west which blocks the smog of SoCal’s Inland empire. The Canucks are boycotting America due to Trump’s absurdities…Barbara Lee is the new mayor of Oaktown and she has work cut out for her with crime and loss of businesses like in once thriving Jack London Square. Used to tend bar at the Square in the 70’s, at The Mast and Metropolitan Yacht Club and loved to hang at Heinhold’s First and Last Chance Saloon with its septuagenarian bartender and cocktail waiter who did a comic routine for tourists, the rickety slanted floor was a feature in the joint where young Jack was once a swamper. It was called first and last chance because the island of Alameda in the 19th century was dry and the ferry to Oakland embarked and departed from the square. 78 year old Mayor Lee has pledged to hire 100 new OPD officers for starters… Best of luck ! Reggie Jackson , the former Oakland A’s slugger, was recently waxing nostalgic on the radio about Oaktown and how he loved running around Lake Merritt and dining at Lois The Pie Queen… Reg laments the loss of all the Oakland major league sports franchises… there was tiny radio station on the West Marin coast, town of Marshall, with select few listeners that recently announced closure, KDAN , named in honor of my late pal songwriter ,Dan Hicks… dunno if Dan even knew about the station… San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has opened Market Street to Waymo robo cabs to go wild , against the wishes of many , including SFPD, legit taxicabs , and the Teamsters. I thought being a rich heir to Levi’s jeans would keep this guy from being corrupted by Silicon Valley…maybe they didn’t buy him , but WTF is he thinking with those driverless autos flooding SF streets ?… San Francisco Giants still playing winning baseball and the budding superstar center fielder Jung Hoo Lee is the main attraction. The young Korean is on the verge of becoming a legendary fan favorite for his clutch hitting , speedy base running and impeccable defense in the outfield. He models himself after the great Ichiro Suzuki. Fans are chanting JUNG HOO LEE! …love it !… songwriter guitarist Michael Hurley recent passed at 83, was unfamiliar with his work, but noticed we shared the same birthdate December 20th… Tim Myers, a bass player, is running for US Congress, which should please my bass playing pals Ross Valory, Dave McCullough, and Johnny Stallion… Reader Rich Jackson, forwarded an interview on You Tube of the late Hillel Resner, who was the promoter and prime mover of the Straight Theater, in the 60’s Hashbury. The interview was conducted by the Haight Ashbury historical society. Hillel was a terrific person with an excellent sense of humor. He was the most agreeable promotor/ booker that I ever had to deal with as an SF rock band manager. RIP Hillel !… I read another novel by Portland musician Willy Vlautin, The Night Always Comes… my pals Sean Claymore and Johnny Stallion loved Vlautins’ book, The Horse , as did I so I gave Vlautin another read. That motherfucker has a wild imagination, and I mean that in a good way. The Night Always Comes, is about a determined and resourceful young woman in Portland who must overcome serious life obstacles , and takes the reader on a thrill ride through Portland’s sleazy demi monde. Also sampled a California history book : Badge and Buckshot; Lawlessness in Old California by John Boessenecker, an ex-cop and lawyer who writes from that perspective. Amazing amount of holdup men who robbed stages, gold claims, and riders from Grass Valley to Cloverdale , Auburn to Healdsburg to San Andreas to Nevada City, Fiddletown to Yreka, and the fearless, tough lawmen who tracked and hunted the equally rugged outlaws… tried a Eudora Welty short story collection also…Stoner’s Resurrection: In 2025 Easter Sunday and 4/20 fall on the same day, 420 is a marijuana smoking holiday , allegedly originating in San Rafael. So fire up a reefer , munch a chocolate bunny, and praise the Lord, vipers !

Viewing Pleasures for a Breezy and Chilly April : Invisible Stripes (1939) A treat to discover an unseen ( by me) Humphrey Bogart picture ,although he is in a supporting role to George Raft. Bogie and Raft are pals, released from Sing Sing at the same time, Bogie to resume being a slick gangster and Raft trying to navigate the straight and narrow , with odds stacked against him as an ex-con, a horrible stigma in the thirties. In trying to overcome those obstacles, Raft guides his kid brother, played by youthful William Holden. This was thirty years before Holden, as Pike Bishop gang leader in The Wild Bunch delivers that classic film’s chilling line “ if they move …kill ‘em ! ”…Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) Carl Reiner spoof of Film Noir with tons of fab clips from classics like Double Indemnity and Big Sleep, cleverly edited into a black and white private eye tale starring Steve Martin and sexpot Rachel Ward. It’s funny because of the great Reiner, but I’m just not big on wild and crazy guy Martin ( sorry ! I’ve tried hard to appreciate him. He’s a fine banjo player) so I had to endure this comedy, somewhat, on second watch…The 39 Steps (1935) Classic Alfred Hitchcock suspense in a spy yarn that veers from London to Scotland and back and is laced with humor as was Hitch’s trademark. Great picture !…Killing Them Softly (2012) Boston novelist George V. Higgins’ book Cogan’s Trade is the source of this Neo-Noir chock full of stylized violence and salty language. Brad Pitt delivers as a resourceful and cold-blooded mob fixer/enforcer. The late James Gandolfini does a fine turn as a hit man going off the rails with hookers and booze. I was a fan of the late Higgins, especially The Friends of Eddie Coyle and read most all of his books…Murder My Sweet (1944) Former pro fighter Mike Mazurki plays giant ex-con Moose Malloy to the limit in this classic Film Noir from the pen and mind of Raymond Chandler. Song and dance man Dick Powell plays the hard boiled, wisecracking gumshoe Philip Marlowe to the delight of Chandler. Claire Trevor is Velma Valente, the Femme Fatale who gets the party started in this fine example of the genre. Some gimmicky camera tricks that work, illustrating Marlowe’s physical abuse by various crooks and his hallucinations and blackouts…Streamers : Mobland ( 2025) If you love Guy Ritchie’s stuff you’ll love this series. Cartoonish violence galore in a bloody London battle between two gangs. Strong cast of Tom Hardy , Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan… Recommended… Transparent (Netflix 2014) Watched the pilot…plenty of nudity and sex to titillate and SF State alum Jeffrey Tambor coming out as a transvestite .. He’s the father of three grown adults, including Amy Landecker, who enjoy robust sex lives… Hacks: Season 4 HBO —With Jean Smart starring , you can’t go wrong. I’m a fan !…The Last Of Us —Season Two HBO . I dig this post-apocalyptical American drama series… Western touch to survival from a fungus that threatens the human race, turning victims into zombie-esque creatures, which I don’t favor . The character development is the strength of this series. I enjoy The Last Of Us.

Songs Of The Day:

Roll Away The Stone—Leon Russell

Sam Stone- John Prine

Rebel Music/ 3 O'clock Roadblock- Bob Marley and the Wailers

Kid Codeine- The Delines

If You’re A Viper—Jim Kweskin Jug Band

Biscuit Roller-Michael Hurley

(all on YouTube)