1825 Tulane by Benny Grunch
This page is dedicated to all those old-line New Orleans homegrown businesses that decorated the airways with their own brand of "popular music". Here, without further ado, is our list of the most recognized, longest running and most successful New Orleans radio and TV jingles of all time. Rosenburg’s
Rosenburg’s Furniture Store at 1825 Tulane Avenue absolutely won the radio and TV promo spot lifetime achievement award. The simple address, sung in a kindergarten child’s voice with no accompaniment, is totally indelible. You can’t forget it, ever. "Eighteen Twenty Five… Too- lane"
Accompanied only by the pre-school, little girl logo, the whole thing actually goes:
- Rosenburgs, Rosenburgs,
- you’ve got a lot to gain.
- Rosenburgs, Rosenburgs,
- eighteen Twenty-Five… Tulane.
Bayou Seafood, Seafood City (also see Poppa’ Stoppa’)
Al Scramooza is such an appealing and novel character that he probably didn’t need a jingle for his Bayou Seafood store, (later called Seafood City). Nevertheless, the Seafood City song with Al Scramooza in the vocal mix and on TV hopping on stage singing and dancing to his original jingle, sealed his induction to the New Orleans Registry of Authentic Lovable Nuts, (as soon as there is one).
Nearly everyone in New Orleans could tell you what business is at Broad & St. Bernard.
With a late 60’s soul beat, full rhythm section and backup singers came a wailing Seafood City jingle.
- Seafood City, very pretty,
- down on Broad and St. Bernard…
Boudreaux’s Jewlers
Boudreaux’s Jewelers still uses their melody with male and female vocals in tight harmony:
- Special days are spent in many ways,
- all meant to say I love you,
- when words all seem so small.
- A gift from Boudreaux’s Jewelers says it all.
Thanks to Stephen LeBlanc
Crystal Preserves (Baumer Foods)
Baumer Foods, on Tulane and Carrolton Avenue still has the giant billboard above their plant. It depicts a 40’s – 50’s chef stirring a pot out of which (at times) real steam would arise.
Crystal is Baumer’s line of preserves. This simple three-word jingle of bell-like female voices is an escalating major chord made an almost subliminal stamp in listener’s memory.
Crystal… Crystal… Crystal
Daileys (Daileys had no apostrophe before the "s" on their sign)
At least two generations of even the most casual radio listeners can still sing the Daileys jingle and then recite the business address. Daileys, a small department store specializing in family apparel, enjoyed the intense local name recognition usually reserved for industry giants.
This brief song was as catchy as any pop tune on the air; a fast back-beat with Andrew Sisters style harmony:
- Tell Daileys who you are, and where you work,
- and how you want to pay.
- For friendly, easy credit shopping,
- buy the Daileys way.
- (spoken) "Daileys, ten, ten Canal.
Dr. Tichenor’s Antiseptic
Dr. Tichenor’s Antiseptic Co. is still located in downtown New Orleans. Their remedy is still a popular item on drug store shelves, marketed as a concentrated mouthwash and gargle. It is the most familiar of all local medications.
The "Dr. Tichenor’s" radio and TV song was a fast, thick Cajun accented, male vocal accompanied by a full, South Louisiana, country swing rhythm section featuring steel guitar.
- Dat good’ ol Doctor Tichenor’s,
- best antiseptic in town.
- Just rinse your mouth wit Tichenor’s,
- and those little germs go down.
The Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo
The annual Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo still advertises on radio and TV, but none of their recent ads has been as clever as this spot from the 50’s.
Two male vocalists, in a Cajun accent would sing;
- Male Voice 1 - Well, I’m off to catch a Terpin.
- Male Voice 2 - Mah fren, you mean a Tarpon.
- Male Voice 1 - Well how on earth you ‘spect for me to know?
- Male Voice 1 - If I drown out by da' pilin', tell my wife I went down smilin
- Male Voice 1 - at da' Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.
Jax Beer
Jax Beer, before its award winning truly funny and clever cartoon commercials, had an extremely catchy, original jingle on radio and TV:
- Hello mellow Jax, little darlin’,
- you’re the beer for me.
- And I know that you’ll agree.
Then some years later a relaxed male voice sang;
- When it comes to beer,
- I'm hard to please.
- I’ll take my ease,
- with Jax and cheese.
K&B (Katz and Besthoff) Drug Stores
New Orleans landmark K&B Drug Stores, with their familiar purple logo, are now (as of this year) a memory.
With all of its clout, this giant retailer of prescriptions, medicines and sundries never had a really killer jingle. However, the last line of the K&B singing commercial was used as an audio trademark.
It was a light, perky group vocal; very radio-spot sounding.
- Look at almost every corner,
- and what do you see.
- A big purple sign that says,
- Friendly K&B.
- Variety, value and reliability,
- that’s what you get at your friendly K&B.
- K&B Drugstores.
Kirschman’s Furniture Store
How good times must have been in New Orleans. You could take a cab to Kirschman’s Furniture Store and Kirschman’s would pay the cab fare; not with credit toward a purchase, not after proof of purchase, not with a discount on your next purchase. A smiling man in a coat and tie would pay the cab driver on the spot as the customer emerged from the cab.
This scene was portrayed in Kirschman’s 1950’s TV commercial, a bouncy group vocal with full instrumental accompaniment, perfectly reflected the bursting post-war New Orleans:
- Take a cab there,
- we’ll pay the cab fare.
- At New Orleans number one,
- downtown furniture store.
- Kirschman’s; three-0-six-0 Dauphine.
Louisiana Department of Tourism
What a difference two and a half decades made in jingle production. No Zydeco music, no Mardi Gras, no gambling boats, no crawfish heads.
This promotion for tourism in Louisiana was a quiet plantation grounds being strolled by five or six young ladies dressed like Scarlet O’Hara on Easter Sunday, complete with parasols.
The music was also serene; a walking tempo with female voices sort of warbling.
- Discover Louisiana,
- a wonderful place of variety.
Leidenheimer Baking Co.
Leidenheimer has been baking French bread in New Orleans since 1896. It is also Louisiana’s largest baker of French bread. The Leidenheimer brands include Zip and Reising breads.
- Ooh la Leidenheimer,
- that’s what I said.
- Ooh la Leidenheimer
- that’s French for bread.
Lenfant’s
Lenfant’s (at Canal Blvd. And Greenwood Cemetery) was well known for seafood; not well known for their TV commercials from the early fifties.
Many of the local commercial spots were performed live. There is probably no recorded proof of the Lenfant’s Chefs dancing a second-line style war dance in a tight circle chanting;
- Lenfant’s Seafood, finest seafood,
- Lenfant’s Seafood, finest seafood.
Maison Blanche Department Store
Maison Blanche a Canal Street landmark, cleverly used a puppet for their Christmas pitchman. This holly-winged marionette snowman with an ice cream cone hat was sure to attract children to his early evening, fifteen minute "Mr. Bingle TV Show". But, he attracted viewers of all ages and was an instant commercial, entertainment and identity success.
Mr. Bingle also appeared daily and nightly every twenty minutes or so in MB’s live show window on Canal Street. Young and old would jam the sidewalk to watch the five-minute show.
The tempo and melody were a Broadway-Vaudeville fast backbeat:
- Jingle jangle jingle, here comes Mr. Bingle,
- with another message from Chris Kringle.
- Time to launch the Christmas season,
- Maison Blanche makes Christmas pleasin'.
- Gifts galore for you to see,
- each a gem from... MB.
Miller The Killer
Here in "bug city", pest control is big business. Miller The Killer’s theme was easy on the ears, considering the name and the job at hand.
A mid 50’s heavy swing with male and female vocalists; every word was in multi-part harmony. This was a big production for a local bug exterminator.
- Call Miller The Killer,
- a real killer diller.
- Miller The Killer, Miller The Killer,
- he kills them all.
- Call Miller!
Paretti Pontiac
"Trader Joe" Paretti’s cartoon alter ego was a short, square jawed, Jungle Jim type character wearing a short-pants safari suit and a pith helmet.
Trader Joe and his logo were already well known in New Orleans long before the jingle; but then, as if the fame and sales and jingle weren’t enough, here comes the TV commercial.
The song and audio were the same, but the television spot hit an instant funny nerve; girls in flare skirts with wide belts doing the cha-cha as they sang:
- Trader Joe Paretti,
- the Dealer who is ready,
- to trade with you.
- New Orleans’ number one Pontiac dealer,
- Trader Joe the automobiler.
- He’ll save you lots of dough!
Mike Persia Chevrolet
Mike Persia had several auto dealerships in the South, but veterans of the industry here in New Orleans say that Mike Persia Chevrolet was definitely locally owned and operated.
In the familiar Mike Persia Chevrolet commercial, a male baritone vocal was accompanied only by a Mid-East sounding drum. On TV, the jingle was accompanied by the Mike Persia logo- a still Persian looking cartoon character wearing a fez and playing a large drum with his hands. Later, on TV, only the hands moved:
- Get your Chevrolet from Persia,
- Mike Persia Chevrolet.
- Get your Chevrolet from Persia,
- Mike Persia Chevrolet.
Pontchartrain Beach
Located on Lake Ponchartrain at Lakeshore Drive and Elysian Fields Avenue, Ponchartrain Beach was New Orleans’ (and Louisiana’s) largest and most popular amusement park. There was a beach stage that featured a variety of acts from Elvis Presley to the Human Cannonball.
The long running radio and TV ad’s melody was actually the 1900’s Coney Island song "By the Sea", with the Pontchartrain Beach lyrics plugged in. It is likely that young listeners during the 1950’s and 60’s when hearing the "By the Sea" melody, would recall only these "Beach" lyrics;
- At the Beach, at the Beach,
- at Pontchartrain Beach.
- You’ll have fun, you’ll have fun,
- every day of the week.
- You’ll love the thrilling rides,
- laugh till you split your sides,
- at Pontchartrain Beach.
Poppa Stopa and WNNR Radio
Poppa Stoppa was an extremely popular disc jockey in the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s. He specialized in New Orleans Rock ‘n Roll and Rhythm ‘n Blues. His biggest sponsor by far on WNNR-AM radio was Al Scramuzza’s Bayou Seafood/ Seafood City at Broad Street and St. Bernard Avenue.
Scramuzza’s ad share was so large and his popularity so high that he was included in Poppa Stoppa’s promo song, a light, jump, early 60’s R&B groove, with girl-group vocals:
- WNNR’a, niney nine on your dial.
- Poppa Stoppa is a winna’.
- Everybody dig his style.
- (cheer) Poppa Stoppa is a winna’!
- Al Scramuzza is a winna’!
(NOTE::) There was also a hit instrumental recording from the 50’s called "Poppa Stoppa’s Theme Song", recorded for Poppa Stoppa and played at the beginning and ending of his show.
Pass Christian Isles
Just behind Highway 90 on the Mississippi side of the Bridge, sat a large antique yacht on dry land. This was the Pass Christian Isles home sites sales office of Wallace C. Walker & Co., Real Estate.
The Pass Christian Isles jingle was several female voices with an Hawaiian-style accompaniment. The melody was the Hawaiian classic "Aloha Oe":
- Pass Christian Isles,
- Pass Christian Isles…
Popeye’s (Fried Chicken) Restaurants
In 1974, Popeyes Fried Chicken recorded a medium fast, up to date, R+B sound commercial using the Mojo band. (Mojo at the time, held the house gig at "The Bounty" at West End.)
A variety of male and female performers lip-synched the TV spot to give the look of a male vocal goup with a girl-group back-up.
Many versions of this original song were, and still are, part of Popeyes’ (now national) promotions:
- Nothin’ in the city can taste so good,
- as chicken fried the New Orleans way…
- Love that chicken from Popeyes,
- you’ll dig the way it’s fried,
- cooked the New Orleans way.
Ross Jewelers
During the late ‘50’s, WWL-TV (Channel 4 to Yats) televised Saturday wrestling, live, from their studios on Rampart Street. An unlikely sponsor for the mostly pre- and early- teen audience was Ross Jewelers.
A diamond revolved and a waltz-tempo melody played as a solo female opera-style voice sang:
- Around and around goes the carousel…
- Around and around goes the world as well.
- And so does the diamond at Ross,
- the revolving diamond at Ross.
The Safari
The Safari night club on Chef Menteur Highway used this one word radio jungle during the mid-‘50’s.
With jungle drums as the only back-up music, male voices chanted:
- Sa – fa- ri, Sa- fa- ri.
Copyright 2001-2007 Benny Grunch - All Rights Reserved