Out of the archives here are five Bill Pierre Commercials, with his toe-tapping jingle. I believe they ran in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I don’t know where they were produced, I am assuming in Seattle. I don’t know who the announcer is, either. They were transferred from acetates by a broadcast friend and shared with me. – Duane Smart
September 11 1997 – “He could sell ice to an Eskimo. He was just a natural salesman,” said his son Bill Pierre Jr. “But he was also known for his fair deals.” Mr. Pierre, founder of Bill Pierre Ford in 1947, died Tuesday. He had been ill in recent weeks, suffering heart-related problems and pneumonia. He was 85. Seattle Times
Duane Smart was Mr. Music Man for the J.P. Patches program at KIRO 7 tv. He also chose music for almost all of the local studio productions at KIRO. Be it a public service show or a new news theme, The Big Money Movie or the theme music for Joe Towey’s “Nightmare Theater”…..these were the days before “packaged” theme music came into being at KIRO. Duane also did freelance work recording commercials. For more than 20 years Duane Smart also did all the music that ran at Enchanted Village and Wild Waves. Once the J.P. Patches show went off the air, Duane decided to retire, after having enjoyed 29 years at KIRO.
Bill Pierre had a neon sign on a tower. It didn’t say “Bill Pierre”, just “FORD”, vertically. It would would go on, off, and back on one letter at a time. I lived on East 90th St. between Roosevelt Way and 12th Avenue N.E. Our sledding hill was on 90th between 15th and 20th. Down at 17th and 90th, we could see Pierre’s sign, which was at about East 123rd St. and 30th Avenue N.E. My sister and I, 9 or 10 years old, would stand there with our sleds and chant “FORD F-O-R-D” over and over and over. That memory still pops into my head every so often.
And KAYO’s tower had the same kind of sign on it.
On many of the spots, the announcer would open with “Pierre’s man again to say . . .”, and the question came up as to the announcer’s name and the whole town was abuzz. I don’t know, it might have been Emmett Watson, but somebody finally came up with the answer. His name was Pierre Smanigan.
As car dealer Chuck Olsen used to say, “magnofantastico”
No, that was Bud Meadows Pontiac at 130th and Aurora. WADR, of course.
Love it Duane! Hope you’re doing well. Always love hearing remixed about the Christmas song. The name slips my lips. I know every time I played it the phones would light up. Stop the Calvary!
Great memories! Thanks Duane!!