Ralph Williams had several car dealerships on the west coast. Here, spokesman Chick Lambert has some fun at Williams’ expense in an outtake from a commercial for a California location of the car dealership…
(Los Angeles Times – 1989) A fixture of late-night television in Southern California and the Pacific Northwest for decades, Williams started as pitchman for his own dealership in the early 1960s.
As a car dealer, however, Williams ran afoul of the DMV. Williams had his dealers’ license revoked on two separate occasions.
Williams also ran afoul of regulators in the state of Washington, where he once owned a dealership. He still owes consumers in that state millions of dollars awarded in a 1972 consumer fraud judgment against him and his company. The charges against Williams, according to Washington Assistant Atty. Gen. Jay Uchida, included false and misleading advertising in television ads in which Williams was the star.
Chick Lambert vid is now getting a lot of play on the internet.
There were also crazy commercials from Jack Roberts and Ivar. Creative seems to have disappeared from local advertising. National too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KAOioN1ZMw&list=FLbnxqwsIKNy6ahdL4vdlP8g
https://www.federalwaymirror.com/news/federal-way-flashback-the-fast-life-and-high-times-of-dick-balch/
Before my time in Seattle, there was this guy.
Don’t forget Glen Grant: https://youtu.be/F40QJgMLCEU
and Russ Dun-mi-re, Russ Dun-mi-re! https://youtu.be/1XkoVNzMMQo
Russ Dunmire was my favorite. Very old school car ads.
Russ Dunmire was my favorite. Very old school car ads.
Was $399 over invoice supposed to be incentive to buy? And what a bunch of crappy cars!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcQ5ld2aE0
I remember the jingle.
Then came Cal Worthington and his dog, Spot.
I again date myself by admitting remembering his commercials. 😉
Wasn’t the phrase “I’m dating myself” once prohibited on the radio?
I dunno. It gets lonely out there.
Here’s Lambert doing the same schtick at the Aurora dealership: https://youtu.be/DK6BksCzTKs
Dig the car prices. So 70s.
Ralph Williams didn’t make it in Seattle past 1970. The dealership was shut down by the state for tax evasion.
That would have been Slade Gorton. The AG at the time.