Pete Rose and Steve Garvey were Aqua Velva men
Posted by: Richie Rich in Commercials, Dodgers, Other Sports, Pete Rose, Phillies, Reds, Wayback Machine
This week’s HRD Wayback Machine takes up back into the 1970’s and early 80’s.
Back then, big name sports stars weren’t lining up to do commercials for Gatorade. Instead, they were lining up to do commercials for Aqua Velva.
Okay, Aqua Velva looks a lot like Gatorade, but it was (still is) a men’s aftershave. I think it was orginally meant to be a mouthwash. Your dad probably used it. Personally, I don’t know anyone who used that stuff.
And with the tagline “A man wants to smell like a man” … the cheese factor in the Aqua Velva spots was simply priceless. Even worse than that Johnny Bench commercial for Bubble Fudge.
Pete Rose was the posterboy for Aqua Velva … and he wasn’t afraid to sing the Aqua Velva jingle.
The cameo by Vic Tayback (Mel from the TV show Alice) makes that whole commercial for me.
But that’s not Charlie Hustle’s best work. Here’s Rose simultaneously taking batting practice and putting on the charm on a female reporter.
What’s in that stuff? Pheromones? Airborne roofies? Anyone else think there was any symbolism in Rose flipping that bat as he walks away with the reporter?
I’m not sure how Rose really did with the ladies … but this next spokesman did pretty well.
Here’s Steve Garvey hawking Aqua Cologne. If you’re going to get a ballplayer to sell your cologne, Steve Garvey (who fathered children with at least two women who weren’t his wife) makes perfect sense.
“Hey Steve Garvey, is that a new cologne you’ve got on?”
Who wrote that crap? I thought this video was fake when I first heard the catcher’s dialogue. But damn if that’s not Garvey talking to the catcher. And there’s that bat flip again.
Former Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus also pitched for Aqua Velva.
Apparently, Butkus didn’t have as good of an agent as Rose or Garvey.
Rose got the girl in his ad.
Garvey got a Home Run.
Butkus only got to see some offensive lineman bag the cheerleader.
Entries (RSS)
March 15th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
RICHIE RICH SAID: “Okay, Aqua Velva looks a lot like Gatorade, but it was (still is) a men’s aftershave.”
It did (and still does) smell like crap.
March 15th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
You know,they say that that was made back in the late 70’s,early 80’s, But I don’t remember it on a reciept from any store that we went to. I don’t know if my father had Cologne like that or if he just used the same. TV ad’s are getting old, so some corprate smuck come’s up with one, and it’tl be all-over the tv before you know it.
Like those Geico Commercials,don’t they just drive you nut’s? If you watch too many of them in less than an hour, you will go Crazy, Bonker’s, or just become plain Weird.
March 16th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I hear the Geico Cavemen are in the running, for a starters spot with the Pirates.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Speaking of fragrances and the Wayback Machine. Star Trek themed stuff will soon be on the shelves. Two fragrances for men, “Tiberius” as in James Tiberius Kirk, and “Red Shirt … Because Tomorrow May Never Come.” For the ladies is “Ponn Farr” (named after the Vulcan Mating ritual).
See here… http://tinyurl.com/cepu3e