Home

[Oznell]

Perry, Della and Paul share coffee, and theories--

@QVCisFun ,   thank you so much for the heads-up on coffee commercials depicting two of my all-time favorite Hollywood stars "at home",  Claudette Colbert and Barbara Stanwyck,  plus Lauren Bacall and Jason Robards.

Backing up for the benefit of anyone else reading --  over in the Book forum,  @QVCisFun and I were talking about our shared love of coffee prep and drinking as depicted in TV and movies.  For me, it's all the fun kaffee-klatsching (sp?) in TV's classic "Perry Mason",  that Perry, Paul and Della do in the office, at home, and everywhere else.  Those banded teacups do a lot of traveling.

Della musing, while Perry opines over coffee.  Love that skyline view.  Don't you think she intermittently toys with the idea of Perry being as dynamic and interesting in a personal, as well as professional way?  That's a whole other discussion...

   

@QVCisFun mentioned the Maxwell House Coffee instant commercials, and they are FABULOUS.  There's something so enjoyable about seeing these bigger-than-life stars in a simulated "home" environment, cooing over coffee.

Who is more charming than adorable Claudette Colbert-- still in her sixties the Gallic American soubrette, with cut-glass cheekbones and tony accent to match:

The kitchen they concocted for her is perfect.  Could be a swank apartment or sophisticated brownstone.

Barbara Stanwyck presides over her relaxed, California digs, the modern-day equivalent of the Barkley's Big Valley ranch--

And Bacall and Robards are clearly in a cool New York apartment, befitting their Manhattan lifestyle at the time. Bacall is glamorously at ease, while then-husband Jason Robards seems slightly uncomfortable, ha.

(Later, Bacall would make commercials for now-defunct High Point Decafeinated, in a variety of settings, including a limo complete with table, lamp and coffee service.  They seemed to become increasingly campy, with her purring appreciatively and exhorting us to admire the deep rich "cullah" of the coffee crystals...) 

And back to Maxwell House--  they did all this in service of instant coffee!  The gimmick was, that now, Maxwell House instant was so rich, you could make it by the pot, and the celebrity spokespeople gave you the recipe for doing that in the ads.  The midcentury-style carafe that Claudette holds in the first picture, was even offered as a freebie with purchase at one point.  Those collectible starburst-studded carafes are now available on Ebay.

If you want to see the commercials, just google 'Maxwell House Coffee commercials', inserting the name of the actress.  They are a very fun watch! 

[piperbay]

I always liked the Maxwell House commercials with Mrs. Olson

[Oznell]

Oh, me too, @piperbay ,  she was darling.

I just saw the one Edward G. Robinson did.   He compares his love of coffee to his appreciation of "the good things"-- fine art (and, as we know, he was a connoisseur in real life),  a good book, etc.

He also has a very appropriate home set design for his ad, and he comes across relaxed, and having a little fun with his 'tough guy' image.

[Imaoldhippie]

I think it was Maxwell house that had a coffee commercial series with the actress and actor from England and it was hinted at a romance developing between the two.

I think the commercials ran sometime in the 80's and it was very popular with TV watchers wanting more.

[QVCisFun]

@Oznell  ,  I am so glad you enjoyed the coffee commercials!  Thanks for the added insights and background.  

Della does look kind of wistful while looking at Perry in that third photo.

The Edward G. Robinson commercial was fun.  As was the Lauren Bacall limo commercial where she is decked out in pearls and eveningwear.  I liked the table and lamp in the limo, and also how the base of the lamp doubled as the dessert holder.

Here are a few more youtube commercials I came across, if interested:

Robert Taylor and wife Maxwell House commercial,

Boris Karloff ButterNut coffee commercial,

Paul Newman Maxwell House commercial Japanese,

Agnes Moorehead Coffee Mate commercial.

Then there is:

THE COFFEE SONG, sung by Frank Sinatra

JAVA JIVE, sung by The Ink Spots.

And some instrumental music:

PERKY, Al Hirt, 1961.

PERCOLATOR (TWIST), Billy Joe & The Checkmates, 1962.

[QVCisFun]

Diana Rigg as the brilliant and beautiful Emma Peel:

[Oznell]

Oh, @Imaoldhippie ,  thanks for sharing that--  I'd love to know who the actor and actress from England were.  Do you have any idea?   The only acting couple I can think of at the moment who made commercials and who people mistakenly hoped were romantically involved were James Garner and Mariette Hartley!   But of course they weren't English and it was a different product--  cameras?

If anyone knows who they were, please post.

You are an absolute treasure, @QVCisFun !!   I will work my way through the sites you've posted, should be really fun.  

Very interesting that Robert Taylor made a dueling Maxwell House commercial,  since we know his ex-wife Barbara Stanwyck did one also.  I'm assuming when you said "with his wife" you meant his next wife?  Wasn't she German and named Ingrid or something......   

That is a wonderful, jaunty image of Diana Rigg and coffee.... 

Here's a close-up of the original Maxwell House atomic starburst carafe that Claudette is clutching, or it is its larger version, since I think there were at least two sizes.   I love anything "starburst"--   so midcentury.   Somewhere online I saw an image of it being used as decor, on a shelf, like a vase-- it was so retro and cute:

[Imaoldhippie]

@Oznell ..................I found an early ad which I think is the one on youtube.  There were several of them.  It was for Tasters Choice Instant Coffee, not Maxwell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBsO22fsSLg

[debfau]

---

@Imaoldhippie wrote:

@Oznell ..................I found an early ad which I think is the one on youtube.  There were several of them.  It was for Tasters Choice Instant Coffee, not Maxwell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBsO22fsSLg

---

The guy in the ads is "Anthony Head", he starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

[QVCisFun]

@Oznell  , I like the atomic starburst carafe you showed.  In the Robert Taylor commercial, his wife is Ursula Thiess.  By the way, when I was reading his biography on the IMDB, under Trivia it mentions him being right-handed and having to learn to use his left hand in preparation for his role in "Billy the Kid".  Wonder if it was just for certain scenes or if he used his left hand in all the scenes in that movie.