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RIP Tommy Van Scoy

R

Runrigger

Kind of a part of RI radio history since he voiced his own spots for the Van Scoy Diamond Mine & they used to be all over the radio in Providence. I think they ran the heaviest in the 80s but may be mistaken there.

He died at age 85, was a Golden Gloves boxer, sponsored 4 Nascar races & 1 Indy race, & was once given the key to the city in Providence.

But as far as sponsors voicing their own spots or voices associated with a particular sponsor for years, we still have Ni-Ro-Pe, that woman from Off Track Bedding, & everybody's least favorite John from Alpert's. Can anyone think of any others that have been around seemingly forever?
 
Do you mind a couple from Massachusetts??

Elliot and Barry Tatelman from Jordan's Furniture have been doing their own commercials for forever. I believe Jordan's, as of 3 or 4 years ago, is now owned by Warren Buffet and either Barry or Elliot no longer is involved with the day to day operations but they both continue with the commercials.

The Rotman guy from Rotman's Furniture in Worcester, MA. It's FANNNNNN-TASTIC!

Bob from Bob's Discount Furniture (altho he is more national I think and not necessarily from this area). The Bob-inizer.

Bernie and Phyl (Phyllis) from Bernie and Phyl's Furniture. Hi Phyl!

Gee, I guess all furniture people do their own commercials.
 
But as far as sponsors voicing their own spots or voices associated with a particular sponsor for years, we still have Ni-Ro-Pe, that woman from Off Track Bedding, & everybody's least favorite John from Alpert's.
---------------------------


I'm about to burst your Bubble here...... but here goes. I was in California as a teenager about 20 years ago. I was using my walkman on the plane. As I'm high above the clouds about to land in Southern California.... take a guess who I heard???? It was John from Alperts. Only on my radio in California he was Dave from a Car Lot! I doubt that John from Alberts has ever stepped foot in Alberts! Call Alpert's and ask them who the guy really is. I guarantee you that he doesn't work there, That's for sure. He's to busy Being Dave at the Used Car Lot in Encino! ;-)


John<P ID="signature">______________
Awsome Voiceovers for your station.
JohnChartier.com
206-600-2629
</P>
 
> Do you mind a couple from Massachusetts??
>
> Elliot and Barry Tatelman from Jordan's Furniture have been
> doing their own commercials for forever. I believe
> Jordan's, as of 3 or 4 years ago, is now owned by Warren
> Buffet and either Barry or Elliot no longer is involved with
> the day to day operations but they both continue with the
> commercials.

You mean Jawdan's Furniture don't you?
Anybody wanna buy a Pride Cah? Abtholutely!
And I know they're newer & national but I HATE those Carabba's spots. Those 2 bubbas ought to get someone else to voice them in New England because nobody talks like that here,especially in an Italian restaurant.
 
"John" from Alperts

> I was in California - John from Alperts - was Dave from a Car Lot! <

Sky is correct-a-mundo. "John" is just a pukey VO guy from California. He might work with MP3's these days, but for years and years a week's worth of commercials would arrive on a reel of tape.

Oh, and talk about cheap: Just one reel for the whole market!! Some poor bastard had to make reel-to-reel copies for everyone in the market, usually on a "drop-what-you're-doing" basis because they were needed right away for pick-up.

So much for all the "What a Great Day Today" personal insight and the "boy it's just so hot out we've decided to extend the sale..." kinda stuff. It's all canned and pre-planned from the West Coast.

Consider the bubble popped.
 
> > How about the gentleman who owns Uncle Tony's Pizza and Pasta Restaurant. I also remember John Shear from John Shear's National Car Rental. Bernie from Bernie's. Remember John Leiser from Leiser Electronics.
 
Re: "John" from Alperts

> Sky is correct-a-mundo. "John" is just a pukey VO guy from
> California. He might work with MP3's these days, but for
> years and years a week's worth of commercials would arrive
> on a reel of tape.
>
> Oh, and talk about cheap: Just one reel for the whole
> market!! Some poor bastard had to make reel-to-reel copies
> for everyone in the market, usually on a
> "drop-what-you're-doing" basis because they were needed
> right away for pick-up.
>
> So much for all the "What a Great Day Today" personal
> insight and the "boy it's just so hot out we've decided to
> extend the sale..." kinda stuff. It's all canned and
> pre-planned from the West Coast.
>
> Consider the bubble popped.

There was no bubble. I knew that. I was kinda grouping together sponsors doing their own spots with one voice identifiable with a sponsor over the years. I remember the days when sales people would make the rounds picking up tapes. Of course if that had to be done today it would be easier with everything in the market in 2 buildings.
 
> > > How about the gentleman who owns Uncle Tony's Pizza and
> Pasta Restaurant. I also remember John Shear from John
> Shear's National Car Rental. Bernie from Bernie's.
> Remember John Leiser from Leiser Electronics.

Al Cerrone too. I remember taping him on occasion. Nice guy.
 
Crazy Eddie. He really is insane! ;-)



John<P ID="signature">______________
Awsome Voiceovers for your station.
JohnChartier.com
206-600-2629
</P>
 
> Crazy Eddie. He really is insane! ;-)
>
I remember him an even went to one of his stores in NYC. What about Spaggs in Shrewsbury MA. Wasnt it like a Job Lot of the early 80's

>
 
> I remember him an even went to one of his stores in NYC.
> What about Spaggs in Shrewsbury MA. Wasnt it like a Job Lot
> of the early 80's
>
> >
>
I live in Shrewsbury and Spag's used to be an institution. Spag himself did his own commercials for a long time. Spag's was the original warehouse club long before BJ's, Sam's, Costco came along and had a very haphazard merchandising technique which was its niche and everyone loved it.

Then they tried to become a real store to compete against the big boys (Wally World, BJ's, Target) and dropped alot of merchandise and actually became "merchandised" because a consultant told them to do it. It didnt work and Spag was rolling over in his grave dying all over again.

A couple of years ago, Spag's sold out to Building 19 and is now called Spag's 19. It's still there but is a shell of it's former self. The 3 Spag daughters were actually laid off a year ago or so and no original family is left.

Very very sad.
 
> Bob from "Bob's Discount Furniture" (altho he is more national
> I think and not necessarily from this area). The Bob-inizer.
>

Yes! The man who leaves off the famous "S" brand label. His name is Bob Kaufman and he is from New England. He started his chain (as we know it today) in Newington, CT in 1990. Today, he has roughly 2 dozen stores over CT, MA, NH and ME. More info can be found at www.mybobs.com. (COME ON DOWN!)

As for Tommy Van Scoy, I used to hear radio ads with him all of the time on WKCI-FM 101.3 ("KC-101") of Hamden/New Haven in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I could swear I saw a billboard ad for his diamond mine in the Scranton, PA area last December. (?)

Speaking of long-running advertisers, how is Jolly John doing these days in southern Maine? (He's a Ford dealer along US Route 1 in Saco, ME.)
 
Maurice the Pants Man

If you're gonna mention Spag...then what about "Maurice the Pants Man...with locations in Worcester, Fitchburg, Framingham, Sturbridge, Marlboro and Milford." (did I miss any towns??) What a famous tag. He was always on WAAF and WBCN.
 
Re: Maurice the Pants Man

> If you're gonna mention Spag...then what about "Maurice the
> Pants Man

Wow, I cant believe I forgot about him. Shame on me! Didnt he die, too? I vaguely recall hearing "Maurice" ads all the time as a kid listening to the old WORC-AM. Remember WORC's morning show with Dave O'Gara (who is now on WORC-FM playing what are now oldies but were then current hits?) and newsman Phillip James Lagious?? My mother always hated Phil's voice. ;o)
 
Re: Maurice the Pants Man

Does anyone remember Low Price Lenny? I have no idea what the business was but he used to voice his own spots & did quite a bit of radio,but I think it may have been in Bristol County Massachusetts.

Then there was that couple that ran Railroad Salvage in nearby Connecticut. I don't remember if they did radio but they were heavily into TV ads. I don't remember their names.

And I think it's a sign of alzheimer's when I remember things like this but the Projo ran a story some years back about a woman vacationing in LA who heard a radio spot voiced by Alpert's John there & actually managed to reach him by phone to question him on whether or not he was he same guy.
 
Re: Maurice the Pants Man

> Does anyone remember Low Price Lenny?
> And I think it's a sign of alzheimer's when I remember
> things like this but the Projo ran a story some years back
> about a woman vacationing in LA who heard a radio spot
> voiced by Alpert's John there & actually managed to reach
> him by phone to question him on whether or not he was he
> same guy.
-----------------------------------

Well as I mentioned earlier in the thread. I heard John from Alpert's doing a spot in LA where he was Dan from a Used car Lot. It's been confirmed that there is not a Real John from Alpert's. He's the mystery man who will be whoever you pay him to be.

However Low Price Lenny IS a real guy from Fall River. I've met him and I did a little work with him many moons ago at WSAR. He was a local guy who seemed to be very involved in the community at the time. I forget his full name though. He always seemed a little like the local version of Crazy Eddie. As a matter of fact that may have been his intent.



John

<P ID="signature">______________
Awsome Voiceovers for your station.
JohnChartier.com
206-600-2629
</P>
 
Jerry Ellis, good stuff cheap!

We can't forget Jerry Ellis of Building 19 fame, Good Stuff Cheap!
 
Re: Jerry Ellis, good stuff cheap!

> We can't forget Jerry Ellis of Building 19 fame, Good Stuff
> Cheap!
>
How bout in Providence the gentleman from Sammartino Diamond. He did is own ads in the mid 80's. I can not remember his first name though.
 
Client Reads

Y'Know, in-house, we used to hate client reads because most sound terrible. But look at us naming one after another of these memorable images. Who says advertising doesn't work. ...and perhaps client reads aren't so bad after all.
 
"Railroad Salvage" / "Pieroways"

> Then there was that couple that ran "Railroad Salvage" in
> nearby Connecticut. I don't remember if they did radio but
> they were heavily into TV ads. I don't remember their names.

The owner was Ruby Vine. He once had a location on Webster Square Road in Berlin, CT. There were two or three other CT locations and Turner's Falls, MA. Incidentally, I don't really remember him doing too many radio ads.

By the way, what ever happened to Walt from the Pieroway's ads in western Massachusetts and Connecticut? ("Just over the Ludlow Bridge in Ludlow!")
 
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