This Is Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile
“The New Generation of Olds” - Out With The Old, In With The New
Let me tell you a short boring tale...
The untold story of “Not your father’s Oldsmobile.” Or how some really bad advertising changed the culture forever!
Back when Oldsmobiles roamed the earth. And their commercials filled the airwaves.
Equivalent today to, “This is not your father’s Democrat.”
At the end of the 1980s, Oldsmobile was determined to shake the image that it built boring cars for sleepy seniors. “Not your father's Oldsmobile”
became the brainfart of creative director by the name of Joel Machak.
The very first spot was for the “totally redesigned Cutlass Supreme,” looking like a makeover of The Starship Enterprise. The protagonist for this commercial was none other than William Shatner, appearing as; you guessed it, Captain Kirk! Riding shotgun was his lovely college-aged daughter, Melanie Shatner. A middling actress, she was pretty darn cute. She also was well endowed. And this became problematic given her wardrobe and where we were shooting. It gets damn cold in the Palm Desert at night. The diaphanous gown provided Melanie was meant to be futuristic a la Star Trek, but it did nothing to warm her up. Subsequently, her nipples went completely rigid, sticking up like Spock’s ears. Listening to the juicy dialogue (unscripted) between William and his daughter. Captain Kirk schooling his daughter about the virtues of pep and sleeping pills as a key to nighttime shooting was priceless off camera.
1988 Melanie Shatner "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" TV ad with Dad.
1997 William Shatner "Bust a Move" Priceline TV
Back in the day, you might have been an autoworker. Today you're just a thumb on social media.
dr. π (pi)
.
Let me tell you a short boring tale...
The untold story of “Not your father’s Oldsmobile.” Or how some really bad advertising changed the culture forever!
Back when Oldsmobiles roamed the earth. And their commercials filled the airwaves.
Equivalent today to, “This is not your father’s Democrat.”
At the end of the 1980s, Oldsmobile was determined to shake the image that it built boring cars for sleepy seniors. “Not your father's Oldsmobile”
became the brainfart of creative director by the name of Joel Machak.
The very first spot was for the “totally redesigned Cutlass Supreme,” looking like a makeover of The Starship Enterprise. The protagonist for this commercial was none other than William Shatner, appearing as; you guessed it, Captain Kirk! Riding shotgun was his lovely college-aged daughter, Melanie Shatner. A middling actress, she was pretty darn cute. She also was well endowed. And this became problematic given her wardrobe and where we were shooting. It gets damn cold in the Palm Desert at night. The diaphanous gown provided Melanie was meant to be futuristic a la Star Trek, but it did nothing to warm her up. Subsequently, her nipples went completely rigid, sticking up like Spock’s ears. Listening to the juicy dialogue (unscripted) between William and his daughter. Captain Kirk schooling his daughter about the virtues of pep and sleeping pills as a key to nighttime shooting was priceless off camera.
1988 Melanie Shatner "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" TV ad with Dad.
Click to view1997 William Shatner "Bust a Move" Priceline TV
Back in the day, you might have been an autoworker. Today you're just a thumb on social media.
dr. π (pi)
.