[AUDIO] “Call For Philip MMMMMooooorrrrr-rrrrraaaaaiiiiisssss!!!!!”

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http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/old_radio_commercials/Philip_Morris_Cigarettes.mp3

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In my opinion, we should never presume the medical community to be omniscient gods from on high. They are much like car mechanics guessing, testing and scratching their collective heads every now and then…

by no means is what they say any form of gospel, “this is bad” “this is good”–sometimes they just don’t KNOW.

Anyways, not trying to rant or anything, but reflect on a dead meme.

It sounds much like little boy vendors on the crazy packed trains in India where they can sell all KINDS of portable vendable merchandise…and use this inter-tonal form of siren call—I love it.

Who wouldda thunk that cigarettes were familiarly sold in this way on the streets of New York or Chicago, like, 100 years back. (not even)

A warm nostalgic romance can illuminate such a thought. ha.

In 1959, NBC Radio aired a special half hour program to celebrate the 25th anniversary of an advertising giant.  This “giant” was all of 4′ tall and was attired in a bellhop uniform complete with red coat and brass buttons.  He became famous for saying only one line with a robust voice.  The radio listeners knew him as “Johnny Philip Morris” (Johnny Roventini in real life).

Hosted by Ben Grauer, the program was a tribute to Johnny’s achievements in radio.  With Johnny on hand as the guest of honor, he and Grauer looked back over the 25 years since the first call for Philip Morris was heard over the airwaves.

That first “Call For Philip Morris took place in 1934 on a broadcast of the FERDE GROFÉ SHOW on NBC’s Red Network. To the music of On The Trail Movement from Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, Johnny yelled out his first “Call For Philip Morris to a nationwide audience.  In a nutshell, the music and Johnny’s call blended well together.  It worked well on over 50 other radio programs during the remaining years of radio’s golden age (in numbers, Philip Morris sponsored more old time radio programs than any other product).

Grauer asked Johnny how many times he called for Philip Morris during his 25 years in radio. Johnny replied that when the program was presented live and he was in attendance, he estimated around 500,000 times. When transcriptions of his call were used, that number elevated into the millions.

Johnny Roventini (also known as John Louis Roventini and popularly as Johnny Philip Morris) (August 15, 1910–November 30, 1998) was an American dwarf actor of Italian-American heritage.

Less than 4 feet tall as a fully-developed adult, [1] Johnny Roventini was working as a 22-year old hotel bellboy in New York City in 1933 when he was “discovered” by an advertising mogul, who had him perform a page, issuing a “Call for Phillip Morris”. [2] He reportedly could always vocalize a perfect B-flat tone [3] as he repeated those words, literally over a million times during his career, according to his own estimate. [4]

He soon became famous as a product spokesman for Philip Morris brand cigarettes in radio, television and print advertising media. He was described by Philip Morris personnel as a “living trademark”, and represented the company for over 40 years. He also played roles in the growth of broadcast media, most notably helping Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz with the initial success of their innovative I Love Lucy comedy series beginning in 1951.

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