Cigarette smoking just ain't what it used to be. And who's fault is that? Some blame the manufacturers and some the Surgeon General, but for my money, it's the ad agencies. They've forgotten how to make smoking cool. I mean, who among us could look upon such stuff as this and not be moved to duck out of the opera house and fire up a gasper?
P.S. I have it on good authority that the dapper gent pictured here on the back cover of Detective Fiction Weekly for March 21, 1936 is none other than noted mystery writer (and notorious blogger) Mr. Bill Crider. Smoking didn't hurt him none, now did it?
That's not me. It's my late twin brother, the smoker.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I love these ads. From looking at all the old pulps, it seems that they really went far-out in their claims as to what smoking could do for you. Besides making you more glamorous, it made you a healthy, robust, calmer and smarter person. And recommended by Doctors! Smoke Chesterfields!
ReplyDeleteI love those smoking doctors ads, too. And I think they were still running them into the 50s.
ReplyDeleteI just rented the first six episodes of Gunsmoke from Netflix as it has been more years than I care to count since I saw this series I thought it holds up rather well.
ReplyDeleteThey included the cigarette ads and are they ever a hoot. Especially when Milburn Stone in character as Doc Adams says "You're really livin' when you smoke L&M's"