How good was this commercial? It was so good that 50 years later and after not seeing the ad for decades, I still remembered the wife's first line, "You ate it, Ralph!" It's truly a classic.
I remember this commercial, it was truly a classic. Still today when I need Alka Seltzer, the line “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” goes through my head.
One of those commercials where you heard it so often you end up able to recite the entire ad by heart. Right up there with "Spicy meatball" and the Life cereal ad with "Mikey".
Spicy Meatballs was also an Alka Seltzer Ad.....probably the same Ad Agency. PS : Spicy is my Favorite TV Ad of All Time!! ( out of thousands that I have seen) One of the few that comes very close are the Benson and Hedges “Dis-Advantages” Ads
@@maydom04 Yes it was also an Alka-Seltzer ad, possibly from a year or so before this one. It had Jack Somack uttering the famous "spicy meatball" line. It probably was by the same ad agency.
You know, most people haven't ever even seen this commercial, and yet everybody knows the line: "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." It's so ingrained in the American psyche.
This used to be my FAVORITE commercial when I was 6 years old!!! For some reason I thought about it, looked it up on You Tube and BAM!!! here it is!!! It still cracks me up!!
So glad this brought back good memories for you guys. FYI The line was immortalized in the Trivia Game, has been a frequent question in crossword puzzles and is frequently used around dinner tables across America. The commercial, along with its companion, "Try it, you'll like it" has been honored in the Clio Hall of Fame. Keep sayin' it! The author, Howie Cohen aka madmensch.
A truly epic commercial. it was so good, so funny "it went viral" before the internet existed. even after the ad stopped running I recall for years people would quote it at parties and family gatherings. not sure that ad can be topped. decades later "were's the beef" was pretty good. but that alka-selter ad has got to be the all time best. A bit of trvia, can anyone guess as to why they named the character Ralph? when I worked in NYC in the 90's an ad agency we worked with confirmed why, the answer should be obvious given the decade that ad was released.
I would guess it would be Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) from "The Honeymooners" which had just ended its TV run in '71. The wife in bed sounds just like Kramden's wife in the TV series; addressing him as "Ralph" all the time. "Baby, you're the greatest!" Gleason would say to his wife at the end of many episodes.
"Wait Until Your Father Gets Home" brought me here. I was 4yrs. old in '72 I'm sure this was re-made in the late 70's or 80's because I remember this line to well.
This is Milt Moss "prince of the put on" I was with him today and he is 90 years old. Still hanging in there. He told me he got an award for this commercial.
I remember that commercial from way back in the 70'$. And i know that has been ever so yesterday, but it seemed as though, it was being aired, every other three or four commercials. Regardless of the case, i loved it way back then, and still do now.
My wife just made me a huge omelet and when I was done the words "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" popped into my head. So of course, I had to look this up. So grateful for youtube.
Bob Hope was doing a special in February 1972 when President Nixon was visiting China and at one point he said they had a traditional 15 course Chinese dinner and later that night Nixon was up, groaning to Pat, "I can't believe I ate that WHOLE THING."
Everyone remembers Ralph and his whole thing! However, it was the wife who made the commercial with the snarky "You ate it Ralph!" Her annoyed derision is classic!
It was one of my family's favourite spots, when it aired. (I was sixteen.) I'd checked in, to see whether anybody had realised-yes, "that" and, not, "the." I caught, on when I watched-last month! Regardless,(though the misinterpretation is humorous)Milt Moss is in the Clio hall-of-fame and, deservedly, so.
The ad man who's responsible for this commercial was at Woodstock. He was in the Life pictoral...the harry guy under the water faucet wearing nothing but his tidy-whities. It was a famous pic.
For some reason, I've heard these lines as well and I'm not even american. Always thought it was about two stoned guys eating brownies though. "I can't belieeve I ate the whoole thaaang"
The voice over announcer is the late Eddie Barth (1931-2010) who was also the voice over for Miller Lite commercials ("Everything you've always wanted in a beer...and less)
Milt Moss was one of Ray Heatherton's comedy assistants and his puppeteer on The WOR TV Ch.9 NYC version of"The Merry Mailman"in the early 1950's..he was also "The Cartoon Zookeeper"on WPIX TV Ch.11 NYC's"Cartoon Zoo"in the early 1960's.
The very first time I stepped on a school bus to start first grade and what do I remember about that first bus ride? The older kids in the back of the bus were mimicking this commercial. "I can't believe I ate the whole thing."
0:01-0:29 - *Ralph:* _[sickly]_ I can't believe I ate that _who-o-o-ole_ thing. *Ralph's Wife:* _[annoyed]_ You ate it, Ralph. *Ralph:* _[sickly]_ I can't believe I ate that _who-o-o-ole_ thing. *Ralph's Wife:* _[sarcastically]_ No, Ralph, _I_ ate it. *Ralph:* _[sickly]_ I can't believe I ate that _who-o-o-ole_ thing. *Ralph's Wife:* _[annoyed]_ _Take your Alka-Seltzer._ *Announcer:* Alka-Seltzer neutralizes all the acid your stomach has churned out. For your upset stomach and headache, take Alka-Seltzer and feel better fast. *Ralph's Wife:* Did you drink your Alka-Seltzer? *Ralph:* _[happily]_ The _who-o-ole_ thing.
Good lord "Wait Until Your Father Gets Home!" Glad I'm not the only one who remembers that. I remember the theme song and that it was kind of a animated All In the Family-like show.
Just learned today that this was created by Paul Margulies, father of Julianna of The Good Wife and ER fame. She wrote a touching memorandum article about her real life Mad Man father and his genius in AdWeek. www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/memoriam-my-father-paul-margulies-161350
I was in second grade or so when this aired and my name is Ralph. I hated this commercial, lol. Later on Happy Days was a big hit and they had Ralph Malph in it, I hated that too, lol. But later on, I appreciated Ralph as a name because no one else had that name.
