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Wednesday, September 12, 1984/The Battalion/Page 5
‘Promise Them Anything’ gives
history of political commercials
By JAMES WALKER
Stuff Writer
Political commercials today are a
“fantasy depiction of an ideal state ...
what the viewer sees is ,a cosmetic
job,” said James Hall, in a film pre
sentation entitled “Promise Them
Anything” sponsored by MSC Politi
cal Forum and MSC Great Issues
Tuesday night.
But today it is easier to differen
tiate between political commercials
for candidates and product commer
cials, Hall said. “In 1952, for in
stance we saw our first political tele
vision commercial produced by ABC
that handled it like a general con
sumer good. Nowadays political
commercials are in the hands of peo
ple who specialize in these type of
things,” he said.
Some people ^ven specialize in
Democratic as opposed to Republi
can candidates.
Hall, a media critic and researcher
for Dick Clark’s television series,
Practical Jokes and Blooper’s, has
traveled the country and assembled
a vast collection of film clips from
political commercials. The excerpts
lie presented Tuesday included
soundless productions made from as
far back as 1908 to the carefully or
chestrated commercials of today.
In the 1940s and 1950s political
television commercials often con
veyed simple motifs such as the one
used in Eisenhower’s campaign for
the presidency. It began with a sing
song melody saying,“You like Ike, I
like Ike, everybody likes Ike.”
Hall effectively characterized the
commercials of those days for their
naive honesty, and gripping sense of
reality. In one commercial shown by
Hall, Adlai Stevenson, the candi
date, was having a family chat with
his son and daughter — like some-
thing you would expect to see on
Leave it to Beaver’ — yet the dis
cussion centered on the prevention
of future wars.
Back then “commercials ran any
where f rom a four minute political
spot to a hall-hour Betty Crocker
commercial ... and they were much
less expensive,” he said.
Hall, author of the book “Mighty
Minutes,” has done well in pinning
down a science out of what some
would view as esoteric. Yet this sub
ject is serious business to commercial
producers who face far greater chal
lenges than did their predecessors.
They deal with, “how to address an
apathetic audience that is being
bombarded by a lot of commercials
and resents the intrusion,” Hall said.
While neglecting discussion on
how a viewer could better prepare
him or herself for the onslaught of
campaign commercials in this elec
tion season he did give a good narra
tive of highlights in political com
mercial history.
Hall pointed out that some of the
best television ads were done in the
1960s. At that time many were de
signed to elicit some kind of emo
tional response from the viewer.
In 1960, Nixon preferred to de
liver a conservative discourse by the
side of his desk concerning the Com
munist menace. Four years later,
President Johnson’s strategists
adopted a highly charged commer
cial that became a news event in it
self. The commercial started out
with a pretty young girl counting
flower petals as she plucked them
from a daisy. Just as she reached 10
the picture shifted to an armada of
unmanned naval vessels. An author
itative voice interrupted with a
count-down sequence in anticipation
of a nuclear explosion. As a mush
room cloud engulfed the ships inter
mittent flashes of the young girl ap
peared on the screen.
Hall awarded the title of the fun
niest political commercial to Califor
nia’s former Gov. Brown who lost in
a reelection bid to none other than
Ronald Reagan. The ad concluded
as such,“This year he wants to play
governor. Are you walling to pay the
cost of admission?” The commer
cial was reminiscent of campaign
jokes about Reagan’s acting career
during the 1980 presidential elec
tions.
Prof helps Olympic equestrian teams
By LINDA ROWLAND
Reporter
A Texas A&M veterinarian who
worked with the 1984 Olympic
equestrian teams at Los Angeles this
summer said he felt the Olympics
were a success in many ways.
Dr. Manuel Thomas Jr., D.V.M.,
told about 100 members of the
TAMU Horseman’s Association
Tuesday evening he felt fortunate to
have had the opportunity to asso
ciate with his colleagues from other
countries.
“I was able to help put my country
in good light,” he said.
Thomas said he was the only vet
erinarian at the equestrian Olympics
who also is a teacher.
“Over the years, it will be most im
portant that I can share my experi
ences with the students and with the
vet school,” Thomas said.
Thomas, a faculty member at the
Texas A&M Department of Veteri
nary Public Health, worked as a vol
unteer with the Olympic Veterinary
Commission from July 19 to Aug.
14.
As host country, the United States
provided the commission, which
consisted of veterinarians serving all
branches of the equestrian competi
tion — the showjumping and dres
sage at Santa Anita racetrack and the
three-day event at Fairbanks Ranch.
This Olympics featured the most
hours ever televised of the eques
trian events. About 60 hours of show
jumping and dressage were trans
mitted to Europe, Thomas said.
The veterinarian said these Olym
pics were unusual because no riders
were seriously injured and no cata
strophic accidents — so common to
the sport — occurred.
“We were very fortunate,” he said.
With as many as 22 veterinarians
strategically located, two hospitals on
call and an X-ray unit at Santa Anita
as well as being under close scrutiny
of the Humane Society and the Fed
eration Equestrian Internationale,
Thomas described the equestrian
events as “precisely run.”
Most horses arrived in aluminum
crate-like stalls, were rigorously ex
amined, and were put in quarantine
for a few days before being admitted
into the games, Thomas said.
The Federation Equestrian Inter
nationale, of which Britain’s Prince
Phillip is president, even requires
horses to have extremely specific
passports. Up to every hair swirl is
documented to avoid mistakes,
Thomas said.
The Veterinarian Commission
also drug tested, ran soundness
checks and aided competitors -—
from any country — requesting help,
Thomas said.
Heldenfels talks on deteriorating structures
By KAREN BLOCH
Reporter
The problem of the deterioration
of roads, bridges and sewerage sys
tems in the United States will have to
be addressed soon, H.C. Heldenfels
said Tuesday.
“The need to rebuild the nation’s
infrastructures will be met,” Helden
fels told more than 280 students at a
meeting of the T.R. Holleman Stu
dent Chapter of the Associated Gen
eral Contractors.
"It (the need) will be met not only
Itecause of a need to protect the
health and safety of the citizens, but
because the nation’s economic
growth depends upon it,” he said.
Heldenfels, president of The As
sociated General Contractors in
1982, presented a film dealing with
the problem of substandard struc
tures. The film was composed of
news clips from various networks.
According to the film, the cost of
repair and renewal of infrastruc
tures could be as high as $775 mil
lion dollars.
The film gave various examples of
deteriorating bridges, roads and wa
ter systems.
For example, in one Pennsylvania
town, a bridge is unable to bear the
weight of a school bus and its passen
gers together. Students must get off
the bus and cross the bridge on foot.
“We know that in 50 percent of
our communities the waste-water
systems are working at capacity and
just can’t take any more,” Heldenfels
said.
“Not meeting our nation’s high
way needs,” Heldenfels said, “could,
by 1995, cause an accumulated re
duction in the gross national prod
uct of $355 billion, a reduction in the
number of employed workers by
more than 2.5 million and price in
creases.
“There is a growing realization
that investment in all types of con
struction, including public works, ac
celerates our economy. The con
struction industry is a catylyst of
economic well-being.
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