“Red Coke,” aka Riunite on Ice, was largely inspired by the 1940s “Man, Oh Manischewitz” ads. Here, voiceover genius Bob Crane does several impressions for that Robitussin-adjacent wine beloved by middle-class boomers both Jewish and gentile.
Here’s Sammy Davis Jr. extolling the virtues of Manischewitz as a dessert wine on the rocks:
Of course, the best ad for Manischewitz was the free plug by Floyd Dixon in Wine, Wine, Wine:
His grandmother “loved Manischewitz so much, it even took her off her crutch…”
Back to Bob Crane… Before he got Hogan’s Heroes, Crane was one of the most sought-after radio personalities of his time. If you haven’t seen Auto Focus, the terrific but troubling biopic about Crane’s colorful life and mysterious death, here’s the trailer:
Kinnear is really great as the utterly charismatic Crane, and Willem Dafoe is super-creepy as Crane’s sidekick and possible murderer.
• Bob Crane KNX 1962 Radio Commercial – Manischewitz Wine (YouTube / Vote For Bob Crane)
Image: Wikimedia
