Dave Willock might not be a household name, but to toon fans, he's best known as the race announcer/narrator of the original Wacky Races, and, four years later, Gus Holiday on The Roman Holidays.
But, before that, Willock did commercials like this next item for the now-defunct Chun King brand of manufactured Chinese food. Director Stan Freberg appears at the beginning with Jesse White. Willock turns up around the 40 second mark.
4 comments:
Cute commercial - it spoofs the old hair dye commercials ("Does she or doesn't she? Only her hairdresser knows for sure!") and we get to enjoy some talented performers.
Freberg was also in an episode of The Monkees called, "Monkee vs. Machine" in which he plays a heartless executive for a toy company. It wasn't until later before I was able to look into his immense talent! This commercial is reminiscent of his spoofs and I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote it.
I think he wrote & directed the ad, as he did with all of his other commercials. Turns out he was the brains behind Jackie Vernon's famous ads for Sunsweet prunes.
You must really lead a sheltered life ...
Dave Willock had a long and varied career in all media.
Possibly his best-known role was in the prologue of Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?
He's the pushy dad of the two little girls who grow up to be Bette Davis and Joan Crawford (which I guess makes him the villain ...).
Oh, by the way:
That isn't Jackie Vernon in the Sunsweet Prunes spot.
It's a British actor named Ronald Long.
Well, to tell you the truth, Mike, I have never seen "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", so I wouldn't have known. I believe Willock was another radio actor who'd made the transition to films & television.
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