A vintage 1948 print advertisement for Alemite car lubricant presents a family-oriented pitch. We are told "The Holdens discovered that 80% of all repair bills are not necessary—are the result of incorrect lubrication." Eighty percent! By servicing the family car at a repair shop that specializes in state-of-the-art Alemite Lubricating Equipment, the Holdens were able to save enough to buy young Danny a new bike. What good parents!
The following year, Alemite commissioned popular New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno to create a series of humorous ads for the product. The basic idea of the ad campaign was that car owners would plan to have their vehicle serviced on "A"-Day, "A" of course being for Alemite. Each of the print ads I have found date from 1949 (if the date is stated by the seller) and were run in the Saturday Evening Post (if the publication is named at the top). They were apparently run monthly.
Let's start at the beginning in January and work our way through the calendar:
June is the month for a June bride:
Finally, Arno takes us on a trip to the fortune-teller's. But shouldn't the expression be "tall, dark, and handsome?"
A
A good journalist never reveals his confidential sources. Here are some of mine:
Note: Do I have them all now? I would think so. Still, I'm happy to hear from readers with access to any Peter Arno Alemite ads I might somehow have missed, or the date of publication of the elopement ad, or perhaps with original art from the series. See, I don't ask for much.
Ads by Peter Arno from the Warren Bernard collection, including the fortune-teller image shown above, were collected on Ink Spill in 2017 here.
Christopher Wheeler's gallery of Arno advertising work may be seen here.
Peter Arno
Advertising
Attempted Bloggery's Greasy Index
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| Picture of the Holdens paying for Danny's new bike! Alemite advertisement 1948 |
Let's start at the beginning in January and work our way through the calendar:
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| Golly! I just remembered it's "A-Day!" Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, January 22, 1949
Scan by Jeff Nelson
Image added June 6, 2020
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| Toodle-oo, Miss Pratt. I just remembered it's "A-Day!" Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, February 19, 1949 |
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| Sorry, dear, I just remembered it's "A-Day!" Peter Arno Alemite advertisement [The Saturday Evening Post, March?] 1949 |
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Don't shoot, McGooey! It's "A-Day!"
Peter Arno
Alemite advertisement
The Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1949
Scan by Jeff Nelson
Image added June 6, 2020
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| Pardon me! I just remembered it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, May 14, 1949
Scan by Jeff Nelson
Image added June 6, 2020
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June is the month for a June bride:
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| Sorry, folks—I just remembered it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, June 11, 1949
Scan by Jeff Nelson
Image added June 6, 2020
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| Let me out of here—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, July 9, 1949 |
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| I'm sorry, miss! Just remembered—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, August 6, 1949
Scan by Jeff Nelson
Image added June 6, 2020
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| Let go, Mathilda! I just remembered—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, September 3, 1949 |
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| Turn me loose, woman—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, October 6, 1949
Scan by Jeff Nelson
Image added June 6, 2020
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| Pardon me, boys!—it's "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, November 12, 1949 |
Finally, Arno takes us on a trip to the fortune-teller's. But shouldn't the expression be "tall, dark, and handsome?"
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| You'll meet a tall, dark man on "A"-Day! Peter Arno Alemite advertisement The Saturday Evening Post, December 17, 1949 |
A
A good journalist never reveals his confidential sources. Here are some of mine:
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Peter Arno vintage Alemite ads listed on eBay, accessed May 20, 2020
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June 6, 2020 Update: This post appeared in its original form on May 23, 2020. On May 26, Jeff Nelson began posting Arno's Alemite ads from the Saturday Evening Post in the public Facebook group Vintage Panel and Gag Cartoons. He was able to include scans with the dates of publication for each of the eleven ads he posted, helpful information which I have added here. He also provided a higher-resolution image of the lifeguard ad I found on Pinterest and several new images I had been unable to locate on eBay or anywhere else. These images have been added here as well. The only ad missing from his grouping was the one with the elopement, presumably from the missing month of May 1949.
Note: Do I have them all now? I would think so. Still, I'm happy to hear from readers with access to any Peter Arno Alemite ads I might somehow have missed, or the date of publication of the elopement ad, or perhaps with original art from the series. See, I don't ask for much.
Ads by Peter Arno from the Warren Bernard collection, including the fortune-teller image shown above, were collected on Ink Spill in 2017 here.
Christopher Wheeler's gallery of Arno advertising work may be seen here.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
Peter Arno
Advertising
Attempted Bloggery's Greasy Index
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