“And wait, there’s more” in Daydreaming on the Porch

This entry will make no sense for anyone under 60. So for the one or two of you younger people who happen read this, I’m sorry if this is baffling to you. But for those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s, who could ever forget those zany products like “Hair in a Can,” and “Veg-O-Matic,” pitched endlessly on TV by the originator of the infomercial back in1958, Ron Popeil and his namesake company, Ronco? I haven’t seen one of his masterful pitches in many years. I didn’t even know his actual name. But there’s lots on YouTube. He passed away July 29 at age 86, truly a legend in his own time.

Popeil, according to one Internet tribute, essentially invented the popular image of the American television pitchman, whose novel products solved frustrating problems viewers didn’t know they had. He popularized much of the vernacular of late-night TV ads and infomercials, with lines like “Now how much would you pay?” and “Set it and forget it.” And let’s not forget, “And wait, there’s more!

Here are some choice YouTue I selected the other day:

Tribute to Ron

Early Ron

Later Ron

Dan Ackroyd SNL Bat-O-Matic

Last updated August 01, 2021