How about Alan Alda selling Atari computers?
And I never really knew who George Plimpton was, but he sure had good taste in game systems. I, like and idiot, wanted an Atari, but some how ended up with a Sears branded Intellivision. Which I am glad. MUCH better games.
When I was a kid, I saw that commercial and it helped sell me on Atari, because I hated sports. Damn you George Plimpton, whoever you are! To be fair I still loved the Atari, and the games improved once Activision came along. My neighbor had an Intellivision, and we played Utopia for hours on end, though.
@JLW : With the ubiquitous syndication of TJ Hooker at the time, I’m surprised he had to pawn his computer.
http://grammarist.com/usage/hawk-hock/
Don’t forget Charlie Chaplin’s animated corpse being used to sell IBM computers.
I was also lucky enough to get an Intellivision. At first my friends with Ataris weren’t impressed–they especially because it lacked a joystick. I believe there was a joystick attachment that could be clamped to the paddle, but I never bothered with that. And my friends ended up coming to my house because they preferred the Intellivision.
At the time I had no clue who Plimpton was but now I like to joke that they hired him to appeal to the Paris Review reading gamer.
The joystick felt better as a controller IMHO to a degree - but the Itellvision disk was actually probably a bit easier to control with practice. Yes they had something you could slip on it for a joy stick.
The number pad was genius and allowed for directional fire in some games.
The side fire button were the worst ergonomics, especially compared to the orange buttoned Atari.
But looking back, the Atari games were all crap compared to the Intellivision. At least the 2600 games. A friend had an Atari Computer and had some cool stuff.
Commodore also tried to sell the Amiga with Buzz Aldrin (and two other astronauts), The Pointer Sisters, Tommy LaSorda, Tip O’Neill, I think Little Richard, among others:
George Plimpton seems now as if he was more well-known in the UK. Maybe for one particular show he did where he got himself coached by standup comedians to be a standup comedian, with a gig at Caesar’s Palace. He did quite well.
In real life, the US Navy phased out Commodore in the 1980s and replaced it with Rear Admiral, Lower Half. Therefore it was decided in Star Trek that Starfleet would eliminate the rank as well.
“Hawked”. Just sayin’.
I had a VIC-20.
Crater-landing-spaceship game was tits-Herbert.
Tits-Herbert.
insert tape
press play
wheee!
I. Can. Land. This. Rocket.
rock
Excrement.
Gotta love how convincing some of those fake ads are.
