Lawsons Big-O Orange Juice Commercial (1970's)

[mabramsjf]

The chip dip is still the best, especially with Conn's Potato chips!!

[blovedbrownsfan77]

Lawson's Chip dip was the absolute best!

[mabramsjf]

@blovedbrownsfan77 Still is!!!

[crookhunter]

How gay was this.. remember it well

[PullMyPeeper]

roll on big o

[Wigster44]

This was done by Wyse Advertising in Cleve

[V8FordTempo]

I remember Big-O in the 80's... mmmm

[JAK23462]

At work one of our programs is Lawson, Everytime I log on I find myself singing this jingle!

[IdoraParkKid]

And the "Chip Dip" was the BEST! I'm from Youngstown Ohio and there were tons of the stores up there!

[MisterRightAway]

By the way.. It took forty hours because the interstates were still being constructed at the time,

[MisterRightAway]

Thanks for posting this. The commercial was actually from the sixties.

[mediamadman747]

I'd say for those drivers to make that run in 40 hours, they were "juicing," and I don't mean "orange."

[MsPandaRosa]

I live in Georgia now, and yet this is what I alway want to rely on, for my orange juice.

[ghostryder65]

Friggen Slackers

[blujay01]

I used to live in Cleveland a long, long, time ago. This commercial stays in my mind and brings back a lot of memories.

[mmi16]

Interstate System to Florida wasn't totally finished in the early 70's ... 40 hours is somewhat relaxed for a car...not so relaxed for a truck with weigh stations and agricultural inspections

[mjstbnsn]

I remember the words to this jingle, but tell me what did I do at work one month ago?

[kerryincolumbus]

@mjstbnsn LOL OMG, RIGHT!!

[rally41]

such memories. i never forgot this commercial

[tippey2011]

Brings back memories of when I was a kid and shopping at my local Lawson's. I soooo remember this commercial it was cool and so was the instrumental part of this commercial.Thanks for putting it on for all of us!!

[rally41]

BRINGS BACK MANY MANY MEMEORIES

[4615larkc]

thanks for the post.............ah memories i grew up in columbus ohio so i know how great it was i loved the commercial.... used to sing this til everyone was about ready to frog me in the arm

[kerryincolumbus]

@4615larkc LOL!!! same thing here! My sister and I would sing this damn thing in the back of our 1970 Ford Station wagon til I thought my M & D would go NUTS LOL! evetually, they did !

[RalphStreza]

Does anyone know who is the singer? It sounds like Pete Seeger.

[debraseltzer]

I have been torturing my family with my bad rendition of this for years, now they can hear the original! Awesome to find it.

[jerryg1964]

We used to have a few Lawson's stores in the Detroit area and I remember my dzia dzia buying me bubble gum cigars at the one around the corner from his house. He'd putter around the yard puffing on his stogie while I chewed mine!

[wattydaddy]

Now one man drinks while the other drives on the non-stop Alchey's run

[michigandon]

CSX and Tropicana need to get together and make an updated version of this classic little ditty about their train! It could do double duty as a Tropicana ad as well as be part of CSXs "how tomorrow moves" campaign.

"Get that juice up to Jersey in 46 hours!"

[romeodiscos]

I remember this comercial in canton ohio it was cool Now alli think of when I hear it is Roll on big O--------prah LOL

[01tnql]

remember this from 1971 i was 4

[darlie48]

I remember this so well.

[younghoss]

40 hours a lot? To transport juice from Fl to Ohio(example), then get it unloaded, in proper containers, and then on the shelves at a Lawsons?

Remember this product didn't have a tap on the truck and sell in the parking lot. Just getting the truck to Ohio didn't get it to a Lawsons.

[jln55]

The original convenience store!

[sulynn1955]

I remember this commercial so well! I was just humming the tune and decided to check YouTube and sure enough, here it is! I miss Lawsons. Loved their chip chopped ham and chip dip! Reminds me of my childhood when my parents would have a get together. Also to hopkimi 4 I do remember the Red Barn! Thanks for the blast from the past!

[BuckeyeSecretary]

I don't only remember this commerical--I think about it all the time--I was a child in Ohio (southern Ohio) when this commerical was out.

[Mitch3264]

Now one man's drunk and the other man's dead on the Big-O suicide runnnnn. . . .

[samtbker]

Actually, this commercial ran from 1967-1969. Forty hours does seem like a lot, until you remember that some of the interstates were still being built at the time. IN fact, I75 south of Tampa to Miami wasn't finished until the late 1970's. So 40 hours is about right.

I sure do miss Lawsons. I remember the blue and white milk cartons.

My mom would send me to Lawson's to buy milk, chip chopped ham and bread--give me $2, and I'd have enough change to buy myslef some ice cream from there. LOL

[grant135b]

@samtbker You are correct. We drove from Ohio to Florida during Christmas break of '70, and there were substantial gaps in I-75 all the way down. I remember having to go back and forth between interstate and stop-and-go two lane all the way through Georgia, with lots of traffic through the center of towns (state and US routes, no doubt). Even though we left Columbus before dawn, we made it only as far as Valdosta, Georgia that night, and then Ft. Lauderdale the next evening.

[mallory287]

trixy1962, if ya live in Cleveland Ohio they actually have the chip dip on something like 52 and denison.

[tobyradloff]

I do remember the chipped chopped ham as well as the orange juice and the chip dip. Circle K still sells the chip dip, and at one time, sold milk under the "Lawson's" name, albeit in plastic jugs instead of the glass bottles and paper cartons from years ago. I do recall Lawson's calling their chipped chopped ham "Spiced Luncheon Meat" at one time. Still, the closest thing to it is the Isaly's (another convenience store chain-based in Pittsburgh) chopped ham from Giant Eagle.

[tobyradloff]

Circle K...I recall them still selling the chip dip, as well as milk, under the "Lawson's" name for a while.

[Trixy1962]

Don't forget Lawson's chip dip! Man, with Lawson's chip chop ham on rye and a bag of Charlie's Chips! NOTHING compares today.

[tritonrocks]

A classic. I still remember Lawson's. In fact, if you look closely around the Cleveland area, some of the independent convenience stores used the original Lawson's "hourglass" shape sign for their sign. I have a buddy that has an original Lawson's sign in his garage!

[PatrioticPirate]

DAMMIT I was born in 1971, so I'm barely too young to know this one...

[pbpeters]

big o kills fuckers!! awesome song and commercial, is that johnny cash singin?

[Edinski1]

I think it's probably Frankie Laine, or a copy of him.

He had a hit in the fifties that sounded just like this called "Riders In The Sky"

[MindsiMedia]

Roll on Big O! Wow

[falldownhard]

I never remember TV ads for Lawsons! This is just fantastic, thanks so much for posting. Proud to have lived most of my childhood years in Tuscarawas county, Ohio. :)

[Emily41162]

Oh my God! This brings back fond memories! I was 2 when first heard the commercial, and 12 when when I saw it on tv again! Thank for sharing this memorable clip!

[usualsuspect54]

you can still get lawsons chip dip at Dairy Marts

[RetroToledo]

True, though many Circle K's in Ohio have them too.

[TiBentVT]

And then they came up with a technology called frozen orange juice concentrate and the Lawson's men were out a job.

But the French Onion Dip still kicks ass.

[Harry44Callahan2]

Man, I remember this commercial as a kid...singing it to myself continually after seeing it! They definitely don't make cool commercials like this anymore...most tv commercials now are total crap! ...we used to eat the Lawson's chip chopped ham too

[frostymugofsuds]

This commercial was a fav when I was a kid as well.

Lawson's Chip Chopped Ham, so I hear, was made by Isley's. They have a commercial on Cleveland TV now, so I think it is available in local grocery stores. Ask for Isley's Chip Chopped Ham, or do an internet search for it!

[fezpaul]

I had this song stuck in my head today and I checked out youtube to see if it was there and sure enough...

I grew up listening to this commercial so much that it stuck in my head at least 30 years later.

[wwebtime]

I remember an old Ohio Savings Association commercial, and I can't get the song out of my head! Any idea if theres a video from TV of it or a Radio Jingle some where!

"Ohioans save more money safely, at savings association!" Thats some of the words....

[Gamera49]

Loved this song ,when I was young, sounds kind of corny now, but still liked hearing it again. anyone remember a chain of stores called Skormans, they were like the big lots of the 70s.

[lizajane54]

yeah it was Skorman's Miracle Mart. They had $; Jodi their daughter went to my school and I remember her wearing an outfit to school that I had seen at Polsky's for $32!- big $ in those days- guess they didn't buy their clothes at Miracle mart!

[edog1960]

Brings back memories

[wwebtime]

Nothing better than Cold Milk In a Lawsons GLASS milk bottle!

[wwebtime]

I remember the "Big 8" CKLW in Windsor, Ontario, Canada! Lived partied and chased girls by that staion!

[Harry44Callahan2]

I remember singing this song as a kid! Seems like there were Lawson stores all over the place then. Too bad there aren't any great commercials on tv like this anymore.

[Doeboe51]

I remember this well. I just noticed that the singer sure sounds like Pete Seeger. Could it be? Does anyone know?

[hopkimi4]

Dang, can't stop reminiscing and I'm at work but not getting a thing done.  Anyone remember "The Red Barn" ?

[hopkimi4]

Ahh the Lawsons commercial... this brings back another memory. Anyone remember "The Big 8" ?

That radio station CKLW that used to broadcast with like a bazillion watts and reach all the way down from Windsor, Canada.

I'll never forget their little jingle: CKLW! The Motor City....

[hopkimi4]

thanks, I remember going to Lawsons was almost as good as waking up on christmas day.

I used to get the fruit punch drink and make the damn thing last a whole hour. I would squeeze the flaps of the carton shut and suck the juice out a drop at a time. Ahh, childhood!

[DowntownCanon]

We had a Lawson's around the block from my high school. Everyone would make a run on it during lunch, so they only allowed two in the store at a time to prevent theft. I remember in 79 they switched from the old blue and white milk jug signs to a design with pastel colored geometric shapes.

[mrath]

40 hours from Florida to Ohio, with two drivers, that seems awful relaxed.

[missxradio]

laughing myself to coughing from mrath's comment.. ha ha ha ! so funny thanks!

[minksseattle]

Really eh? I love this commercial because it brings back childhood memories but really... 40 hours from Florida to Ohio? I once drove non-stop from Fort Myers Beach Florida to Toronto in 24... What the heck took those guys so long? ;-)

[tobyradloff]

@minksseattle

Restroom and lunch breaks?

[BadNews88]

Ah, memories...

And their juice WAS rather jolly good...

Not to mention the rather fetching checkout maiden at the Euclid/Cleveland border location, too!

Thanx, m8...

[kaptinpsycho]

Great old ad. I remember it well. Lawsons was a staple when I grew up. What kid didn't love their "Chip Chopped Ham??"

[CandiceParty]

Chip Chopped Ham has haunted me for years! People wonder what the hell I'm talking about. Closest thing to Lawson's chip dip, "Kroger's" available even here in Vegas :)

[kaptinpsycho]

Never was much of a chip dip fan, but I bet I ate a ton of that thin sliced ham when I was a kid! Ah,,,,,old memories!

[minksseattle]

We grew up on "chip chopped ham" at home in Canton, Ohio. My mom worked at the Lawsons up on 30th St so the ham, rippled chips and famous chip dip were a regular staple around our house. Have never found another store that even heard of chip-chopped ham since. That's just not right... :(

[kaptinpsycho]

If I recall correctly, we had two Lawsons in New Philadelphia. The milk, OJ, the dip, and the ham were what Mom always bought. sad that they are a part of history now.

[supergolfdude]

A guy I went to school with at Akron's St. Sebastian's in the 1970's (Fifth Grade) rewrote the words to the "Big O" commercial. In his rendition, it was beer that being hauled in the tanker, not orange juice. The rest of the song dealt with some immoral things being done by the truck drivers.

I wonder whatever happened to that kid.

[HighwayHank1]

I would have liked to hear that version.

PS: He is probably a politician now.

[Goodstuff989]

I love it. Gonna put it in our favorites. Such a great old ad. Ah back in the day!

[miomondi]

beautiful! thats halarious.

[booblikon]

i like the ELECTRIC EELS version too

[Reubenhubert]

I remember lawsons for two things. The Big-O commercial and the best chipdip in the world. The dip is available at a Circle K in a nearby town.

[romeodiscos]

thanks i enjoyed it

[PandaMishima]

"Get that juice up to Lawson's, in 40 hours..."

Well this song has been dancing in the back of my dead for nearly 40 YEARS, nice to finally see the whole thing again.

[muffin1559]

My sister and I were just talking about this, and I said I am going look on You Tube and see if it is on here. I told her to listen and she was cracking up when I played her this over the phone! Thank you for the memories!

[yaggazoozy]

Just one more glass of that great ice cold Lawsons chocolate milk....my first breakfast in Heaven.

[shadowblk2000]

man this was one of my favorite commercials when I was a kid. Thanks SO much for that memory. Wish I could download it lol

[MsTexas73]

Man I MISS Lawsons...the juice, the food, GOOD.

[YouDummy]

One of those things I thought I would never see again. No one my age in Michigan that I've talked to remembers this commercial except me.

[DneceH]

This was one of my favorite commercials growing up and that song is so catchy. I was shocked & thrilled to find this. THANK YOU!

[jimmyb8]

It doesn't take two men 40 hours to drive from Florida to Ohio. I grew up near Dayton in the 70s - that song is forever etched into my brain.

[Dayepipes]

One man drinks while the other man drives

on that nonstop Lawson's run,

and the cold, cold booze, in the tank truck caboose

stays as fresh as ...

Wonderful, thanks for sharing this memory!

[tobyradloff]

...the Tennessee moon

[audiophile55]

I hope someone can someday get the entire commercial up on You Tube, where it doesn't abruptly cut off at the end.

[smmiller57]

THANK YOU! I've been hoping that someone had a copy of this commercial and would post it since YouTube was born! This has been my favorite "shower song" for 30+ years!

[Donkey9900]

I was around 5 yrs old or so when this came out-it was my FAVE commercial for some reason. I thought I would never hear or see it again, but thanx to youtube, absolute memory grenade! (I remember used to run into the living room when I heard the commercial start up) :)

[tvcommercialman]

You can still buy Lawsons chip dip here in Tiffin. Our Lawsons stores were changed to Dairy Mart, then later Circle K.

[jacktheripoff1888]

They were not kidding about getting that juice there in 40 hours. I remember one driver back in '72 who got that juice there in 40 hours and 36 minutes, and boy did they ever let him know about it. They made UPS look like slackers. My best time was 31 hours and 28 minutes. Back then, most of the State Police were pretty cool about letting highway truckers cruise around 85-90 mph. I had no backup driver, didn't need one. Just some Black Beauty's or Yellow Jacket's worked fine.

[HopiRaven]

THANK YOU to whoever posted this! What a great folk song, and I have been trying to sing it and remember the words all these years!

Makes me want to hop on I-75 and drive down to Florida for some juice!

[hemi1dart]

great old video, Lawson's stores were bought out by a Japanese company, the Lawson stores are big in Japan, to this day, you can punch up Lawsons on the internet and read all about it, My wife used to work at one of the lawsons, used to love their corned beef on swiss, and their bologna was tops!

[garystrat]

lizajane is right. lawson's chip chopped ham was the best ever. so was the orange juice. a great memory of my childhood in cleveland.

[NancyG62]

OMG! I remember chip chopped ham! It was the best. I haven't had deli meat nearly as good since then! About 20 years ago, a convenience store in Ky carried Lawsons chip dip for a while. I shudder to think how much weight I gained from it.

[lizajane54]

we sang it"one man drinks while the other man drives!"

Also, we have fond memories of Lawson's chip chop on white bread! That was our fast food lunch before there were any McDonald's!

[jcburns]

Oh, thanks so much for this. You just can't get lyrics like that anymore.

[kriticalelement]

I remember Big-O but to meLawsons had the best fruit drinks. Orange, fruit punch, andgrape...to this day havn't tasted anything as good!

[NancyG62]

Thanks for posting this! Big O orange juice was always my favorite when I was a kid. I definitely remember this commercial.

[rumblebee0125]

I sing this song every time i see a tank truck go by on the freeway!

[DrjekyllakaMrhyde]

Back in the day the only store open on a Sunday. A routine stop after church pre-packaged sweet-rolls etc. Back when religion ment something family values had a place in family structure. Now take you'r pick a failed goverment. American dream. American Joke.

[HiwattGuitarsDDR]

Well, in reality, not all the memories of Lawsons' are good ones. As you may recall, Lawsons' management fired all the drivers during a labor strike. As a result, customers boycotted Lawsons', which forced them out of business. At least, that's the way I heard it.

[habyss]

Lawsons are gone, but it's easy to tell which stores they used to be.

[erniek62]

A song so catchy it hasn't left my head in over 40 years. Thanks for bringing back a random childhood memory!

[redbeagle9]

It has been stuck in my head for over 40 years as well. I am humming IT at work and people ask what are you doing? Dreaming of home. Great jingle!!! Warren, Ohio

[mutualpea]

Me too. I remember it so well. This is one of those rare jingles that not only sticks in you mind, but it's actually a good song!

[olderoldest]

Great memories! I must of seen this 1000 times growing up in Cleveland, Ohio and still find myself humming it from time to time.

[jigglar]

Lawson's made some excellent ice tea too. :)

[ptapie]

Part of my childhood growing up in Cleveland.

[columbusmediatalk]

Part of my childhood growing up in Columbus, too!

[PFUNK1]

mine too youngstown mooney calls of 1980



greetings from los angeles