Pathmark Commercial (1985)

[DuttyGyal718]

Do they have BRRAAIINNS!!! in aisle 4 in the meat section? :)

[ilovebobgunton]

I remember these commercials when I was a kid visiting my aunt and uncle in New Jersey. Here's to the Garden State!

[RETROGEMS]

My mom met James Karen on the subway, the "F" train, in NYC back in the '70s. She immediately recognized him as 'the Pathmark guy', and he smiled back at her. Nice guy! ;-)

[StukInBuf]

@RETROGEMS The "F" train has West 9th Street at Smith in Brooklyn as one of the stops, just a block or two from the PathMark there at the Gowanus Canal.

[ilovebobgunton]

@RETROGEMS That's cool. I'd be like,"Isn't that the man in the Pathmark commercials?"

[TwiztedAnimator]

Is the guy in this commercial the sales manager in the movie "Wall Street" with Charlie Sheen?

[mikper7]

@TwiztedAnimator Yes indeed.  James Karen.

[TwiztedAnimator]

@mikper7 That's awesome. I love that movie.

[teckademiczlol]

Frank: Watch your tongue, boy, if you like this job!

Freddy: Like this job?

[ilovebobgunton]

@teckademiczlol Spraying the Lysol wasn't the best idea.

[ffej980]

James Karen..was in Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster...yeck...that was dreck...

[sjk72]

Love those "Money For Nothing" graphics!

[robphilll22]

I saw James Karen walking on Broadway but I wasn't sure it was him and then a fan ran up to him and I heard that familiar voice and realized that it was him and I said, Hello Mr. Pathmark and he said ;" My name is MR. JAMES KAREN TO YOU YOUNG MAN!"I pissed him off....To me he'll always be Mr. Pathmark..

[legalboxers]

this was when commercials were good

[alexweb8]

Up until recently, one of the stores near me still had "You're the one who's number 1" painted on the wall in the room in the back near the bathrooms but it was painted over about a month ago. At least we still have some trailers that say "SHOP SMART" that haven't been repainted.

[alexweb8]

@tbyrne706 It was only around 2008 when all of the Pathmarks in my area stopped being open 24 hours a day. I once had to go into Pathmark at 1 AM after arriving home from a really late flight.

[zhelder]

If A&P was smart, they'd hire James Karen back as a spokesperson. Quick.

I'd bet he'd be a lot cheaper and do a lot more to revive sales than Kelly Ripa.

[StukInBuf]

I recall seeing PathMark ads on WNJU/WXTV also, *en español,* of course.

The announcer in those ads looked like Mr. Karen as well.

"PathMark... La Bodega Grande." Anyone have the ads in Spanish, please? *Gracias.*

[wadros]

Pat Kirkland did this prior to Kirkland and Haywood I see.

[IOwnPathmark]

Pathmark and A&P both suck!

[alexweb8]

Pathmark ice cream in a BOX!! Ever since A&P made it America's Choice, it has been sold in tubs.

[thunderstruck665]

Wow I haven't seen this commercial since I was four years old but I always remembered it so vividly! Pathmark was a great supermarket once. Now, in my area, they're getting massacred by a new Walmart that just went up earlier this year. There are three Pathmarks within short driving distance of me and none of them are doing well. A real shame.

[alloutoftime]

Pathmark sucks. they are dirty,have high prices, poor quality meat & produce, they are always out of one thing or another & often have shady looking persons working on the night crew. This is the place where all non- Americans shop with various types of welfare, such as WIC, Families First, etc. I avoid this store at all costs.

[craftruth2009]

@alloutoftime this is the reason why ObAMA MUST BE IMPEACHED and or voted out of office in 2012 WE NEED Ssweeping social reform now. the proliferation of these derelicts must be tackled on. I hope the tea party wins throughout America send a message to these derelicts their days of free loading are over!

[smokes2468]

I think I need to go to the store and buy some food.

[coka5841]

man i miss shit like this. it used to be all so simple

[alexweb8]

I missed those super coupon bonanzas from the late 80s. I am glad to see that under A&P the Pathmark sav-a-center rebrand is bringing back store coupons in the circular, in the super saver booklet, and in the Simply Savings magazine. Pathmark has always been a great store, but they have been a bit mismanaged. It has always been my supermarket of choice for its prices. Seeing how well they did with the Waldbaums chain, I am betting that A&P will take a while, but eventually they will pull it off.

[ddoggs2008]

i hate pathmark SHOPRITE ALL THE WAY

[davegoes]

I'm sorry to disagree with you ddoggs2008 but any Shop Rite I've ever walked into has been a filthy and disorganized mess. I've never seen a clean floor in the place. In my mind if the floors are filthy it doesn't say much for the cleanliness of the produce etc. or dedication of the employees.

[noahf67]

James Karen turned up in plenty of "B" horror-circuit films in the 70's. They'd turn up on channel 9 & such, and PathMark always bought plenty of spots in them..!

[mco1216]

If I not mistaken was this the same guy who was in "Night of the Livingn dead?" He worked @ a mortuary. This is crazy. lmao!!! He did a Pathmark commercial.

[coolwafferman]

@mco1216 Yes, He was in "Return of the Living Dead" 1 and 2, also "Poltergeist", "Invaders From Mars" during the 80's and in "Pursuit of Happyiness in 2006. Also in a string of sitcoms. He's 86 years old and is still acting.

[googlexxxxxxx]

"Watch your tongue boy if you like this job!"

[JuliaKuiper]

I love Jacob Karnofsky!!!

[smartbunny]

Well working in a store doesn't really give you a proper perspective of the corporate structure. A&P saved Pathmark from bankruptcy and is giving it some cool rebranding.

[ffej980]

smartbunny...more like dumass...i have a proper perspective about about corporate structure...and A&P has been going out of business for the last 50 years...only this time they bought Pathmark...as a cushion and to use for depreciation...your vaunted A&P has been closing Pathmarks all over...not to mention A&P stores closing down...

[smartbunny]

@ffej980 hey you're easy to take seriously when you say things like "more like dumass" - are you 10 years old?

[ffej980]

@smartbunny no i am not 10 years old...but i have years of experience in the supermarket industry...both as an insider and as an investor...and the acquistion of Pathmark by A&P was a very sad event...Pathmark was an industry leader...even Shop-Rite shuddered when Pathmark broke a big sales circular...as far as A&P rebranding...they are currently rebranding A&P stores in Pennsylvania...to the name Pathmark...the one guy who might have pushed A&P forward was Mike Larkin...he died too young

[smartbunny]

Which A&P's are they closing?

[smartbunny]

Heh. Who goes out of business for 50 years?

How do you know so much?

[ffej980]

A&P...does not know how to run a business...they are not competent...and hire the worst managers...i have been in the supermarket business for many years...ps...how many more Pathmarks will A&P shutdown...

[smartbunny]

A&P is celebrating their 150th Anniversary this year, so they must be doing something right.

Pathmark and Shop-Rite were both part of the same company way back in the 70's. They split apart some 30 years ago.

[ffej980]

Pathmark... re:Supermarkets General ...split fron Wakefern/ShopRite....in 1968...as far as A&P...they mismanage their stores...and hire incompetent people...to manage their stores...they will run Pathmark into the ground...Pathmark was a vibrant company at one time...and they took great care of their employees...i know

[Julius121081]

I remember this guy and the famous yellow circulars they had every Sunday in the Inquirer.

[DrSurprise]

not much seems to have changed in prices

[jonthom11702]

I remember as a kid I just assumed he owned Pathmark. I didn't realize he was an actor until I saw him play a racist on The Jeffersons. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Pathmark called Florence the N word! :-) Of course now I know better.

[buzzlewie]

Wasn't he saved by George, then he found out who saved him and said "He should have let me die."?

[jonthom11702]

That's right! That's when I became aware of what a good actor he is, because he was downright nasty on that show.

[CrummyCurtis]

I recently met James Karen, and joked with him "You did such a convincing job in 'Poltergiest', I heard many people boycotted PathMark". And surprise---he told me it was true!!! And I agree with the rest of you, this man in person is a first-class gentleman!

[nyconnjersey]

A&P / Pathmark keep saying how they are bringing back a lot of things from years ago. How about they bring back this guy? That would be awesome!! What's that boycott about? I never heard of that. Great guy, and great supermarkets.

[CrummyCurtis]

In addition to his Pathmark duties, James Karen also had a successful career in movies as a character actor. In the classic "Poltergiest", he played the real estate man who...watch the movies for further details. He even told me he got angry mail from coustomers after his character gave someone the finger in "The China Syndrome". I think PathMark should bring him back! All he needs is a little hair dye (his hair is now white), and he's in! He even still wears the same style glasses!

[davemock]

I saw "The China Syndrome" soon after it came out in 1979. Soon as he came up all the people started murmuring around us, "The Pathmark guy!"

[2008ljr]

Recently A & P Bought Pathmark. Believe it or not Pathmark went Chapter 11.I guess too much competition. If you go to Pathmark today, they have the America's Choice Brand which is sold at A & P.

[2008ljr]

He was also in Return of the Living Dead. We used to laugh at work that the guy from Pathmark was in that movie and I would get a reply that some of the employees of Pathmark were the Return of the Living Dead.

[pnovak8]

James Karen, I saw him on the set of "Pursuit of Happiness" in SF!

A Nice person! and a nice part for him in that movie.

[proverbs1722]

What sweet prices. I wish food was still thar cheap.

[Greefus]

i was thinkin the same thing

[fukatahere]

fuck pathmark,crappy ass job

[DawnFanInCincy]

He'll watch his mouth if he likes that job!

[wilbar2922]

I remember this guy. I see now his name is James Karen. But what ever happened to the woman who used to do the ads with him at first? I think her name was Ruth Kovell. Not sure on the spelling.

[Myrolex]

He should have never built the houses over the graves!

[Myrolex]

Did he build a Pathmark over the graves?

[ctwomey]

@Myrolex Good one! LOL!

[smartbunny]

You didn't move the BODIES!

[yankee15]

I met him one night while walking down the street in NYC. He was very cool.

[kennyxemerson]

I work at pathmark. It sucks huge cock.

[Mabuse13]

I never heard of Pathmark, and I lived overseas during this time, but at this era I already loved James Karen's work in RotLD 1 & 2. Here's to Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster and everything great he's done since.

[drugssuck1991]

James Karen is number one everyday! Pathmark rules!!!

[BillyBlue74]

Yes! I love James Karen and being from the East Coast I remember these commercials. Funny enough this one was from 1985 which was the year Return of the living Dead was released. He has a huge amount of acting credits including Poltergeist and Mulholland Dr. He's 85 years old now and still acts! Love him!

[nyconnjersey]

How cool would that be if Pathmark used him again. I wish they would. Great voice, Great guy, and GREAT SUPERMARKET!!!

[Wendylynn1532]

I wish those prices were current though...lol

[tomjru]

path- one stop shopping

mark- a good supermarket

[whaojen]

i hate pathmark.

[madamecarroll]

Return of the Living Bread.

[morval99]

:-) very good.

[morval99]

As mentioned by cbsfm101 this man is James Karen. He co-starred in 1985 film 'Return Of The Living Dead' as 'Frank'.

[cbsfm101]

He even appeared in the 2006 film, "The Pursuit of Happyness" as Martin Frohm

[opal1971]

I remember this commercial slogan and the spokesman very well. I grew up in NJ, I don't know if this guy was on commercials in other parts of the country.

[davemock]

Between Pathmark stints, he also did ads for Folgers coffee in the 1990s. One of the most precise voices I have ever heard, in either films or commercials. TWEN-ty four hours a day!

[videonut33]

You got that right!!!

"Where You're The One Who's Number One

TWENty-four hours a day!"

Nice voice indeed!

[cbsfm101]

Those who don't know who that spokesman was, he happens to be James Karen.

[mycommercials]

nice work

[mikper7]

@cbsfm101 Also famous for playing Steve Freeling's boss in Poltergeist.

[4everfrankenstein]

@cbsfm101 It sure is...His film credits include; Poltergeist , Wall Street, The Return of the Living Dead, His first movie was1965's Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster.

[Markieo]

24 Hours a Day!

[heine71]

Path Mark #1!