1962 Studebaker Lark Daytona "Skytop" & Convertible Commercial w/ Mr. Ed

[d4don2006]

I once owned a 1962 Studebaker Lark 62V Regal with overdrive, Twin traction and the hill-holder. Great car. Quick, powerful and easy handling with a roomy back seat too. I was 19 at the time. One of the most pleasant cars to drive ever for me and I've driven many. If you find one - it's a keeper. Parts are relatively easy to come by.

[vividwatch47]

Mr. Ed aired until 1966, the same year Studebaker stopped producing automobiles (in which production was done in Canada), though the original factory was used to produce the Avanti II, and was torn down in 2006.

[vividwatch47]

Studebaker stopped making cars in the U.S. in 1964, after which they transferred production to Canada, and their cars were powered by Chevrolet V8 engines.

[OsbornTramain]

@vividwatch47 @vividwatch47 your sort of right but not quite. The Hamilton OT facilities in Canada had been in operation for years. Studebaker didn't have only one plant in the USA. When they closed South Bend Indiana, they simply consolidated the manufacturing in Hamilton. It's not as if they picked everything up and transferred it to Canada. It was already there. Studebaker could have mitigated the damage that was done if they had better PR. Companies close plants all the time.

[vividwatch47]

@OsbornTramain, take a look at the video on You Tube on when the South Bend plant was tore down.

[vividwatch47]

@OsbornTramain, did you know Studebaker at one time made refrigerators?

[OldsVistaCruiser]

@vividwatch47 - General Motors (Frigidaire) and American Motors (Kelvinator) also built refrigerators.

[OldsVistaCruiser]

@vividwatch47 - On the other hand, Crosley started out as a refrigerator manufacturer, and decided to expand into making cars.

They weren't building cars for long, probably because they were too far before their time in introducing subcompact cars. They still build appliances to this day.

[OldsVistaCruiser]

Crosley owns Amana refrigerators?? It's on their website!

[MarkJ1961]

"Love & the SIngle Horse" on "Ed" aired on CBS on 10/10/65 that Sun. afternoon in that final season. Raymond Bailey & Irene Ryan guested. Bailey played a character OTHER than Drysdale, but Irene Ryan had a non-speaking role where she was indeed dressed up as Daisy "Granny" Moses (she was NOT a Clampett!) in a cameo scene. She sees Ed talking to Wilbur, and does a "Granny double-take" expression.

Ed, Hillbillies, Petticoat Jct, Green Acres (and Addams Family & Phyllis Diller) were all Filmways.

[vividwatch47]

"The Beverly Hillbillies" is the only Filmways series not owned by M.G.M. (it was coproduced in association with C.B.S.).

[MarkJ1961]

Petticoat Jct is another Filmways show that was also producted w/CBS, and is owned by CBS/Viacom/Paramount. DVDs of both Hillbillies and Petticoat Jct have been released by non-official companies because certain B&W ep's fell into public domain. Then the estate of producer Paul Henning released some B&W ep's of both series thru MPI. But now, CBS/Via/Par is releasing full season sets of both series. Ed, Addams Fam, Gr.Acres DVDs have come from MGM since they bought Orion which bought Filmways.

[MarkJ1961]

I wish that MGM Home Vid or a subcontractor would release ALL of Ed on DVD, and the remaining three seasons (4th:68/69 thru 6th:70/71) of Gr.Acres. They did release both seasons of Addams Fam. but as three "volume" sets that spanned both season (64/65, 65/66). I don't know what the current status of Pruitts of Southampton/Phyllis Diller Show is. Filmways also produced other sitcoms during the 60s; Filmways is also the "successor" to McCadden Prod's of the 50s (Burns & Allen, Bob Cummings, etc)

[1L6E6VHF]

Awesome! It embodies every positive stereotype (if, perhaps, not realistic) we hold of the early 1960's.

[visor109]

Cool vibes!!

[gymnastix]

To make matters worse (although maybe CBS had a logic to this decision--thinking perhaps it would draw a larger family viewership), the series was also shifted to Sunday afternoons in 1965-66, an unusual move then & now, for a series that had been a prime-time sitcom.

Although it should also be noted "Mister ED" started off as a syndicated series anyway, before being picked up by CBS--the reverse situation of what normally occurs.

[gymnastix]

Actually, in the last season of "Mister ED," the sponsorship/finances were pretty bleak. There were no longer any next-door neighbor characters, because the show couldn't afford to pay excessive salaries. There were also no more big-name guest stars. The only regular characters that last season were "Wilbur," "Carol" & "Ed," of course, of course. There was also a character actor who played "Carol's" father on some episodes, but that was it.

[MarkJ1961]

That 6th/final season on CBS (Fall '65 and into early '66) was indeed at 5pm Eastern/Pacific (4pm Central) Sun. afternoons, and only 13 ep's TOTAL. I don't even think that CBS reran many of these 13 episodes, if even at all. There was also a lot of pre-emptions with ep's delayed a week or more due to Sun. afternoon NFL games on CBS-TV going into overtime.

But there WERE next-door neighbers, a new couple with a teenage son, replacing the Kirkwoods, but they weren't used as much as the Kirkwoods.

[MarkJ1961]

Also, Mr. Ed was ALWAYS a B&W series, even for those final 13 episodes on Sun. afternoons on CBS, Fall 1965/early 1966. MOST sitcoms on CBS went color for 65/66, including new sitcoms that season. But Mr.Ed's final season (and Dick van Dyke & Munsters) were B&W in 65/66. Also, Smothers Brothers' sitcom that 65/66 season on CBS (only one season) was B&W, not color. Hogan's pilot ep. on CBS was B&W while the rest of Hogan's first season was color. Every other CBS sitcom in 65/66 was in color.

[studebakerempire]

STUDEBAKER IS BACK !!! YOU MUST GOOOOGLE 'plunderhere enter "SUPERCAR"

[fromthesidelines]

They went out of business as far as "MISTER ED" was concerned, 'Osborn'. By the time they dropped their primary sponsorship of the series in 1963, their ad time was filled by others. But Studebaker never advertised as extensively as they had before, until they got out of the auto business in '66....that's what I meant. Computer leasing, eh?

[OsbornTramain]

Sorry, I was just commenting on the term "out of business" They were a viable corporation and maybe they did stop sponsoring Mr. Ed...but companies are in the business to make money and the advertising and support of them wasn't making sense anymore. Studebaker was manufacturing cars after Mr. was cancelled.

[Drivermatic]

Actually Studebaker advertised significantly post 1963. STP produced by Studebaker's chemical division was advertised well into the 1970's. Remember those great ads with Andy Granitelli. Studebaker/Worthington Leasing still is seen in technology print advertising. Love this ad, I own a 62 Lark Daytona

[OldsVistaCruiser]

Studebaker-Worthington Leasing owns the website Studebaker*com, and they explain on their site (in their "What's In A Name" section) that they are a descendant of the car company.

[Drivermatic]

Agree, I think that goes to the point made in one of the earlier posts, that Studebaker never really went out of business, they just stop making cars.

[fromthesidelines]

This was the end of a second season episode (probably late in 1961), when "MR. ED" first appeared on CBS at 6:30pm(et) on Sundays, just before "LASSIE". Studebaker continued to sponsor the show on alternate weeks until they went out of buisness a few years later...

[OsbornTramain]

They didnt go out of busines, they stopped manufacturing cars in 1966. they continued as a company until 1979 when they were bought out by McGraw Edison. Studebaker Leasing is still a company in business..check out the web page. They are a computer leasing company now. They just don't make cars anymore

[bongomanfromdalou]

First time I've seen this commercial since 1962! Studebaker's ad agency did clever things to popular songs; there really was a jazz tune called "Hey Daddy," but I didn't hear the original until many years after seeing this commercial...

[AshburnStadium]

The title girl in MGM's 1943 cartoon, "Red Hot Riding Hood" sings the original version of this song!

You can find it here on YouTube - for the time being...

[horarwgt]

Not exactly. See my other comment, pointing out that "Daddy" was originally a #1 hit in1941 for big band leader Sammy Kaye (Victor 27391). The vocalon that record was by the Three Kaydets. It was one of the very few uptempo hits of Kaye's 30+ year career!

[horarwgt]

The song "Daddy" (with the original lyrics, not these rewritten ones) was a #1 record in 1941 for big band leader Sammy Kaye.