Uncle Bill's - Ontario - Cooks - Cook United Commercial 1981

Uncle Bill's, Cooks, Clarks, Ontario, Consolidated Sales Company (CSC) and Rink's were a chain of discount stores owned by Cook United, Inc. They basically used this same commercial for all the various chains. They would just drop in the name of the store on the green screen in back and basically run the same commercial.

I remember once them running a Cook's commercial in Columbus by mistake.

(Props to kyshtym for this classic!)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Cook United
• Uncle Bill's
• Cooks
• Clarks
• Ontario
• CSC
• Consolidated Sales Company
• Rink's
• Rink's Bargain City
• Bargain City
• Department Store
• Discount Department Store
• TV
• Commercial
• Retromercial
• Retail
• Ad
• Advertisement
• Spot
• Television

[DianaKomjati]

I got my first big break there in 1979 as their fashion illustrator!

[columbusmediatalk]

@DianaKomjati - You refer to yourself on your page as an "advertising aficionado". Me too. Loved the Ontario ads of the era, both TV and print, as well as a lot of the advertising of the era. Probably nothing to rave about artistically, but they really looked great to my eyes. I think because the typesetting was by hand, it allowed the art to come through. With everything now on computers, a print ad looks almost too perfect ... to mechanical.

[jfftll508]

long live the memory of the family of Cook United stores, Rinks, Cooks, Uncle Bills,Ontario, and CSC. It's a shame the HQ could not get it together, they were a great company. I recall the add posted as being the best adds they did.

[columbusmediatalk]

I wish I could find something from the "Ontario is for the People" campaign. I liked that one too.

[DianaKomjati]

@crazyromanian1 Yes, I remember Pic-Way Shoes -- that's a blast from the past for sure!

[crazyromanian1]

@sygo7g I never heard of RInk's until I moved to Columbus, Ohio back in 1979. The store here was like the ultimate garage sale. It was crazy. I had family members that insisted in stopping in there when they we in town from Cleveland. Great memories!!!!

[crazyromanian1]

@DianaKomjati

Your comment reminded me of my start in the retail ad business in 1979 as well. I Was handling media planning/placement for Pic-Way Shoes if you by chance remember this Mid-Western discount shoe chain.

[DianaKomjati]

@columbusmediatalk I agree. The type was professionally set by typesetters back them. All the typesetting "rules" fell by the wayside when designers had to become typesetters too. I wish I had saved more of my art and layouts. We did so much of it that we just threw it away when we were done. It had a certain style that we've lost today.

[usa02]

That is former Cleveland TV and radio personality Bob Pondillo (aka : The Real Bob James) in the now-defunct Uncle Bills-Ontario-Cooks United ad.