Calgon Water Softener Commercial 1970s

Calgon commercial 1970s

This commercial was for Calgon water softener.
A Caucasian woman with an American accent asks "Mr. Lee" (played by Calvin Jung), a laundry shop owner, how he gets her shirts so clean. He replies, with what appears to be a Chinese accent, "Ancient Chinese secret."

The scene changes to Mrs. Lee, who is in an adjoining room. Mrs. Lee appears ethnically Chinese, but she speaks English with a thoroughly American accent, and explains to the audience that her husband's "ancient Chinese secret" is that he uses Calgon water softener.
Mrs. Lee ultimately gives the secret away by sticking her head into the front room where Mr. Lee and the customer are standing, and shouts "We need more Calgon!" To which the customer replies "Ancient Chinese secret, huh?" while Mr. Lee accepts the exposure with good humor.

The actress playing Mrs. Lee, Anne Miyamoto, was actually Japanese-American.

Calgon water softener adverts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in the rest of Europe promote the product solely on the basis of saving washing machines from breakdown rather than any benefits to the clothing in the wash, although the products on sale are identical to those in the United States. In Portugal, the Calgon advertisement jingle is the same popular one, for almost 30 years. In Italy Calgon is called Calfort.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Detergent
• commercial
• 1970s
• Ancient
• Chinese
• Secret

[aseglkj]

@gramboluke looks like two wongs CAN make it white

[theknightlynews]

The Canadian version of this commercial was almost the same, except the woman says, "Ancient Chinese secret, ehhhhh?"

[emceefocus]

so this is what my parents been referring to for all these years (i'm korean, hollafront)

[ExcruciatingMinutae]

@Canadiankyosa I voted you down for being a pompous ass.

[Canadiankyosa]

@gramboluke: Nice racist remark. You sound like an ass, too.

[Canadiankyosa]

Some of the comments are more racist than most videos on here and those remarks I have voted down. Use the word "chink" where I can read it, you get voted down or in range of my hearing, a person gets a shot in the head.

[Canadiankyosa]

@TheDoomArt: Nice racist sounding comment. Too bad there is no way to report these asshole kind of remarks.

[Canadiankyosa]

Why don't people put this down in the list as racist? Showing a Chinese family running a laundry? Such racism even if it is only so called "stereo-typing". And it is true that a lot of Orientals ran laudries after moving to North America. lmao

[theknightlynews]

@digitalclock And the joke goes right over your head. 

[digitalclock]

@theknightlynews No it wasn't. I'm Canadian. It was definitely, "Huh?"

[TheDoomArt]

I think Jim Norton said it best when he said, "Only two types of guys do laundry. Gays and chinks."

[pmunkyandpals11]

xD