28 Slightly Embarrassing Celebrity Endorsements from the Good Old Days

Once upon a time, celebrity endorsements were pure chaos. Before brand deals were crafted by PR teams and "authentic partnerships" meant a caption written by five marketing interns, stars were out here promoting literally anything.

These 28 vintage ads are proof that the rules didn't exist. We've got boxing legends selling roach traps (Muhammad Ali, never forget), jazz icons pushing Alka-Seltzer for "holiday relief," sitcom royalty convincing you cigarettes are good for your throat, and a certain fast-running football star telling you to rent from Hertz. It's a time capsule of marketing gone gloriously rogue.

There's something magical about how unfiltered it all was. No irony, no subtlety - just pure enthusiasm. "You'll love this bug trap! My face is on the box!" was an actual campaign. Celebrities looked straight into the camera with total confidence, unaware that decades later we'd be looking back, equal parts nostalgic and horrified.

But that's the charm of it. It was the golden age of sincerity, when fame met commerce and common sense took a vacation. Scroll through and enjoy the weird, wonderful world of celebrity endorsements before the age of influencers - when selling out was still an art form.

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01
Doris Day for International Harvester.

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02
Sammy Davis Jr. for Alka Seltzer.

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03
Ronald Reagan for Chesterfield cigarettes

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04
Groucho Marx for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes.

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05
Cigarette trading cards featuring Walt Disney and Micky Mouse as well as silent film star Buster Keaton.

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06
Humphrey Bogart for Whitman’s Sampler.

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07
Lucille Ball for Phillip Morris.

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08
Woody Allen for Smirnoff Vodka.

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09
Jerry Lewis for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

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10
Carol Burnett for Blackgama Mink.

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11
Boris Karloff for Northern Pacific Railway.

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12
Sonny and Cher for the Bible.

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13
Roy Rogers for the Pennsylvania Railroad

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14
Opera soprano Patricia Munsel recommending Camels Cigarettes

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15
Mrs. America 1955 Wanda Jennings for Greyhound

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16
O.J. Simpson for Hertz

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17
Bill Gates for Radio Shack

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18
Michael Jackson for this children’s record player made by Ertl

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19
Moe from the Three Stooges and Albert Einstein for Nikon

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20
Michael Jordan for Ball Park Hotdogs

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21
Muhammad Ali for d-con roach traps

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22
Fabio can't believe it's not butter

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23
Lucille Ball for Roma wine

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24
Don Knotts for Chicago Lumber Co.

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25
Vincent Price for Sun Giant Raisins.

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26
Wally Cox for Smirnoff Vodka.

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27
Donald Trump advertising his steaks

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28
Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart for Bic

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Tags

1990s 90s memes retro nostalgia 80s music Nostalgia Overload 80s 90s kids 90s memory lane nostalgia memes millennial-nostalgia 1980s

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