72 Hits of the '50's with Jeff Conaway (Record Offer, 1978)

Here's a record offer commercial for a four-record LP compilation, headlined as 72 Hits of the '50's, with Jeff Conaway from the Broadway production of Grease (before he appeared in the 1978 movie version, and way before landing a supporting role in the TV series Taxi) and Elaine Petricoff. (currently on the faculty of AMDA College)

This set - actually titled The First Authentic 1950's Rock & Roll Collection and in print, at that point, since at least 1972 (the year Grease first opened on Broadway) - also has a few 1960-63 (pre-Beatles) tracks, thus this isn't a strictly '50's compilation album.

Tunes excerpted in this ad (played way up in pitch, by about 4 to 5 percent) include "Baby Oh Baby" by The Shells, "One Summer Night" by The Danleers, "Lover Please" and (a re-recorded version of) "A Lover's Question" by Clyde McPhatter, "Hushabye" by The Mystics, "Little Darlin' " and "The Stroll" by The Diamonds, "Just to Be With You" by The Passions, "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips, "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons, "A Little Bit of Soap" by The Jarmels, "Earth Angel" by The Penguins, "The Great Pretender" by The Platters, and "You Cheated" by The Shields. Other tracks mentioned in the lower-half credit roll include "Imagination" by The Quotations, "Down the Isle of Love" by The Quin-Tones, "I'm Just a Dancing Partner" and "On My Word of Honor" by The Platters, "Memory Serenade" by King Curtis, "Rock 'N Roll Revival" by The Five Discs, "I Wonder Why" by Dion and The Belmonts, "A Sunday Kind of Love" by The Harptones, "Angels in the Sky" by The Crew-Cuts, "More Tequilla[sic]" by The Wailers, "Ding Dong" by Tony Orlando, "Oh What a Night" by The Shells, "The Wanderer" by Dion, "Heaven and Paradise" by The Meadowlarks, "She's Gone" and "Somewhere" by The Five Satins, "Ballad of a Boy and Girl" by The Graduates, "There's a Moon Out Tonight" by The Capris, "Come Dance With Me" by The Tokens, "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis, "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels, "I Only Want You" by The Passions, "I Pray (For You)" by The Moonglows, "I'll Be Forever Loving You" by The Fascinations, and "Hey Senorita" by The Penguins.

Ending voiceover by Jack Reynolds.

We saw a version of this commercial way back when in a shabbily constructed re-creation of a Roller Super Stars broadcast that someone made (20 seconds into this clip). The picture quality was so poor that I never noticed it was Jeff Conaway of Grease and Taxi fame. I wonder when this commercial was originally produced. Perhaps during Jeff's time as an original member of the Grease Broadway musical, pre-movie?

This copy of the commercial came right at the very end of an EIAJ recording which is why it is breaking up at the end. I'm sure some day I'll find a better copy.

"72! Dig it, baby..."

This aired on local Chicago TV on Wednesday, February 15th 1978 a little after 7pm.

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