You know how you can go on YouTube and find old video dating back to the 1950’s and even earlier, including classic commercials? Well, there is one I remember, probably from the early to mid 1970’s, that I’ve never seen anywhere – in fact, you would never know the company ever existed if you searched for it on the Internet. It was called “Fox Foto” (or possibly “Fox Photo”, but I seem to remember it the first way) and they were a competitor to Fotomat and other similar “photo developing kiosk” operations. While Fotomat is remembered (possibly in part because of the reference in the “tornado episode” of WKRP in Cincinnati), Fox Foto seems to be forgotten. Which is a shame, because they had a great commercial.
Basically it was an all-male chorus line with a female lead, all dressed up in top hat and tails and singing and tap-dancing their hearts out, while holding flash cameras and occasionally taking flash pictures. And the jingle (which still pops into my head occasionally) went like this, to the best of my recollection:
(Female lead:)
My pictures they are taken and I’m looking for some prints,
But I haven’t got forever and I’m looking for some hints…
(Male chorus response:)
Fox Foto makes a promise that’s a written guarantee,
You get your prints tomorrow or they give them to you free!
(Entire Chorus):
Tomorrow… Tomorrow…
Your pictures tomorrow or they’re free!
(Spoken by female):
Fox Foto!
(Chorus):
Look for the fox
Look… for… the… fox!
Does ANYONE else remember this commercial? Perhaps Fox Foto only operated in Michigan, I don’t know, but in any case I would have thought this commercial would have been preserved as an example of “most entertaining” from back in the day. It probably just predates the introduction of home VCR’s, which may mean there are no remaining copies, which would be a shame if true. Anyway, it’s funny how certain commercials from one’s youth get stuck in your head and pop to the surface every now and then, even when the company’s been out of business for decades. And now, I can’t find any mention at all of them. Very strange!
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