The Hotdogman on NECN's Broadside

I went over to Newton today to participate in NECN's Weekly News IQ Quiz on the Broadside program.

Here's part One:



And here's Part Two:

Just Don't Call Me "Johnson"

Nike Hot Dog Cart

The Hotdogman on TV

Nearly a year later, the Hotdogman's TV appearance is available online! Enjoy.



And when you're done with the Hotdogman, watch Dom, the goalie and birdman....

ROADSIDE STORIES!

The day is finally here when the Hot Dog Truck makes its broadcast television debut! This episode of Roadside Stories was filmed way back in June of 2008 and it will be airing 12/29/2008 @ 8:00 PM on New Hampshire PBS Channel 11. Here's the program description:

Rob is part psychologist, part story teller and all chef. We stop at his hotdog truck in Marlborough, MA, for lunch and end up finding more than a meal. While eating a few dogs, host Bob Wilson meets Dom, an engineer by day, a hockey goalie at night.

Make sure you tune in tonight. I'll have the episode linked and embedded in a couple of weeks.

Enjoy the show.

OK So McDonalds DOESN'T HAVE HOT DOGS....

....AND their food sucks, but it sure is clean!

There are several ubiquitous character actors in this bit of business-but I don't know their names....

This is a classic from 1973. My fourth grade class actually performed this song for a school chorus assembly and we got a standing ovation! Ya gotta love show tune style advertising!

Don't Touch The Weiner

While this isn't a "classic" hot dog commercial, it is kind of funny. I never saw this one on TV, I just came across it on YouTube....

Makes me wanna buy em...NOT

There are many clever ads for hot dogs (and lots of other things) out there. There are ads that make you think. There are ads that make you laugh. There are ads that have fantastic special effects. Creative people spend countless hours making good advertisements.

What were they thinking when they made this one?


How friggin stupid is this guy?

Flintstones get Healthy

We saw Fred and Barney puffing away the other day. The 'Stones did quite a few promos when they were in prime time. Here's an ad for regular cancer check-ups. Maybe the Doctor should tell them to lay off the Winstons....

Fred and Barney Smoking

My how times have changed! Remember a few years back when everyone was freaking out about the "Joe Camel" ads that consumer advocates felt were targeted towards kids? They felt the cartoon character made smoking look acceptable to kids and that just wouldn't fly. Camel pulled the ad campaign under a lot of pressure.

I wonder what would happen if they tried to air THIS AD today?

Slinky

In my never ending quest to find old, dopey hot dog commercials I came across this gem. It's not about hot dogs, but it brought back memories nonetheless and I wanted to share it with regulars at the Hot Dog Truck. Everyone has had one of these toys at some point in their life. Slinky was a stocking stuffer staple of my youth.

How could you resist this song? Enjoy.

Alka Seltzer

All the events regarding the tenancy of the Hot Dog Truck over the past few weeks (not to mention the 3-1 deficit the Red Sox face in the ALCS) has left me with indigestion! Thankfully, it's not a problem for patrons. Nothing beats Alka Seltzer for indigestion. I found some classic commercials for Alka Seltzer on good old You Tube. They just don't make them like this any more.

There are two Commercials so wait while the video pauses.

BIG SCREEN TV FOR FOOTBALL

Tonight the Patriots are on Monday Night Football!! I'll be going over to my brother's house to watch the game on his LCD Widescreen TV. The picture is amazing-it's like they made those TV's for football.

I want to get a Sharp Aquos LC52D92U Flat Panel Television. It is simply has the best HDTV picture available on any LCD TV out there. Even though they cost between $3000-$5000 NOW, I am predicting a 30% drop in their price by the Spring. The hard part about buying a Sharp Aquos LC52D92U Flat Panel Television is figuring out WHERE to buy it. I look for a good price, a reputable company and, most importantly, FREE SHIPPING!

I found a big selection of the Sharp Aquos LC52D92U Flat Panel Televisions here, at Shopping.com. They have a great selection on this site at a wide variety of prices. They even have some deals on refurbished 52 inch models as low as $2550 with free shipping!(maybe I won't wait until spring).

Clicker Etiquette

We have four TVs in our house. One in the kitchen, one in the playroom for the kids, one in our bedroom and one in the living room. The living room TV is the "good" TV. My wife and I are in a constant struggle for control of the almighty CLICKER.

If we're going to settle down to a night of TV, there are certain unwritten rules we follow. I'm not much of a TV fan. I like a good movie. I watch baseball, football and the news. The only shows I watch are Two and a Half Men and Survivor (I PROMISE I'll never blog about Survivor).

My wife is a clicking fool. She will flip around until she finds the most inane reality show she can find. She watches Survivor. She watches anything to do with reality programming and remodelling while commenting "Oh, that looks like a good project." I cringe when these shows are on. She watches Dog the Bounty Hunter, Flavor of Love, Super Nanny, Biggest Loser, The Bachelor, The Apprentice and the list goes on (and on). If its a reality show, she'll find it.

Now during baseball and football season, there is a struggle for CLICKER CONTROL. I, naturally, want to watch the games on the "good" TV. Here is where the unwritten rules come in. For Red Sox- Yankee games there is no discussion. The ball game is on. If its a game against Kansas City, she'll make some noise, but if I can invent some drama ("hey, Manny's going for Home Run number 500"), I can get the CLICKER without much fuss.

She's getting savvy though. She checks to see who's pitching and for the opponent's record and if it's a "dog" game, she'll protest. Depending on my mood, I may relent if it really is a dog game.

Sunday Football takes precedence, she even watches sometimes (although my brother just got a humongous Plasma-I'll be going over there a lot on Sundays this year). For the Sunday Night and Monday Night Football games, I'll relinquish the clicker if the game is one sided or has no "sporting" significance. Needless to say, the Patriots games are always on.

I got her good once. Last year NFL Network began the NFL Replay on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. They replay two games from the previous weekend each night. I was watching a game on a Tuesday night and she asked what the heck football was doing on TV on a Tuesday night. I told her they were experimenting with new nights. Rolling her eyes and letting out an exasperated sigh, she trotted upstairs to watch some reality drivel. It took her three weeks to figure out the Tuesday and Wednesday games were replays and boy was she pissed when she found out! She actually hid the clicker on me!

Most of the time we reach a happy equilibrium with the clicker, but it's a never ending struggle for CLICKER CONTROL.

Pickles

Pickles are what makes relish. I don't have pickles at the truck, but since they're the key ingredient in relish, they deserve a spot on the site. This commercial is hilarious! Very slapstick.



If I see this lady at the Hot Dog Truck, she eats for free!

In case you eat too much

Good Old Alka Seltzer.

You won't need this after eating at the Hot Dog Truck.

These old commercials are great!

Krystal Pups

OK, this one is borderline disturbing...

Has anyone ever heard of these dogs?

Tabasco

I always have a bottle of Tabasco Sauce with my "do it yourself" condiments. The bottle sits next to the salt, pepper, celery salt and red pepper. Many customers put it on their chili dogs. I even have one customer who puts it on his tuna roll!

Here's a nifty old commercial for that tangy pepper sauce.

Canada Dry

I have Canada Dry Ginger Ale at the Hot Dog Truck.

I just hope anyone who purchases it doesn't end up as pathetic as this fellow in the video!

Here's the Beef

Wendy's actually had a go at hot dogs back in the early 80's. I never had one. I am willing to bet they sucked.