Huh! I remember when I was a kid (late 80s/early 90s probably), Wile E. Coyote was the pitchman for Yellow Pages–which seems like a better fit; he’d have to drag out the book to look up “rocket skates” or whatever despite the fact that I guess “ACME” was always the first listing.

Lasagna? That’s an awkward thing to spill.
How about a glass of carrot juice?

Was that Flip Wilson?

ahhhh - remember the days of optical compositing ? Can’t tell if the matte’s slipping around Bugs, or it’s a drop shadow they’re going for. . .

This is actually really strange. The lady just randomly has a full plate of hot lasagna. Does she carry it with her everywhere she goes? This is great.

Rose Marie in a bit with Bugs Bunny! That made my day. Thanks for posting!

I’d rather see Bugs take off his suit than Rose Marie. The obligatory laugh track, used ironically here, is very ’70s.

If only Yellow Pages were this practical again. Noticed there’s two competing books in my hometown, one from the regular phone company (AT&T) and the other from a typical upstart that calls itself “Yellow Book”. Confused a friend I know over not realizing there was more than one book out here, differentiated by their covers of course.

It’s no shadow in the short scene where Bugs says “But I…”, it’s an off-register matte. For more noticeable matte gaffes, see “The Woggle Bird” song in Hanna-Barbera’s 1966 “Jack and the Beanstalk” NBC special. At 2:02/2:03 in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNU5cWIYseg&feature=related

David - Sorry I didn’t push my sarcasm more. It’s clearly an off register matte !

Nice rediscovery! Egad, I remember when this was on the air, perhaps during an episode of “Family Affair” or such like.

Note the touch-tone esque scoring at the end (when the technology was probably newly available for public consumption; my family’s phone remained rotary dial for years).

I’m with Zach. Not only is it bizarre that Rose Marie has a tray of lasagna… but she’s thought to bring it to some sort of talk show and/or panel discussion that she shares with a Laugh-In guy and a cartoon character. And if you go further along this train of thought, she offers it to Bugs with the expectation that–

–what? He’ll just dig in with his bare hands? He’ll painfully hold it in his lap for the rest of the talk show/Panel discussion? Start a Foodfight?

Thinking about the 70’s era admen making this ultra-strange pitch that miraculously ACHIEVED ITS OBJECTIVE AND GOT MADE into this commercial is so much easier than actually working.

Thanks for the plug and for identifying the dates and actors, Jerry. I know you claim there are things you DON’T know, but I seriously doubt it’s true. As for the ad, absurd as it is, it amazes me that there was only one “Yellow Pages” back then. Now there are at least three, and they must keep paper recycling centers in business year-round!

This is from the Thunderbean Cartoon commercials DVD out last year……. it’s a strange one….but kind of fun.

Perhaps had they chosen to animate and matte in the tray of lasagna, with an animated fork for Bugs, altering Rose Marie’s line to “carrot lasagna”, it might’ve played as less jarring and more plausible. The ad agency didn’t really understand Bugs, for sure. But veteran animators in the 1970’s would’ve balk at the very notion of animating a tray of lasagna. Except for Dick Williams, who’d have done it just to prove it could be done.

The total non-sequitor feel of the entire bit washed by me completely, I caught no message whatsoever, I had no idea why they were interacting.

Was Rose Marie looking for a dry cleaner or something? I didn’t even really notice the lasagna until the comments pointed it out. And Johnny, did he do a damn thing other than give a slight ed mcmahon supporting chortle? Was she looking for a dry cleaner because she always spills lasagna? Did Johnny KNOW the lasagna was coming? Maybe this spot would make a good ADD/Test

At the very least, it would make a great improv exercise, degenerating into lots of screaming until the lights cut out.

Haha, really funny spot, though I have to agree with captain murphy that the ‘commercial’ bit of the commercial didn’t come through for me either;)

One small thing I did react to, however (aside from wondering why lasagna was chosen as food for Bugs Bunny;)… The two human actors seem to be on top of the situation all the time - as Bugs says, “They’re putting me on!” Usually, Bugs is the wise-guy who controls the situation and is ahead of everyone else, and I would honestly have preferred to see some of that here too. (Even though he has a few great lines.)

What’s a Yellow Pages?

Is that that big heavy doorstop of a book those people keep dropping in front of my house?

Times have changed!

I swear to god she just throws that stuff on him. Bitch.