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IF you are old enough to remember those screaming radio commericals for your local drag strip from the late 1960's , then you know what todays kids are missing out on. Crusing down the road with the AM radio blaring on a hot summer night, there was nothing else that could send such a shiver down a young hot rodders spine.
It's really hard to say exactly where they orginated, but one things for sure, those commericals spread across the country like wild fire, during a era of change, trends, and social revolution.
The basic premise was simple, two guys hollering at the top of their lungs in a studio, lots of engine sounds, and reverb. If 32 top fuel dragsters, or funny cars, were towing into town for a Saturday night show down, it was very serious stuff.
With out variance, they started out with their voices exploding: "SATURDAY, SATURDAY, SATURDAY NIGHT", and then led into to some of the most effective ad copy ever written. Typical phases included: "Under The Lights", "Nitro Guzzling", Ground Pounding", "Thundering", and "Gates Open At Four, Racing Action Starts At Seven". The final reminder most often ended with the two anouncers blaring out the simple phrase: BEEEEEE THEEEREEEEE!!!!!!!!!
Of course some introductions were in order. No famous drag racer toured with out a nick name back then, which is something we really miss. "Big Daddy", "Cha Cha", "TV Tommy", "Sneaky", "Jungle Jim" and on and on. You read about them in the magazines, but this was a rare, once in a summer chance, to see them in person.
The boys in the sound booth made sure you knew they were all the way from Florida, California, and Illinois, or where ever. If the "Chi Town Hustler" was going shake em down with a half track burnout, it got appropriate time, in the ad. Mattel saw the explosive growth of their Hot Wheels cars follow a couple of young drag racers from California, who carried the logo with them, on tour. You probably heard about the recent Hollywood movie, in their honor.
The next time you see your kids sitting around playing video games on a Saturday night, you might try and tell them about the good old days, and how nitromethane burns your eyes. Or what two screaming, front engine top fuelers sound like, and look like, on a 230 MPH, six second, night time run. But you know, maybe, it will be kind of hard for them understand.
Sincerely,
The Crew
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