benjaminhuf Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 1933 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I always loved the fact that Buick would include in many of these ads the "Buick Gives More And Better Miles" as examples. This was in the light of the early 30s declining sales and they were still appealing to the loyal customer base. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Wright Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 33 was the first year with a styled grill in front of the radiator, rather than a flat front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjaminhuf Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 1933-1934 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_S Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenjThayerOB-KudnerFam Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 On 1/27/2019 at 9:55 PM, neil morse said: Thanks! My favorite line describes the pistons -- "cupped in new contours to complement the dome of the cylinders, they roll the inrushing fuel charge into a flattened and turbulent ball, packed fat with potential power." I would love to learn more about the marketing fellows who came up with this stuff. Did each division have it's own advertising department? Was this before Madison Avenue? I assume so. I welcome anyone who knows the answers to these questions to chime in. On 1/29/2019 at 7:07 PM, neil morse said: That's very interesting about Kudner. He must have been a big man in the ad game because there's an episode of the TV series "Mad Men" in which the "Arthur Kudner Award" is mentioned. But I could find surprisingly little about him online. Here's a brief mention in an article in Ad Age about another agency that merged with the Kudner agency: The shop was Kudner Agency, founded in 1935 by Arthur Kudner on Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. work and large chunks of General Motors business, including Buick. Mr. Kudner died in 1944 before his agency made TV history. His most enduring legacy as a copywriter was to be the phrase "Athlete's foot," coined in the cause of Absorbine Jr. But by the late '50s Kudner's fortunes began to slide with the loss of Buick. So "Athlete's foot" may have been his most enduring legacy, but more on topic, he was also supposedly responsible for coining the name "Estate Wagon," which certainly went on to serve Buick well. This was my great grandfather! It makes me thrilled to see all the appreciation of his work. The Arthur Henry Kudner name is still alive and well through my uncle and my youngest cousin. I would be happy to dig up as much as I can on him and get info from family members. I have to say, you did a great job tracking down his most notable achievements. I agree, they are strangely difficult to find online. He also came up with the tagline, "I'd walk a mile for a Camel." I had to do a double take when I heard his name as I was casually watching Mad Men; it was a proud moment! I really appreciate the show's recognition of him, regardless of it being a small mention. Unfortunately though, that award does not actually exist, as it was a part of the fictional side of Mad Men based on real information. It should be a real award though! I also want to throw a quick shout-out to the creator of this thread, who happens to share my first name! It is really rewarding to see some of my great grandfather's work! And thank you to all who contributed information and images! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 Hi Ben, welcome to the AACA forums! That is fascinating that Arthur Kudner was your great grandfather! And I'm happy that your post got this thread going again. I'm sure there are many more great ad images out there to be posted. And of course, please post more details about Mr. Kudner's life and career -- I'm sure everyone would be very interested to read more about him. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles259 Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 (edited) As long as this got started again, I wanted to post a great comparison between one of the 1930 Buick ads that thread-starter Ben posted earlier, and a photo taken for a Union Oil ad. I'm pretty sure the Union Oil photo was posed to be used by an illustrator as a basis for an illustration, rather than to be used as a photo, but I can't be sure. Edited June 5, 2021 by neil morse (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenjThayerOB-KudnerFam Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 Thanks for the welcome! I got into this by digging through ancestry.com! I have always loved my family history and my great grandfather, in particular, has been my biggest role model and source of pride. I share his love of design and clever wordplay, always dreaming to one day continue his legacy. He had an interesting life. One of my favorite facts is that he would host free-to-the-public, soirée-style cookouts on his ranch in Carrizozo, New Mexico during the Great Depression. Funny enough, when I mentioned this fact to my uncle, he replied, "You know he was running a speakeasy out of there, don't you?" Apparently he had some high-profile friends from around the country flying in to "fight" prohibition. Definitely a work hard, play hard kind of guy! The ranch is called O-Bar-O Ranch and still exists today, but is no longer in the family (with the exception of some mountain land where my family built a cabin together a generation before me). One of the reasons his info is so hard to find is because his advertising firm was essentially washed out after his exit, enduring multiple name changes and acquisitions (which I'd say is unfortunately fairly typical of advertising firms). It saddens me how the ad industry has evolved to essentially become overwhelmed by click-bait, scams, and annoying pop-ups, so I often find myself longing for those golden ages of advertisement to somehow return. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 Here is a French ad which is the only image I have found of the 1925 Standard Touring with the top folded. The fellow who made the top boot for my car said that this is an artists interpretation since the top would never have fit in so small a package. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul White Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 Hi all, speaks for itself 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRA Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 The most interesting ad I have ever seem of pre-war car was for the 1927 Buick. I was totally caught on the idea to buy that car. Crossing the desert without any issue of engine cooling nor lubrication! Quite impressive automobile! No overheating, for sure it is a dream car! The reality is I am still searching for this model, convinced by that 94 year old publicity... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 JRA: I believe by the coloration of the image it would have to be a 1926-55 sport touring (2 tone blue) even though it may be a 1927 advertisement. Extra space for the trunk but does not show the double spares of which we had been discussing on another thread. If you would like to see one of these cars in action there is a Movie "Public Hero #1" from 1935 starring Jean Aurthur and Chester Morris. She makes numerous mention of the "Buick". Unfortunately the car ends up going through a bridge and sinking in the river. For the time this was only an 8 year old used car. But I believe the car was used in one of the later Ann Sothern "Mazie" movies https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=public+hero+1+1935&&view=detail&mid=F742D84E9A0FE9F62D59F742D84E9A0FE9F62D59&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dpublic%2Bhero%2B1%2B1935%26FORM%3DVDRESM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRA Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Hi Larry, great film sequence, tks! I am curious how you can identify the two-tone blue paint from a black/white image! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 The movie had other sequences with the car. But I was referring to the advertisement you posted. 1926-55 below. Ching blue upper. Bambalina blue lower. The 1927 Sport touring would have a Courier Cream or a Patrol Cream bottom color. Much lighter than the ad image. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now