In October 1955, the Philippine Manufacturing Co., , the
maker of popular products like Purico, Perla and Star Margarine—introduced a new
kind of soap—a deodorant soap with the brand name FRESCO Deodorant Beauty Soap.
Years before, PMC had already launched Camay with
resounding success, one of the first beauty soaps in the country. Now it was
ready to introduce an innovative soap. FRESCO claims to stop perspiration odor because
of a special active ingredient called Arodin, a “wonder deodorant” that
neutralized odor-causing bacteria that ordinary soaps can’t remove.
The pink deodorant beauty soap is recommended for
all-over beauty protection, with an alluring fragrance that clings to the skin
and fragrance and lasts for hours. FRESCO
Deodorant Beauty Soap costs no more than other leading beauty soaps too.
Despite these wonderful benefits, FRESCO Deodorant Beauty Soap seemed to
flouder, as its ads—by 1957—diminished in size and became rather unremarkable. FRESCO
lasted for just a few years, and was discontinued before the new 60s decade
began.
One of the more popular brands of transistor radios that
promoted the golden age of the Philippine radio industry was AVEGON, produced by Avegon Inc.,with
offices at Sta. Ana, Manila. At its peak, AVEGON
RADIOS rivaled the country’s leading radio and TV maker—Radiowealth—which
was founded almost 20 years ahead of the company.
AVEGON TRANSISTOR RADIOS/WIRELESS RECORD PLAYER, 1957
The story began with Engr. Antonio Avecilla y Nepomuceno,
a Kapampangan born in San Fernando (b. 10 Sep. 1901) who was one of the leading
lights of Philippine infrastructure reconstruction after the War. A 1923 Civil Engineering graduate of the University
of Santo Tomas, Avecilla ‘s post-war works included the La Mesa Dam and
Swimming Pool, Bel-Air Building, Syquia Apartments, Mote de Piedad, Galaxy
Theater,the San Sebastian Convent and
Colleges, the Philippine Wallboard Corp. Bldg., the Rizal Motor Sales Bldg.,
and the rehabilitation of many war-damaged homes and factories.
FOUNDERS OF AVEGON
In 1953, noting the burgeoning radio industry thanks to
its rising use as an entertainment and marketing medium, Avecilla teamed up
with a friend, Joaquin l. Gonzalez of Baliwag, and pooled their money together to
form a fledgling manufacturer and importer of electrical appliances called AVEGON INC., coined from their 2 surnames,
AVEcilla and GONzalez.
SPECIFY AVEGON, PRINT D 1960
AVEGON'S NEW YEAR'S NEW PRODUCTS, PRINT AD 1961
Despite a bumpy start, AVEGON’s transistorized radios began gaining a large following,
favored for their hi-fiperformance and
economical price. They were also prized for their handsome construction, as the
cases were made from durable Philippine hardwood.
The company expanded by leaps and bounds, necessitating the
construction of its own AVEGON
office and factory buildings located at Invernes St., Sta. Ana, Manila.
Avecilla served as the company president and general manager.
Later, AVEGON forayed into the production of fluorescent
lamp ballasts that could withstand high humidity and temperature—the first of
its kind in the country. AVEGON Radios
however, were the company’s flagship brands, with many models to choose from.
THE NOVELTY HOUSE RADIO OF AVEGON, 1962
One of the most unusual were the AVEGON Dreamhouse radios—made in the shape of little roofed houses
with TV antennas. It sold wireless record players, radios with legs—all sold at
affordable prices. AVEGON radios were regularly advertised on print and radio and had
its own loyal market from the lower-midle class bracket.
AVEGON TV SET ADS, 1964
Radiowealth upped the tempo of the competition by leading
the local production of the so-called “TV and Radio/ Music Player Furniture
Sets”, an innovation that sought to rethink our idea of what an appliance is,
which, to the company can be a home furniture too. It is in this arena of
product innovation that AVEGON faltered.
It belatedly introduced its first TV set in early 1960s, and continued to
produce traditional small and portable transistor radios, which,
nevertheless had their own market niche. With more and more Filipinos finding
new prosperity, large and modern appliance furniture became the vogue in the
60s right through the 70s—with the advent of the age of stereophonic,
quadraphonic and surround sound technology.
AVEGON TRANSISTOR RADIOS, PRINT AD 1966
AVEGON
continued making radios, and the hardwood cases gave way to modern colorful
plastic in the 70s. The compToday, AVEGON
Radios are prized by radio and music collectors as fine examples of local
radio craftsmanship that is distinctively Filipino
SOURCES:
TABLEAU: Encyclopedia of Distinguished Personalities in
the Philippines, p. 73.
CHASE & SANBORN, "Exclusively Served in the Finest Restaurants", Print Series, 1956
One of the early American coffee roasting companies was
started in 1862 in Boston by Caleb Chase and James Solomon Sanborn. Initially engaged
in tea and coffee importation, the company soon launched an American coffee
brand bearing their name—CHASE &
SANBORN COFFEE, the first coffee company to pack and ship roasted coffee in
sealed tins.
CHASE &
SANBORN was available in the Philippines beginning in the mid1930s.
Imported all the way from the U.S.A., CHASE
& SANBORN became a pre-war coffee favorite, advertised on leading
magazines of the Commonwealth er and supported by msales gimmicks (premiums
like how-to dance booklets were given away). The classic brnd was actively
advertised through the 50s and 60s decade.
In 1956, CHASE
& SANBORN came up with a pint ad series touting the brand as the
exclusive coffee choice of the country’s finest restaurants and coffee shops.
The strategic alliance with the renown establishments boosted the quality image
of the coffeebrand.
The Philippines’ premier MANILA HOTEL was built in 1909 and was opened on the commemoration of
American Independence on July 4, 1912. The historic hotel was the home of Gen.
Douglas Macarthur and his family when he served as a military adviser to Pres.
Manuel Quezon in 1935.For “the finest
hotel in the Far East”, only CHASE &
SANBORN will do.
The well-air conditionedNEW EUROPE RESTAURANT,was a favorite dining olacein Manila,
especially with the Ermita crowd. Located along Isaac Peral (now HerranSt.), “the home of good food”, was put up by
Heinz Wielke.
Known as “the
grand old dame of Baguio”, PINES HOTEL
was one of the earliest structures in the city, erected in 1909 on Gov. Pack
Rd. It was destroyed during the War, but was rebuilt on Luneta Hill with the
same name. The Pines Lobby was a popular coffee place, plus the Bontoc Bar, in
the 1950s. It was gutted by fire in 1984.
Time was when pharmacies also had coffee shops appended to
their business, and Botica Boie was a large drugstore chain that also operated BOIE COFFEE SHOP, along Escolta. While
young people got their ice cream soda from the shop, the oldies delighted in
their cups of CHASE & SANBORN
COFFEE.
As the ad copy goes: “the finest restaurants the world
over serve CHASE & SANBORN”.But---you’ll enjoy its rich aroma and
delicious flavor—at home too!”
One of the best-selling hair tonics in the world is VASELINE HAIR TONIC for Men,
manufactured by Chesebrough Manufacturing Co. The product had its start in
1859, when Robert Chesebrough visited Penssylvania oil fields and saw residue
called “rod wax” that accumulated on oil rigs. Workers used the waxy substance
to heal cuts and wounds. Chesebrough managed to extract petroleum jelly from
the rod wax and created a medical product out of it which he called VASELINE.
The brand name was coined from the German word for water “wasser” and the Greek word “elaion” or olive oil. From VASELINE
Jelly, the company began expanding to personal line products using the same
ingredient as base. In the 1920s, Chesebrough launched its VASELINE HAIR TONIC, a liquid hair groomer.It was heavily promoted in print ads on the
popular Life Magazine from the late
1920s-1940s,promising to ‘stimulate
circulation, helped to relieve excessive dryness, and keep hir “manageable and
handsome”.
In 1955, Pond’s and the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company
merged to become Chesebrough-Pond’s. By
then, a Philippine affiliate company had been set up, marketing products such
as Pond’s and Angel Face. It ws in 1960 thatChesebrough-Ponds introduced VASELINE
HAIR TONIC in the Philippines through a series of print ad. At that time
GLO-CO, a local cosmetic company, dominated the men’s hair grooming market with
its Glo-Co Hair Tonix, endorsed by
movies stars as early as the 50s.
To ensure wider usage, VASELINE HAIR TONIC was positioned as a unisex hair grooming
product—good for both men and women. Its
quarter-page ads featured young men and women in various social situations. In
1967, rising young star of sampaguita Pictures--Lito Legaspi—endorsed the brand
as its commercial model.
Vaseline was made by the Chesebrough Manufacturing
Company until the company was purchased by Unilever in 1987.The product
VASELINE HAIR TONIC with scalp Conditioner is still available today.
GRASSLAND FARMS
INC., a 100% Filipino dairy enterprise, was founded in Nov. 1961 and began
operations in June 1962. The promising modern milk processing plant gets its
supply of raw milk from its own dairy farm of over 1000 cows.
Theplant was just
operating 25% of its capacity with the bulk of the farm’s raw milk sold to disitributors
of pasteurized milk. The lead products was GRASSLAND
PURE COW’S MILK, which was processed from the raw product by heating the
milk to a higher temperature than the pasteurised product killing all bacteria.
GRASSLAND PURE
COW’S MILK was packaged in softdrink bottles, with metal caps and marketed
by its offices with address at 1202 E. De los Santos Avenue. By 1962, the
company was putting out print ads of GRASSLAND
PURE COW’S MILK –“unequalled in food values because it’s rich in
body-building proteins, vitamins and minerals”. And, to drive home the point
that it’s good for young and old alike, the ads featured teens, oldies, kids
and young adults.
In 1966, GRASSLAND
FARMS INC, sounded a call for other companies interested in a joint venture
arrangement primarily to provide working capital---U.S. investors preferred. There is no
information if such a co-op arrangement happened, but one thing for certain, GRASSLAND PURE COW’S MILK disappeared from
supermarket shelves, even before the new 70s decade rolled in.
SOURCE:
International Commerce, A U.S. Dept.of Comerce weekly.
4 Jul. 1966
The MAGALONAS are a very popular showbiz family, thanks largely to the love team of
reel-and-real life sweethearts PANCHO MAGALONA and TITA DURAN, who captivated
Filipino movie fans with their many hit movies.
PANCHO MAGALONA, FOR GLO-CO TONIX, 1953
PANCHO MAGALONA
(Enrique Gayoso Magalona Jr., b. 22 Jan. 1923/d. Apr. 1998), was born with a
silver spoon in his mouth, the son of former senator Enrique Magalona Sr. of
Negros Occidental. His sister, Susan Magalona (who married Joaquin Elizalde)
was a legendary beauty in her time. He began his film career in 1947, when he
was cast in “Prima Donna”, backed by
a recommendation from Dna. Aurora Quezon, no less. The film was headlined by opera singer Jovita Fuentes
PANCHO MAGALONA FOR SAN MIGUEL BEER, 1957
His dashing mestizo looks sent many fans swooning, but
his star shone brighter when, the next year, he was teamed up with a former
child actress TITA DURAN. Their formidable
love team was one of the most well-loved in showbiz, beginning in 1948, with
the movie “Dahil Sa Iyo”.
PANCHO MAGALONA FOR LUCKY STRIKE CIGARETTES, 1965
The apex ofPancho’s
career wasa FAMAS Best Actor trophy for
his 1958 film, “Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig”.
He even went on to bag Hollywood roles lin the Jeff Chandler starrer “Merrills’
Marauders” and “The Hook”, with no less than Kirk Douglas. His iconic role,
however, was that of Simon, in the 1962 Jose Rizal movie,”El Filbusterismo”.
TITA DURAN FOR MENNEN BABY POWDER, 1959
Pancho’s other half, TITA
DURAN (aka Tita Durango, b. 14 Jun,1929/ d. 2 Dec. 1991) started as a child
actress,who as an 8-year old, was cast as an abandoned child in the1936 melodrama, “ Awit ng mga Ulila”. Sampaguita Pictures signed her up in 1938,
and put her in another tear-jerker film, “Inang
Mahal”. The war intervened but she returned as a young woman to her former
studio, Sampaguita Pictures, to support Carmen Rosales in “Gerilyera”, which led to light musical roles—and a durable partnership
with PANCHO MAGALONA.
TITA DURAN FOR SCOTT'S EMULSION, 1970
The tandem were acclaimed for romance-musicals like “Always, Kay Ganda Mo” (1949), “Umaga Na
Giliw,” “Kay Ganda Mo Neneng,” (1950) “Sa Isang Sulyap Mo Tita,” and “Vod-A-Vil ”(1953)
and “Sa
Isang Halik Mo, Pancho” (1954). So wildly popular was their love team that PANCHO and TITA were sought after as commercial models, evenafter they had married and had started a
family. Their children would include Francis, Susan, Vicky, Victor, Henry,
Popeye , Malot, Maricar and Martin.
WATCH FRANCIS MAGALONA
"Royal Tru Orange" TVC "Ito Ang Gusto Ko"here:
The MAGALONA legacy
was continued by son FRANCIS MAGALONA
(b. 4 Oct. 1964/6 Mar. 2009), who, as Francis M,is recognized as the best and the most
successful all-time Filipino rapper. He had monster hit songs like “Mga Kababayan Ko”, “Kaleidoscope World”,
”3 Stars and a Sun”, and “Ito ang Gusto Ko”, which became the
track of his well-remembered ROYAL
TRU-ORANGE Commercials.
WATCH FRANCIS MAGALONA RTO TVC HERE:
On March 18, 2009, FRANCIS
MAGALONA was recognized by the Philippine government with a posthumous
Presidential Medal of Merit award, "for his musical and artistic
brilliance, his deep faith in the Filipino and his sense of national pride that
continue to inspire us."
In this age of the great COVIC pandemic, the world desperately
needs a cure, a vaccine to put our fears to rest—and end this agonizing, extended
community quarantine, that continues to leave us isolated, hungry, pennyless—and
in need of haircuts. Back in the early 1970s though, when long hair ruled supreme, there was a handy plastic contraption that one could carry in one’s
jeans' pocket for quickly trimming and styling hair—without going to the barber shop.
In 1971, UNION CARBIDE introduced the TRIM JIM Safety
Haircutter. It is a handy two-bladed do-it-yourseld plastic hair trimmer that you use to trim your locks,
simply by running the TRIM JIM through your hair, much like comb.
You can cut your hair longish—to achieve the HARE KRISHNA
Look. Or thin it to get that EXECUTIVE Look.
The TRIM JIM was so convenient when launched in the
Martial Law years as long-haired boys opted to cut their own hair personally,
than have it cut by scissors-wielding military people who were then hot on the
trails of these long-haired nonconformists. ROTC cadets, too, brought a TRIM
JIM along, in case their crew cut was still deemed to lush and thick. A quick TRIM JIM cut will do it—for just 4
pesos!
Despite its much-heralded convenience, the results of
using a TRIM JIM were unpredictable.Unsteady hand pressure can cause uneven cutting. Sometimes, a single run
of TRIM JIM with new, sharp blades can result in instant bald
patches.Contouring hair like sideburns was difficult.
But then again, it’s true what TRIM JIM claims. The TRIM
JIM cut is your own personal signature-- you get truly a different breed of
cut!
