When I drove a truck, I often quested to find the Old Home Filler Up and Keep on a Truckin Cafe. One day I found myself at Beebetown, OK, and practically flung my truck down the exit ramp when I remembered the town from the song. I couldn't find anything that I could definitely say was the real place, though. Of course, it had been some 30 years since the song.
Well...it kinda' got turned into a movie. The fellows that did the jingle writing here went on to write the theme to the movie, Convoy. And then there was B.J. and the Bear, which may not have had a direct connection to these commercials, but it was certainly part of that whole 18-wheeler C.B. craze of the era. :D
Holy moly. As a lifelong Bill Fries fan I can’t thank you enough for posting this. As a kid my first portable radio was a tiny little am transistor job that looked like a mini car battery with “Western Auto” on it. When I got that my local am station was playing his then new hit “Convoy” constantly and I was hooked. Collected his albums then and still play all his tunes over 45 years later. Always wished I could’ve met the man. 🚚 🚓
I vaguely recall those TV spots when I was a wee tyke the Mack cab over was a F - model and the last Mack with the hood is a R - Model and useing CW McCall for the voice over and music is totally awesome
These were always my favorite commercials when I was a kid! I used to love those Kern's pies! There was a trend for a while where women were crocheting rugs out of strips from bread bags and a whole LOT of those rugs got made from Kern's bred bags!! My mom STILL has hers! You can actually see bits of the Kern's bags when you look at the rug! That was back in the days when plastic bags were NON-biodegradable!!!!!!
Around 1975 or '76 the original series of commercials were done for the first bakery (Metz/Old Home, I guess) and went sorta viral: they caught the attention of the Tonight Show and CW McCall came on and talked about them. I saw the commercials and interview while growing up in Knoxville and was tickled when the Kerns versions began airing a few months later. At some point after the Tonight Show appearance McCall's "Convoy" became a hit, but I don't remember the exact timing.
These were made just for the Kentucky, Tennessee Kern's/ Metz Baking Company market. All were done by the original ad agency and Bill Fries doing AJ which was changed from CW due to the song that was released by now.
My mom and several women from our church used to crochet braided rugs out of Kerns breadbags. I would give almost anything to still have one of those rugs now! That was back when everything was still non-biodegradable!
Thank You so much! It is nice to see so much of Bills work. You have made my Month! Find as many of these you can Bill Fries is one of my favorite people and I have meet him in person and had dinner with him. He lives in Ouray, Colorado and if any one wants to write him I can give his address.
I see he’s 92 years old now. For over 45 years now I’ve wanted to be able to tell him how much his music has meant to me, and literally ended up shaping my own trajectory! (Worked over 28 years in advertising myself, and spent my childhood and early adult years pickin’ a guitar and making up stories into a tape recorder!). I can’t tell you how much I’d love to write him. Let me know if you can give me an address to send a letter to 😃
I remember these commercials,and the Kearns bread plant in Knoxville tn.,I'd go over to tics marine next door and drool over the Norris craft and bullet bass boats there for sale and look at all those Mack trucks Kearns had,now many years later I own my own Mack and a Norris craft and a bad ass bullet,,,,,,,,dreams do come true ,,,,,,,,with some hard work😎
I remember these as a kid , and my father is from pine knot ky, so he got a kick out of the one especially ...Funny t listening to them now there are so many PC incorrect lyrics , it would never be allowed now days .....those were simpler times and with all the PC. correctness we still have Rap and very suggestive music n video leaving not much to the imagination .....Life was much simpler when good buns meant bread ....
Six slices of enriched bread, a chicken fried steak, French fries, a piece of pie and a chocolate shake. Combined with the sedentary job and stress of driving, that guy wasn’t long for this world.
C W / A J was Jim Finlayson from Tyler, Texas. Jeannie Capps was Mavis. Bozell and Jacobs I think was the ad agency, and they sold the concept to Kerns after the Old Home success. I think they also used it for Frito Lay in the Texas area but it never caught on.
'Cause we got a little ol' convoy Rockin' through the night. Yeah, we got a little ol' convoy, Ain't she a beautiful sight? Come on and join our convoy Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way. We gonna roll this truckin' convoy 'Cross the U-S-A. Convoy!
Yes they were written and produced by the same company. Old Home was the first one and Kerns was the second one produced due to the popularity and success of the Old Home original commercial
Just to set the record straight since there seems to be some confusion, Bill Fries, who played AJ in the commercials and who owned the company that produced them, and C.W. McCall, who sang the songs in the commercials and recorded other good music, are two different people.
Close, but wrong....Bill is the voice of CW..."In 1973, while working as a creative director for Bozell & Jacobs, an Omaha, Nebraska, advertising agency, Fries created a Clio Award-winning (1974) television advertising campaign advertising Old Home Bread for the Metz Baking Company. The advertisements featured a truck driver named C. W. McCall, who was played by Dallas, Texas, actor Jim Finlayson. The waitress named Mavis Davis was played by Dallas actress Jean McBride Capps."
C.W. McCall's real name is Bill Fries. Fries worked for an Omaha ad agency, and created this ad campaign for Kern's and for Old Home Bread; in the Kern's ads, the trucker is A.J., and in the Old Home ads, he's C.W. Fries did the lead vocal himself, and attracted enough attention that he started performing under the name C.W. McCall.
poundokush420 thinks it's a weird coincidence. It isn't. The jingle writer and the ad executive with the country-singer voice quit ad-writing and went into the singing business under the name of the trucker. Their first big hit was a rewrite of these ads. A TV Guide article from the time reprinted at [you gotta google it, no URLs allowed] mentions that a record is being worked on based on the ads.
"A. J." Yessir, that sure is a good name. I fully approve of the name A. J. It's a nice, professional name: A. J. Feels like you're talking to a famous author: A. J. Yessir.
Anyone have the Old Home ones that played in the Omaha district? I remember the one where they went on a date to the "picture show" with Mama along for the ride. "Took the BB town ramp and slid on in..."
Well, the true name that became famous is CW McCall. and the commercial was Old Home Bread. I wonder if this was the original that the Old Home Bread commercial came from later on...OR ... did Kerns come later on. The truck drivers real name is Jim who owned the company that produced the commercials. more to this story from my end.
The actor in the commercials who played AJ was Jim Finlayson. He was a local actor from Dallas TX and he did not own the company that produced the commercials. Old Home was first in the Iowa/Nebraska market Kerns was second in the Kentucky/Tennessee markets
Old Home was the first iteration of the concept, it was so successful they remade it for Kerns bread for the Kentucky/Tennessee market. Same advertising company
When I drove a truck, I often quested to find the Old Home Filler Up and Keep on a Truckin Cafe.
One day I found myself at Beebetown, OK, and practically flung my truck down the exit ramp when I remembered the town from the song.
I couldn't find anything that I could definitely say was the real place, though. Of course, it had been some 30 years since the song.
The real place was in Pisgah,Iowa
That should have been turned into a TV show. Mavis could have gone places.
Well...it kinda' got turned into a movie. The fellows that did the jingle writing here went on to write the theme to the movie, Convoy. And then there was B.J. and the Bear, which may not have had a direct connection to these commercials, but it was certainly part of that whole 18-wheeler C.B. craze of the era. :D
It was... It was called Alice..
I am guessing she never talked for a reason
Holy moly. As a lifelong Bill Fries fan I can’t thank you enough for posting this. As a kid my first portable radio was a tiny little am transistor job that looked like a mini car battery with “Western Auto” on it. When I got that my local am station was playing his then new hit “Convoy” constantly and I was hooked. Collected his albums then and still play all his tunes over 45 years later. Always wished I could’ve met the man. 🚚 🚓
2:49 - A side of fries, a chicken fried steak, a piece of Kern's pie, a chocolate shake, and 6 pieces of bread for a buck twenty-eight? Sign me up!
Thanks for saving these bits of my childhood, these were pretty epic! I hope they won a Clio award.
I was just a small child in the 70s but have always remembered that truck from these commercials.
I remember these as old home bread commercials.
They were both!
C.W. McCall. I still remember these commercials from the 1970's.
Remember these out of Knoxville, TN back in th day ...... bought a loaf of Kern's samich bread for work just this morning 🤣👍❤🇺🇸
Same. Grew up in Maryville. 🙂
Saw the bread and buns ads back in Mt. Airy, NC... and for me, Kern's WAS bread.
Great to see this again.
I vaguely recall those TV spots when I was a wee tyke the Mack cab over was a F - model and the last Mack with the hood is a R - Model and useing CW McCall for the voice over and music is totally awesome
These are GREAT!!
In South Dakota , the same ads ran for old home bread
I love those old commercials!...Sure brings back memories.
You have made my day posting this ! I was laughing with my cousin and we could not believe it was on here !
Also, I used to work for Kern's back in the 80's and I loaded those trucks.
dayum son. i hope you packed those boys up good.
These were always my favorite commercials when I was a kid! I used to love those Kern's pies! There was a trend for a while where women were crocheting rugs out of strips from bread bags and a whole LOT of those rugs got made from Kern's bred bags!! My mom STILL has hers! You can actually see bits of the Kern's bags when you look at the rug! That was back in the days when plastic bags were NON-biodegradable!!!!!!
Wow! In the Omaha viewing area we saw the same commericals, same plots, same actors for Old Home bread.
I remember the "Old Home" version of these commercials but have never seen or heard of this version before.
This was in Knoxville TN area
The Old Home was in Iowa/Nebraska markets
Around 1975 or '76 the original series of commercials were done for the first bakery (Metz/Old Home, I guess) and went sorta viral: they caught the attention of the Tonight Show and CW McCall came on and talked about them. I saw the commercials and interview while growing up in Knoxville and was tickled when the Kerns versions began airing a few months later. At some point after the Tonight Show appearance McCall's "Convoy" became a hit, but I don't remember the exact timing.
Did you do the Kern's Bakery field trip too? Chapman highway?
These were made just for the Kentucky, Tennessee Kern's/ Metz Baking Company market. All were done by the original ad agency and Bill Fries doing AJ which was changed from CW due to the song that was released by now.
I remember seeing these on tv in the 70,s all the time lol
My mom and several women from our church used to crochet braided rugs out of Kerns breadbags. I would give almost anything to still have one of those rugs now! That was back when everything was still non-biodegradable!
I just ate one of those delicious Kern's fried pies. I'm happier than Riley that I found your upload. Thanks!
Incredible 😭❤️
Garenteed fresh!!
Am I the only one to notice that Mavis said they had to "fire up the chevy" but they towed the truck with a ford?
I didn't notice...couldn't take my eyes off Mavis!!!
Dude @NJ train dude that Yellow truck is a Mack
I was the Ford tow truck hooked to a Mac and the truck in this add is a White.. Fix or Repair Daily Failed On Race Day Found Deaon On Road
I noticed that.
Thank You so much! It is nice to see so much of Bills work. You have made my Month!
Find as many of these you can Bill Fries is one of my favorite people and I have meet him in person and had dinner with him.
He lives in Ouray, Colorado and if any one wants to write him I can give his address.
I see he’s 92 years old now. For over 45 years now I’ve wanted to be able to tell him how much his music has meant to me, and literally ended up shaping my own trajectory! (Worked over 28 years in advertising myself, and spent my childhood and early adult years pickin’ a guitar and making up stories into a tape recorder!). I can’t tell you how much I’d love to write him. Let me know if you can give me an address to send a letter to 😃
CW McCall just passed away at 93. So long Rubber Duck.
These are great!
I remember these commercials from when lived in Seymour in the 70's.
Seymour, Indiana?
How’s John Mellencamp doing lately?
I always thought it was hilarious when Mavis talks with the trucker guy's voice. LOL.They just don'r make commercials like this anymore.
(-:
Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller fame wrote that and the song Convoy.
He wrote the music
The lyrics were written by Bill Fries, who’s stage name was CW McCall who recently passed away at 93
He also did commercials for Old Home bread. The song was exactly the same except for a few lyrical changes (and a different name for the trucker).
I remember these commercials,and the Kearns bread plant in Knoxville tn.,I'd go over to tics marine next door and drool over the Norris craft and bullet bass boats there for sale and look at all those Mack trucks Kearns had,now many years later I own my own Mack and a Norris craft and a bad ass bullet,,,,,,,,dreams do come true ,,,,,,,,with some hard work😎
I remember these well. Mavis was a cutie. Can’t blame AJ for eating there.
I remember these as a kid , and my father is from pine knot ky, so he got a kick out of the one especially ...Funny t listening to them now there are so many PC incorrect lyrics , it would never be allowed now days .....those were simpler times and with all the PC. correctness we still have Rap and very suggestive music n video leaving not much to the imagination .....Life was much simpler when good buns meant bread ....
Great....thanks for posting!!!
Fantastic! Thank you!
Six slices of enriched bread, a chicken fried steak, French fries, a piece of pie and a chocolate shake. Combined with the sedentary job and stress of driving, that guy wasn’t long for this world.
my name is kerns and i was bored so i just typed in my name and this poped up
This is CW McCall!
Bill Fries was his real name..yep, thats him signing the commercials
@@christopherboone9802 Gone too soon at at 93!
Yes, gone way too soon.
I was selling Rainbo Bread about this time in Clay Co. Ky.
I’m in east Kentucky!
We're gonna have a KERNvoy!!
$1.28?? Today its 10.78!!
those were the days
C W / A J was Jim Finlayson from Tyler, Texas. Jeannie Capps was Mavis. Bozell and Jacobs I think was the ad agency, and they sold the concept to Kerns after the Old Home success. I think they also used it for Frito Lay in the Texas area but it never caught on.
No. They used the concept for their chip products. It wasn't very successful.
***** see below comment.
'Cause we got a little ol' convoy
Rockin' through the night.
Yeah, we got a little ol' convoy,
Ain't she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy
'Cross the U-S-A.
Convoy!
It seems like I remember ButterKrust Bread using one of these ads in South Texas?? Am I wrong on that?
Just wow
The genesis of Chip Davis and Fresh Aire .
i'd imagine that Kern's & old home were produced by the same company. so they just recorded 2 versions of the same basic commercial.
Yes they were written and produced by the same company. Old Home was the first one and Kerns was the second one produced due to the popularity and success of the Old Home original commercial
I didn’t know Bill Fries used the same spots from Old Home for Kern’s
he is the one singing(aka "A.J." in these songs),he released records under the name C.W. Mcall-bill fries is his real birth name
Just to set the record straight since there seems to be some confusion, Bill Fries, who played AJ in the commercials and who owned the company that produced them, and C.W. McCall, who sang the songs in the commercials and recorded other good music, are two different people.
Close, but wrong....Bill is the voice of CW..."In 1973, while working as a creative director for Bozell & Jacobs, an Omaha, Nebraska, advertising agency, Fries created a Clio Award-winning (1974) television advertising campaign advertising Old Home Bread for the Metz Baking Company. The advertisements featured a truck driver named C. W. McCall, who was played by Dallas, Texas, actor Jim Finlayson. The waitress named Mavis Davis was played by Dallas actress Jean McBride Capps."
When ten gallons of gas was about 7 bucks
And how much was minimum wage.
I'd say less than half that. I'm 59 and remember everyone having a come apart when it hit a dollar.
Theres one of these where they go to the 1982 Worlds Fair in Knoxville, if anyone has it PLEASE post!!
So what came first, the old home filler up and keep on a trucking Cafe, or mama Kerns filler up and keep on a trucking Cafe?
I am asking the same question. Billie Dale Fries was not above bending the story line.
These aired around 1976/77.
"Kern's is far out." How '70s can you get? :)
If that's not C.W. McCall singing it's a good imitation. I remember these well, every one of them.
That is CW McCall's voice...he's just not in the commercial.
C.W. McCall's real name is Bill Fries. Fries worked for an Omaha ad agency, and created this ad campaign for Kern's and for Old Home Bread; in the Kern's ads, the trucker is A.J., and in the Old Home ads, he's C.W. Fries did the lead vocal himself, and attracted enough attention that he started performing under the name C.W. McCall.
Sure takes a person back! I loved those times
That is CW McCall. Look it up. It is how he got his start.
10 gallons? That would barely what the bottom of the fuel tank
Wet
damn good music too
poundokush420 thinks it's a weird coincidence. It isn't. The jingle writer and the ad executive with the country-singer voice quit ad-writing and went into the singing business under the name of the trucker. Their first big hit was a rewrite of these ads. A TV Guide article from the time reprinted at [you gotta google it, no URLs allowed] mentions that a record is being worked on based on the ads.
"A. J." Yessir, that sure is a good name. I fully approve of the name A. J. It's a nice, professional name: A. J. Feels like you're talking to a famous author: A. J. Yessir.
....Hung up my slicker......
@gsdurbin Wouldn't happen to have any pics of their trucks would ya?
Anyone have the Old Home ones that played in the Omaha district? I remember the one where they went on a date to the "picture show" with Mama along for the ride.
"Took the BB town ramp and slid on in..."
That one was filmed in Iowa, at one if the few existing Drive-Ins in the country.
Lived near Madrid back then
It’s actually Beebetown, but it was filmed in Pisgah, Iowa. The building recently sold when the proprietor retired.
those are real commercials.....yay
Good Bread☆
Well, the true name that became famous is CW McCall. and the commercial was Old Home Bread. I wonder if this was the original that the Old Home Bread commercial came from later on...OR ... did Kerns come later on. The truck drivers real name is Jim who owned the company that produced the commercials. more to this story from my end.
Old Home and Kern's were owned by the same company. I think Old Home commercials were first.
The same actors were in both the Old Home and Kerns commercials.
The actor in the commercials who played AJ was Jim Finlayson. He was a local actor from Dallas TX and he did not own the company that produced the commercials.
Old Home was first in the Iowa/Nebraska market
Kerns was second in the Kentucky/Tennessee markets
What happened to the one that ended with "Kerns is good buns"?
$1.28 ! 😳
Soo... what's the difference between Kern's and Old Home? The commericals are identical! LOL
Owned by the same parent company.
Old Home was based out of Iowa/Nebraska
Kerns was mostly in Kentucky/Tennessee markets
The end results of this ad is the Mannheim Steamrollers of Omaha.
They just said on tv he passed away. Sucks
always thought that guy was a bit creepy
Wonder if Mavis is any relation to Flo from Progressive.
Or maybe they just buy their false eyelashes at the same place.
No, they are not related. (I know the family)
Breaker 19 this here the duck
But are there good buns in Kerns?
how about old home
Thought is was Old Home Bread.
Old Home was the first iteration of the concept, it was so successful they remade it for Kerns bread for the Kentucky/Tennessee market. Same advertising company
AJ got better trucks to drive than CW......
@kdrapertrucker
A tow job? HMMMM?
dont know about that 1 ton doing that tow...........
We all grew up doing that. "That would never work!" 😁
So I guess this proves that hillbillys invented rap music.
how would or why would anyone think this was a good way to sell Bread? An old fart Trucker trying to get it on with a young girl?
inbreds, nice
Then you must really hate a lot of royalty like british royalty . Every culture different than you doesn't merit that attitude ...