RIP "Crazy Eddie" Antar

In high school, my social studies class was learning about the Articles of Confederation. One of the lessons was watching a video that discussed the problems the country was facing, pre-Constitution, including how different states had different currency, etc.

In the video, they did reenactments of the era in period costume, such as Ed Koch as NYC's mayor in 1787. Crazy Eddie was one of the actors, going on a sales pitch about how he was taking New York and New Jersey currency. It got a good laugh from our class.

 

Yo mama's like Crazy Eddie; she's practically giving it all away.

 

Eddie Antar is not in the commercials. The character in the commercials was played by Jerry Carroll.

 

Carroll was a DJ also.

 

This guy was operating out of Charlotte when I was little. The business was a front for a drug ring. When the dog "Spot" was on the car it meant the drugs were already in, and if he was beside the car, the shipment was on the way.

 

This goes back to when WTBS was just the low power UHF station in Atlanta, pre-superstation, pre-cable.

One of the regular sponsors was the Big Red Furniture Barn, one of those cheap furniture places. The pitchmen were two twins who looked like they stepped straight out of the background of a Hee-Haw skit, overalls, plaid shirts, work boots, straw hats. "Mama got two for the price of one and SO CAN YOU at the Big Red Furniture Barn! Buy this living room suite and we'll throw in this dining room set for just nine cents, that's right, nine cents. Buy your kid this bedroom set and we'll throw in this pony!".

Unfortunately very pre-YouTube so I can't bring it to you in all its cheesy glory. "Nine Cents!"

 

There was a guy in Richmond in the 70s whose schtick was, "I'd give 'em away, but my wife won't let me."

One of the big car guys in Portland in the 1980s-90s, Scott Thomason, always said "If you don't come see me today, I can't save you any money." He got busted for something and lost his empire.

 

There are still some local TV nutjobs around: