Supremes endorsement of Arrid Extra Dry Deodorant Details

[woodward]

I recently read "March 24, 1966 was the date of the release of the endorsed Supremes White Bread product 'which would be later followed with Arrid Extra Dry Deodorant' ".

Does anyone know any additional details or has anyone seen some type of endorsement for Arrid Deodorant? Special container, box, or advertisement??????

[BayouMotownMan]

I remember seeing that commercial on tv, I think after the TCB special. They wore the butterfly gowns from that special on this commercial

[captainjames]

The Supremes were one of the first pop groups of the 1960’s to do commercial endorsements endorsing Coca-Cola, Arrid deodorant and they even had their own “Supreme” white bread and brand of wigs! However, I never saw a special can or wrapping for the Arrid. That doesn't mean that some kind of Supreme can diddn't exist somewhere.

[motony]

I don't remember the Arrid Extra Dry but it sure seems they would have had a hairspray company wanting their endorsement! I do remember the wigs as there was a wig shop next door to the record shop I went to every week.

[ejluther]

I've also wondered about their ARRID deal and why I've never seen a commercial/product box/etc. from it because there must be something out there...

[thommg]

I recall print ads that showed them with their arms raised as if at the end of a song, in a sleeveless dress, shot from behind the left shoulder so you could see the underarms. I don't remember any special packaging or anything like that.

[ejluther]

Thanks - I wonder if any scans/that ad exists anywhere online. A Google of "Supremes Arrid" seems to reveal nothing for me...

[Jimi LaLumia]

in the 60's, they rarely did special versions of the actual product, it was enough that the group got the endorsement, I don't think commercial products ever did 'wrap around' type stuff till maybe the mid 70's, early 80's, at least where pop/rock endorsements were concerned,,,can you imagine "Supremes" Arid products being put on the shelves down south in 1965?....I think not...

[ejluther]

can you imagine "Supremes" Arid products being put on the shelves down south in 1965?....I think not...
I didn't even think about that...was their Supremes-wrapper white bread sold nationally or only sold in Detroit/up north? If I remember correctly it was a Detroit bakery that put it out. I have one of the plastic sleeves it came in but wasn't sure about its original distribution...
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SuW_nVk3tnw/TPmJxOO8oII/AAAAAAAAAE4/CdP-ji2phG8/s1600/Supremes_white_bread.jpg

[Jimi LaLumia]

I have an unfair advantage;
I was 13 years old in 1965, and very entertainment biz savvy for my age, I read newspapers and magazines and followed this stuff the way some folks followed sports; I remember the circumstances and the changing times very clearly...I never saw Supremes Bread anywhere on Long Island, a conservative off shoot of NYC

[reese]

Re the Arrid dry endorsement, I recall reading that there was a commercial that had the girls singing I HEAR A SYMPHONY, and it zoomed in on their dry armpits.

I think their white bread was only sold in Michigan.

[daddyacey]

Click this link and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Note the year....1968

http://www.oocities.org/supremefan/drfilm.html#Visions


Arid Extra Dry [[1968)
Diana Ross and the Supremes [[Mary and Cindy) are performing on a fake stage.. As the camera zooms in on Diana the voice announces "It's a fast life for Diana Ross and The Supremes and they are always sure of themselves as they use Arid Extra Dry". Cut to a backstage scene with the dressing room and the product on the tables. Another shot of DMC on stage ending a song and a large shot of Arid Extra Dry.

[ejluther]

Very cool [[lots of info at that main site http://www.oocities.org/supremefan/ ) - thanks! I wonder if the commercial itself will ever show up online? I bet someone has it somewhere...

[jeff9nyc]

I remember the commercial well. They have the blue halter gowns on like the ones they wore on the Andy Williams Show when they sang "Love is Here and Now You're Gone." And yep, they did "I Hear a Symphony" and ended with the big 'Yeeeah!" the way they do with their arms in the air! Wish that I could see it again.

[captainjames]

I can't seem to get my hands on the specifics of the Arrid commercial, perhaps it was one of those deals whereas we will pay for this if the girls will sing and we promote the deodorant. I do remember the coke a cola ad being in Ebony. Mary and or Diana probably don’t remember that much either.

[randy_russi]

The Arid Extra Dry tv commercial I remember seeing was in color with Diana, Mary & FLORENCE singing I Hear A Symphony
in what was to be a nightclub performance. They had black sparkly sleeveless gowns on and I don't remember their
armpits being zoomed in on. However, the commercial aired AFTER Florence was gone and Cindy had been in for awhile.
That's what I remember:)

[milven]

I clicked the oocities link above and my security software did not allow me entry. It said that the website can transmit malicious software or has been involved in on line scams and fraud. I do remember the commercial. I never heard of or saw any special packaging for the deodorant.

[randy_russi]

By the way, the description from above of my recollection of the tv commercial referenced them as "The Supremes" and
not DR & Supremes.

[jillfoster]

As far as Coca-cola... Coke did ads with a TON of big artists of the day, since their biggest market was teenagers [[This was a time when adults didn't do foolish things like drink coke instead of water every day) But there are literally dozens of Coke ads with various acts of the day, Lulu's being the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndGaXu4cVNw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr5aRxXqXSU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7k1_yTJ_oU

[luke]

lol supreme can; I thought wigs were Jean and Mary...

[marv2]

I recently read "March 24, 1966 was the date of the release of the endorsed Supremes White Bread product 'which would be later followed with Arrid Extra Dry Deodorant' ".

Does anyone know any additional details or has anyone seen some type of endorsement for Arrid Deodorant? Special container, box, or advertisement??????

I use to see their Arrid deodarant commercial on TV as kid .

[danman869]

I have had audio on this commercial for at least 10 years. I sure wish I had the video! Here's a transcript:

*The music swells as Diana Ross and The Supremes start singing "I Hear A Symphony" They sound as though they're being filtered through a speaker on a TV [[probably as part of the commercial) and then suddenly, there is more clarity--presumably because the action cut to now taking place "live" in a nightclub where Diana Ross and The Supremes are performing the song. The music then drops in volume but continues underneath throughout the spot.*

Deep-voiced, serious Voiceover: They step into 15,000 watts of light wearing 6,000 dollars worth of silk and sequins and their sound sets the room on fire! That's the emotion-packed, high pressure world of Diana Ross...and The Supremes. And their special talent sets them apart--onstage or backstage--professional all the way. That's why Diana Ross and The Supremes count on this new deodorant: Arrid Extra Dry. An utterly different kind of spray that, used daily, doesn't just stop odor, but helps stop wetness, too. It helps keep you comfortably dry.

*The music swells as Diana Ross and The Supremes reach the final line of their song, "I Hear A Symphonyyyyyyyyyy!"

VO: Arrid Extra Dry... It won't let you down--and isn't that the kind of performance you want... every time?

*During the end of that very last line of VO, the audience begins to applaud as Diana Ross and The Supremes finish their singing with their typical live performance song ending: "Yeahhhhhhh!"*

END

Oh--and yes, the announcer DID pause that first time between saying, "Diana Ross" and "And The Supremes." Don't know that there was any "cryptic" meaning behind it... or maybe it was simply part of Motown's desire to single out of DR from the The Sups by 1968? Eh, who knows? But the weird half-pause was there!

[marv2]

The Arid Extra Dry tv commercial I remember seeing was in color with Diana, Mary & FLORENCE singing I Hear A Symphony
in what was to be a nightclub performance. They had black sparkly sleeveless gowns on and I don't remember their
armpits being zoomed in on. However, the commercial aired AFTER Florence was gone and Cindy had been in for awhile.
That's what I remember:)

That's the one I remember Randy. Florence was in the commercial.

[marv2]

The Arid Extra Dry tv commercial I remember seeing was in color with Diana, Mary & FLORENCE singing I Hear A Symphony
in what was to be a nightclub performance. They had black sparkly sleeveless gowns on and I don't remember their
armpits being zoomed in on. However, the commercial aired AFTER Florence was gone and Cindy had been in for awhile.
That's what I remember:)

The same thing happened in the 70's with the Supremes commercial/public service announcement for the American Heart Association that ran on television. Mary, Cindy and Scherrie sing "You Can Live With it Baby". It ran for a good while after Susaye Greene joined the group!

[randy_russi]

Yes, and I don't remember them being DR & Supremes just "the Supremes" with the end showing a standing ovation.

[johnny_raven]

I have a 16mm film of the Arrid commercial. The song was "I Hear A Symphony", but it was Diana, Mary & Cindy.

[randy_russi]

johnny-raven, that's interesting! Maybe after the commercial started airing with Flo Motown execs had them redo it
with Cindy, who knows? I only remember the one with Florence.

[marv2]

johnny-raven, that's interesting! Maybe after the commercial started airing with Flo Motown execs had them redo it
with Cindy, who knows? I only remember the one with Florence.

I've only seen the one with Florence. I only saw it in b/w as we didn't have a color set yet.

[Jimi LaLumia]

I know that Cindy was in the print ads for Coca Cola in the magazines when they ran them

[Jimi LaLumia]

they appraently pressed limited vinyl copies of the jingle as well..Swing The Jingle
http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/my_weblog/2011/07/the-supremes-and-coca-cola.html#.TqILLjcSnOc.email

[johnjeb]

I only saw the Arrid commercial a couple of times. From what I recall it was quick and dark - so I thought it was black dresses. It might have included Cindy because I remember the song being "I Hear A Symphony" and I thought it strange they used an old song. I also thought it was a strange product to be endorsing. Actually it was a strange commercial and probably explains why we saw so little of it.

Many times commercials are shown regionally rather than nationally which may explain the discrepancy in what people remember seeing and hearing. It's possible they filmed the commercial with Florence shortly before she left the group and then refilmed at a later date with Cindy. The commercials may also have been aired regionally at different times. Just a thought.

[Jimi LaLumia]

this was during the 60s youth explosion, and commercial products were trying to associate themselves with the young, and The Supremes were riding high on the Top 40 for most of the 60's, so there ya go...

[jeff9nyc]

That's the one I remember Randy. Florence was in the commercial.

Marv...it was Cindy. I'd bet the house on it. It came out in 1968.

[marv2]

Marv...it was Cindy. I'd bet the house on it. It came out in 1968.

I remember Florence being there. They wore sleeveless dresses on stage where they raised their arms showing their underarms at the end of the song! LOL! Again, I remember some of this was filmed from behind the girls onstage. It's been over 40 something years since I've seen it, but that is what I remember.

[jeff9nyc]

I remember Florence being there. They wore sleeveless dresses on stage where they raised their arms showing their underarms at the end of the song! LOL! Again, I remember some of this was filmed from behind the girls onstage. It's been over 40 something years since I've seen it, but that is what I remember.

Yup Marv...that's the commercial! They have the dark blue halter gowns on like the ones they wore on the Andy Williams Show when they sang "Love is Here and Now You're Gone." And yep, they did "I Hear a Symphony" and ended with the big 'Yeeeah!" the way they do with their arms in the air! But, it was done in '68 and that was Cindy. Trust this other "senior" member this time ;-)

[marv2]

Yup Marv...that's the commercial! They have the dark blue halter gowns on like the ones they wore on the Andy Williams Show when they sang "Love is Here and Now You're Gone." And yep, they did "I Hear a Symphony" and ended with the big 'Yeeeah!" the way they do with their arms in the air! But, it was done in '68 and that was Cindy. Trust this other "senior" member this time ;-)


Jeff, you're my cat , you know that right? BUT, they may have begun airing that commercial in '68, but produced it in '66 or '67. Thinking about it now, the footage they used kind of reminds me of that seen "The Supremes in the Orient" docu-film.

[captainjames]

9955

Here is a pic from the commercial

[captainjames]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM0PrQyA8HU

[SupremeBoy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM0PrQyA8HU

What a great find!! Thanks for sharing...and those were not the blue halter gowns from THE ANDY WILLIAMS show, those were the psychedelic purple, green, orange, aquamarine dresses they wore when they sung THE HAPPENING on THE TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD Special. Here is the clip.


https://youtu.be/nRuEbBiQ5M8

^ ^ I tried to embed the video into this message to no avail, you can click on the link above so you can see the clip. ^ ^

[SupremeBoy]

http://soulfuldetroit.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9969&stc=1

This is the gown they wore in the commercial

[soulster]

Arrid Extra Dry was perfect for them because they stank! :D

[captainjames]

I posted because so many many people said what they remembered wellllllllllll here is what it was.

[supremester]

That commercial was shot in late '67 because Miss Ross is so thin - she was never like that until then. There never was one with Flo - and I don't think Arrid even was out in '66 yet.

[bradsupremes]

That commercial was shot in late '67 because Miss Ross is so thin - she was never like that until then. There never was one with Flo - and I don't think Arrid even was out in '66 yet.

I'm interested to know about the live track. Doesn't sound like Flo is on there and doesn't sound like anything from the Copa or the Roostertail shows. Maybe used from another live unreleased show?

[supremester]

It's definitely Mary & Cindy - you can hear Cindy on the "baby baby" at the end and it's the TCB harmony at the end. I think it was recorded specifically for the commercial. I love that spot - always did. It was my fave Supremes song and I was so happy that they chose it instead of Baby Love or the more recent 6-7 mega hits. When I first saw it on Youtube, it was on my phone and I thought it was Diana, Mary and Marlene cuz that's not hair I'd ever seen on Cindy and Marlene has that exact same look. I still love this commercial, I still love this song - I still love this image of DMC - it's exactly how I like them and I still love everything single frame of Miss Ross in this - whatever it is she's doing is exactly what has made me a blithering, happily glassey-eyed fan for over 50 years.

Now all I need is The Ruskets commercial and my life will be complete!

[captainjames]

lol
Supremester, I will see what I can do.

[supremester]

I have searched EVERYWHERE - some people know about it, no one has it. Do you recall it? I've described it so many times to my friends they can't tell if they've seen it or not. It has the SNOTTIEST little girl in the world. Even young Jane Hudson demanding ice cream would be in awe.

[arr&bee]

You all are missing the point...where is that can of arrid from the commercial?hmmmmm???do you know how much i could get for it on the black market?

[Methuselah2]

Arr&bee - I can't even think about that can. I'm still tryin' to track down that dove on the I HEAR A SYMPHONY album cover. So far, the only thing I've been able to come up with is this:

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e7/e4/4b/e7e44b9139df99c4372ff8955c8b5485.jpg

[arr&bee]

Why is flo lookin at mary like she wants to snatch her wig off?