This is a 1972 commercial from the legendary Stan Freberg, master of witty ads and musical parodies. Some of the ad’s references have been lost in time, like the obvious (at the time) parody of a then-popular ad campaign for Lark cigarettes.
That’s really the men who played The Lone Ranger and Tonto, wearing their familiar outfits and probably violating somebody’s copyright.
Have you ever heard of Harry Smith, star amateur boxer and top-tier lacrosse star? He’s in the commercial above.
You may know him as Jay Silverheels, or perhaps simply as Tonto.
I thought Harry Smith hosted The Early Show on CBS. I never realized Jay Silverheels wasn’t a genuine American Indian. (He was Canadian.)
I seem to remember Clayton Moore (or maybe it was John Hart) being sued because he continued to appear in public dressed as the Lone Ranger. I think they were getting ready to make a film and thought that people wouldn’t bother seeing a Lone Ranger movie if they could see the Lone Ranger in person at a supermarket opening.
I believe this is the Lark cigarette commercial Freberg was parodying.
The last time I looked, Canada was part of America.
Also, when the Iroquois nation and others ruled the continent, there was no border line between the future Canada and the future U.S.
Cue the Jay Thomas on Letterman Lone Ranger story
I considered that, but decided to make the joke anyway.
Side trivia: Jeno Paulucci, who introduced the world to pizza rolls, was also the guy behind the Chun King brand of canned Chinese food, and he was looking for something else to do with his egg roll-making equipment. (Apparently, peanut butter and jelly “egg rolls” didn’t test well.)