Who Remembers Cal Worthington and His Dog, SPOT?

[Unperson 309]

And Worthington Dodge?

(to the tune "If You Happy and You Know It!")

Old Jalopy's on the brink, Go see Cal!
May be later than you think, go see Cal!
Get a new car for your wife,
She will love you all your life!
Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal!

If you need a set of wheels, go see Cal!
"I will beat all other deals!" Go see Cal!
"I will stand upon my head,
Til my EARS are turning red!"
Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal!"

Cal used to claim he'd eat a bug if someone found a better deal on a car. His "Dog, Spot" was usually something wild like a chimp, a raccoon, a six foot long boa constrictor, a cougar or a full grown brown bear!

I saw them tape a commercial once! His dog, spot was this very wierd lemor-coati mundi sort of creature and it took an enormous dump on the hood of some car he was hawking! I'd love to see some of the outtakes on his others. One where this cougar got totally out of control and attacked Cal was shown a while back on TV.

Southern California childhood memories!

309

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. Hell yea! How about that NutJob Wally George?

and his once hottie daughter...

now there's a SoCal trivia question... what is her name?

Rebecca DeMornay


answer in white text, above

[theoceansnerves]

11. hah

wally george is dead... i think he died last year. i don't think he ever reconciled with his daughter (rather, i don't think she reconciled with him.)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

26. Can you blame her? Wally was completely off his rocker.

I think he taught Jerry Springer everything Jerry knows.

[flamingyouth]

2. OMG - I totally do!

He had a dealership on Pacific Hwy. south of Seattle for a while here too. Worthington Ford in Federal Way. Those ads were too much - thanks for the reminder!! LOL

[ronnykmarshall]

3. Sure do.

Born and raised in California.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. He's still on eom

[HEyHEY]

5. THose ads ran In Vancouver too!

[AntiCoup2K4]

6. Yeah, he was up here in Washington state for a while.

Hilarious commericals with the animals and all, but he was a total sleazeball. The Attorney General's office ran him out of the state for bait and switch advertising.

EDIT: Believe it or not, there's an archive of his old commercials online! http://www.mydogspot.com/

[flamingyouth]

9. Yeah, that's right - I forgot about that

I think his former dealership is now owned by Curt Warner, former Seahawk.

[theoceansnerves]

7. he's still on

on his last pitch he was giving away a dvd player if you test drove a car.
my grandparents hated him for something he did with his wife, cheated on her? i don't remember exactly what.

[Trajan]

8. He still works ....

Long Beach, CA ...

Bellflower south of Willow ...

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. get out of here! how old is he now?

I clearly remember him in Black and White.

[Trajan]

18. I would guess late 80's ...

You can tell he is moving slower ...

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

20. He would have to be. Just talked to my dad, he remembers

his stupid ads before TV came to Orange County.

Yes, kiddies, that means radio.

[proud patriot]

12. Northern California Memories too

Those were funny comercials

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. I'll eat a bug if I can't make a deal!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

14. Fletcher Jones, Ralph Williams also were on

There were several annoying car salesmen on in the 60's and 70's on SoCal TV. Actually, I don't think Cal Worthington ever had a "dog" spot, but paraded a variety of beasts before the public, such as rhinos, monkeys, ostriches, et al. (calling all of them his "dog spot"). I think Cal Worthington was mocking other local TV car salesmen like Fletcher Jones. Jones used to appear in every commercial with a Bassett Hound in his arms, virtually smothering the life out of the poor animal as he hawked used cars, trying to play up the emotional factor that people feel for pets. Ralph Williams was on late night TV on nearly every commercial break (or so it seemed) even getting mentioned as a gag in Johnny Carson's monologues when he came out to Calfornia from New York. Ralph had his own dog, but I can't remember the name. There was also car salesman Chick Lambert and his dog "Storm", a German shepherd who would leap off the hood of a car in the commercials.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

17. There actually was a Spot... after he died that is when the

zoo started on TV.

I remember the names of the other ones you mention, but Cal was over the top.

I think Kurt Russell's character in Used Cars was supposed to be Cal.

[havocmom]

21. OMG my childhood just came flooding back

Hi Friends, this is Ralph Williams! And I remember Lambert's dog Storm. always wondered why anyone would buy a used car with claw marks on it.

Favorite Cal Worthington: When he rode on an elephant as his dog named Spot. Now who'd wanna buy a used car with..... nevermind

go see Cal go see Cal go see Cal

[frylock]

15. saw him in a spot a couple of years back with snoop dogg

[ForrestGump]

16. Always thought there was something of the Kaufmanesque performance

artist about Cal and his various dogs. He had to be making fun of the car sales ads that once crowded the airwaves in all their tacky, loud glory (they're still out there, but in bigger markets they now tend to be more slick and corporate).

[SharonAnn]

19. Yes, when I lived in LA in the 70's. What a riot!

Thanks for the memories.

[Spiffarino]

22. Grew up in Simi Valley

You know Simi. That's where they're building the pyramid to Ronald Reagan. According to the Onion, slaves are working overtime while his body and internal organs are preserved in pitch and balsam for their journey to the afterlife.

I used to see Cal Worthington's commercials every Saturday morning during cartoons. I remember a time he went on the afternoon news show on Channel 13 (KCOP). A caller asked him what he should do if he got a lemon from a dealer. Cal got all righteous and said he should take it back and have the dealer make it right. Then - big mistake - he asked him where he bought the car.

Yep, you guessed it. He said, "Well, actually, I got it from you about two months ago. Nobody in your Service Department will talk to me." Old Cal was apoplectic, and started trying to change course like a drunken captain about to hit the shoals. I can't remember what he told the guy because I was laughing too hard. Funny, but I never saw him do an interview after that.

[ronnykmarshall]

23. Good ol' Ch 13.

Had some of the dumbest commercials on the air.

[leftofthedial]

24. he sponsored a concert/show series

in SoCal that featured many of th emusicians who ended up as the SoCal country rock movement of the 70's.

[Spiffarino]

25. I remember the concerts he sponsored

I went to one where they booed him off the stage. It was truly awesome.

[ET Awful]

27. LOL how could I forget his "dog" :)

Ah the days visiting my grandmother in Southern Cali.

This guy is who the stereotypes you see in comedy movies were based on :).

[mede8er]

28. WOW.......

How could I have forgotten that dude.........

[Quahog]

29. "If you're looking for a better set of wheels...."

"I will stand upon my head to beat all deals!"

Yeah, Cal was a hoot. Probably a criminal, but his ads were certainly a fixture of my childhood/youth in SoCal.