COMMERCIAL · UTILITY

Alka-Seltzer Spicy Meatball

1969 · 1h 00m

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Gut-bustingly funny, and perhaps the most famous commercial about making a commercial: An actor doing a pasta ad blows his big line so often—"That's a spicy meatball"—he gets indigestion. Director Howard Zieff went on to feature ( Private Benjamin ); meatball victim Jack Somack, a vet of 300 spots, died in 1983. Though everyone quoted his refrain, it didn't boost sales. As ad editor Stan Siegel explains, "Everyone thought it was for spaghetti sauce."

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Release Date: Feb 1, 1969

Storyline

Gut-bustingly funny, and perhaps the most famous commercial about making a commercial: An actor doing a pasta ad blows his big line so often—"That's a spicy meatball"—he gets indigestion. Director Howard Zieff went on to feature (Private Benjamin); meatball victim Jack Somack, a vet of 300 spots, died in 1983. Though everyone quoted his refrain, it didn't boost sales. As ad editor Stan Siegel explains, "Everyone thought it was for spaghetti sauce."