CRACKER JACK TRAIN

Nuanced, silent slapstick work from stage actor Jack Gilford as a train passenger stealing Cracker Jacks from riders in the sleeper car (Gilford did 26 Cracker Jack ads in all). Originally a 60-second spot (said ad editor David Dee, "There was nothing I could pull without destroying Gilford's exquisite timing"), the sponsor requested another version at 30 seconds. What to do? Run the ad faster: "Speeding the action up 50 percent made [it] even funnier," said Dee.