As Thanksgiving approaches, perhaps you're thinking about holiday's past? They don't always go as planned but I'll bet you never had an edition of the November holiday like this family in a 1981 film from Hagley's Digital Archives:
In the film, produced by Cinecraft, Inc., a family is gathered for Thanksgiving. As they sit down at the dining room the table to eat their meal, the host emerges from the kitchen with a platter in her hands. But as she sets the platter on the table, we see that, instead of food, it holds a tiny television. The family then proceeds to watch a series of commercials sponsored by American Greetings, a card company based in Cleveland, Ohio.
The commercials show off various greetings cards the company has created for several upcoming holidays, including Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter. The series was part of a broader television advertisement campaign by American Greetings, and the commercials aired during national Thanksgiving Day parade broadcasts, television programs, and the Perry Como Christmas Special.
After the commercials conclude and the film draws to a close, one member of the family proclaims that this has "been the best Thanksgiving we've ever had!"
Happy Thanksgiving from the Hagley Library!
Ona Coughlan is the Audiovisual Digitization Archivist at Hagley Museum and Library