Go see Cal Worthington RIP

[cowboytwang]

The worlds most famous car salesman just passed away.

http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/l...rthington-dies-at-92-20130909,0,7311785.story

 

[studio]

Go see CAL !

....and his dog spot!
(usually a tiger).

 

[SacDAve]

He was real ikon,

 

[Ted M]

I saw his ads a million times on late night TV when I lived in LA (-77-'87). Much more entertaining than LaHabra Dodge.

 

[cowboytwang]

 

[kelnet]

What happens to his dog, Spot?

 

[Jhengsman]

Go see CAL !

....and his dog spot!
(usually a tiger).

Usually? I remember a different animal, it seemed like with every week. It was amazing how his lot moved from city to city over the years.

 

[studio]

Worthington Dodge
Worthington Ford
Worthington Ford, Lincoln, Mercury

any others?

 

[cowboytwang]

Usually? I remember a different animal, it seemed like with every week. It was amazing how his lot moved from city to city over the years.

He started out with a gorilla as his first "Dog Spot". His competition at the time was Fletcher Jones and Ralph Williams Ford were both using dogs in their commercials. Ralph Williams Ford had sales manager, Chick Lambert, with his german Shepard "Storm". Jones was running commercials with cute little puppies saying he would include a free puppy, from the local pound, if you bought a car. Then Cal came on and offered to give away his cute cuddly little "Dog Spot" if you bought a car from him, and his dog spot was alway something other than a dog. His first ad was a big gorilla chained to a car, looking like it was ready to rip someone apart.

I don't think Cal's lots moved much, at one time he had car lots all over the place, Anchorage, Alaska; Phoenix, Arizona; Carlsbad, Claremont, Folsom, Long Beach, Sacramento and South Gate, California; Reno, Nevada; Houston and Sugar Land in Texas; and Federal Way, Washington. Now it's down to the one in Long Beach(that's been there since the '50s), one in Carlsbad, and the one in Anchorage.

 

[cowboytwang]

Worthington Dodge
Worthington Ford
Worthington Ford, Lincoln, Mercury

any others?

He started off as Worthington Hudson in Huntington Park in 1949.

 

[studio]

Lots of interesting folks come out of that L.A. corridor.
Downey, South Gate, Huntington Park, Bell cities.

Drag Racing, Guitar builders, there used to be a big
steel industry in those parts. Vernon. I guess they supplied
the Long Beach Naval shipyards back in the day.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Me and young son when he was small used to together in my arm chair and watch a cowboy movie, and Cal. Don't know which we enjoyed more the movie or the Cal spots. Those were the days when momma used to bring us a platter of Steak and Eggs for us to have while we watched the movie. Don't reckon any of that's coming my way again. So long Cal. And good bye, bye to the best breakfasts I ever had too! Yesteryear ain't a bad place to hang out once and again.

 

[telleutelleme]

Grew up with him in the Bay Area of San Francisco and then came to Houston and there he was again. Very colorful. Big time advertiser here in Houston on Friday night wrestling.

 

[rghill]

He used to have a dealer in Phoenix, probably early 1970's. I can remember his commercials.

I think Tex Earnhardt ran him out of town on his Steer (That Ain't No BULL!).

 

[studio]

there used to be a guy in Las Vegas with the same gig sort of.

His gimmick was like a mafioso, The Godfather guy.
Remember him? Selling used cars.

 

[cowboytwang]

Cal was the prototype for all this gimmick car sales commercials. Back in the '50s he sponsored a live country music TV variety show called "Cal's Corral". When I was growing up out there in the '60s & '70s it seemed like everyone used that as a calling card, "yup I played on Cal's Corral back in the day."

 

[Lowbassnotes]

I have driven by the lot in Anchorage many times and thought WTH, those lots are supposed to be in California.

 

[getbent]

he seemed like an old man when I was a kid...

go get'em cal... nothing smoother than a used car on a street of gold!

 

[nomadh]

I liked this spin off of him from SCTV

 

[afteryou]

His son is still doing commercials isn't he? Cal Jr. or something. If there was ever a car salesman to miss it'd be him. Adios!