Pius Princewill
The sharp improv skills of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara made them naturals for commercials. As People pointed out, by 1977 Stiller and Meara had done commercials for everything from “Lanier dictating equipment” to the Jack-in-the-Box burger chain. “We sell out with class,” Meara told the magazine, adding, “We won’t do a commercial unless it’s funny and the product is decent.”
The couple’s most successful commercial deal was with Blue Nun wine, which they began plugging via comedic radio commercials in 1969. According to People, by 1977 they were in the midst of a three-year contract worth $300,000; during the period the couple recorded commercials or the brand, sales of Blue Nun rose “from 90,000 cases a year to over 800,000.”
As Ad Age recalled, the commercials were the work of advertising agency Della Femina, Travisano & Partners, with the agency’s Jerry Della Femina crediting the couple’s brilliant ad-libbing for creating memorable spots that deviated hilariously from the scripts, usually a no-no in advertising. “The secret was that Meara and Stiller were able to do it,” he said, adding, “And to our credit, we were capable of accepting it.”
Written by: Nicki
