Old Dutch Beer Ads – April/May 1968

By George, every time I do a post on Old Dutch Beer, I think, “Well, that’s probably the last post I’ll ever do on that topic.” (And each time, I’m sure many of you are hoping that’s the case.)

But then I find yet another vintage newspaper ad from the Lorain Journal that I can’t resist posting.

In this case, the ad is from the Journal sports section of April 26, 1968 – 50 years ago today – and it’s an unusual one.

Now that’s some scrambled syntax. 

Did the ad man who wrote the copy drink a little too much Old Dutch for inspiration? Did the Journal’s graphic artist have a hangover when he assembled the ad?

Was Yoda from the Star Wars movies the copywriter?

A little more than a week later, a similar ad ran in the Journal on May 8, 1968.

It was followed by another ad on May 21st.

Finally, this ad on May 28th seemed to be the last word.

So what’s going on here, anyway?

The whole thing reminded me of something W. C. Fields said in a movie: “Throw the horse over the fence – some hay.”

I ended up Googling that quote and inadvertently came up with an explanation for this campaign. 

Apparently the copywriter had a sense of humor, because this type of sentence construction was common among the Pennsylvania Dutch (who are really German – as in Deutsch – not Dutch). 

Thus the sentences are grammatically correct in Pennsylvania Dutch, but amusing (and wrong) in good ol’ English.

I don’t know if this advertising campaign was successful with the general public. But reading the ads makes me want to put myself on ice some Old Dutch Beer.