Jerry Colonna and Minox III-S in a LIFE ad
Toronto. Another popular “coat-tail” ad stunt was to get then popular stars of movie, radio and even TV to promote the camera you imported, inferring if so and so who is so popular uses it, you should too.
Typical was this small November 19, 1956 ad on page 180 in Life magazine by Kling Photo Corporation in the big apple (this excerpt on Kling Photo is from the NY Times obituary of its founder, Paul Klingenstein who died in early 2003).
The ad has Jerry Colonna introduce the Minox Camera to America. The Minox was a sturdy precision made camera with a sharp lens. At the time Minox was rather unknown in North America.
Mean time, Jerry was a well known movie and radio actor featured as a zany side kick to Bob Hope back in the day.
P.S. Thanks to George Dunbar for suggesting the various Life ad based posts…
