Pitching Dings & Bangs
“Al Piemonte, the larger than life auto dealer and TV pitchman, worked his way up from the bottom,” the Sun-Times reports.
And he always acted the part.
Despite the successes of his numerous car dealerships, Mr. Piemonte was personable and practical in his TV commercials for his Melrose Park Ford dealership, ads that aired in Chicago for more than 30 years.
Clad in his best and bright sweaters, and waving his hands around enthusiastically, Mr. Piemonte’s TV pitches were aimed at affordability.
He was honest about his used car stock. In a 1985 ad, Mr. Piemonte admitted he put away cars for customers who couldn’t afford much.
“They’re not going to be perfect cars. They’re going to have some dings and bangs, but they’re going to give you some transportation,” he said.
Mr. Piemonte, 83, of Lake Forest, died Christmas Eve after a short illness.
Here are some of Piemonte’s commercials through the years.
Dings, bangs 1. (1985)
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Dings, bangs 2. (1986)
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After Christmas sale. (1987)
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No hassling, no dickering. (1992)
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When his name went on, the price went down. (2012)
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As you can see, he was a low-key pitchman – but a steady presence on our television screens for decades.
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Comments welcome.
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1. From John Harrold via Facebook:
There is this too.
Posted on December 29, 2014