The Vanishing Word

Advertising men seem to be equipped with a sort of internal radar. As they pore over radio and TV scripts before they go on the air, the radar sets off a series of alarms--and certain words disappear forever from certain shows. Thus, on Philip Morris' I Love Lucy or the Camel News Caravan no one is ever referred to as "lucky." And on Lucky Strike shows there is never any mention of camels or caravans, of hoards of old gold, or of chesterfield sofas or overcoats. An adman for Chesterfield recently rewrote the lyrics of the show tune, Blue Room, for Singer Perry Como. The offending line read: "I can smoke my pipe away."

Some other last-minute rescues by admen:

P: In Chicago, Meat Packers Oscar Mayer & Co., famed for their frankfurters, agreed to sponsor a children's show, but only after it was retitled from Homer, the Horse to Elmer, the Elephant.

P: On Kraft TV Theater, the name of a leading character was hurriedly changed. His name: Borden.

P: Despite the high incidence of mayhem on Suspense, sponsor Auto-Lite, makers of car appliances, sees to it that no one is ever hurt in an auto accident.

P: On Studio One, sponsor Westinghouse has brilliantly faced up to some difficult situations. One script was turned down at the last minute when a sure-eyed adman found that its plot revolved about a leaky refrigerator. And, to protect the tender sensibilities of Westinghouse's lamp department, Studio One obligingly switched the title of Rudyard Kipling's The Light That Failed to The Gathering Night.

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