Yul Brynner’s Anti-Smoking Commercial
Kalle Lasn talks about using TV commercials to disrupt the propaganda of corporations who are propagating dangerous memes. This famous TV commercial featuring Yul Brynner helped change the attitudes people had towards smoking cigarettes.
Accordng to Wikipedia:
Brynner died on October 10, 1985 (the same day as Orson Welles and my 15th birthday) in New York City at the age of 65. The cause of death was lung cancer brought on by smoking. Throughout his life, Brynner was always seen with a cigarette in his hand. In January 1985, nine months before his death, he gave an interview on Good Morning America, expressing his desire to make an anti-smoking commercial. A clip from that interview was made into just such a commercial by the American Cancer Society, and released after his death, which includes the warning “Now that I’m gone, I tell you, don’t smoke.”
November 13th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
I remember the advert from 1985. It played in Australia. It was very powerful.
I was older than 15, but not a smoker.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
i remember that ad - it didn’t stop me from smoking though as i think the mindset when you are young is that you can always stop when you want to - sure! after 40 years of smoking i have finally stopped for good - it hasn’t been easy but i can honestly say i feel so much better and am no longer a slave to nicotine.