While the advertising geniuses of New York's Madison Avenue rose to prominence as the - iconic "Mad Men," a moniker they reportedly coined themselves. The ad crafters of the Midwest - whose agencies lined Chicago's Michigan Avenue - churned out some of the most memorable advertising in - well – memory.

From the inventive minds of the Mad Men and Women of the “Boul Mich” came classic campaigns filled with Middle American values, sentiment and cartoon pitchmen. ‘Slice of Life’ Radio and TV was all the rage and damn near every commercial sang: quite literally. Legendary advertising poured forth almost as fast as the three martini lunches, the chain-smoked filter-tip cigarettes and - that Midwest specialty - catchy jingles.

So here's a collection of advertising classics from the Chicago School of Advertising circa the ‘70’s and 80’s resurrected from hundreds of five inch reel to reel tapes I found in an un-opened moving box that I tripped over in my basement a few weeks ago.

Of course, a good ad man would call this a Midwest Mad Men tribute, and that probably demonstrates why I just read ‘em not write ‘em.

Harlan