The Tide Show

The timpani rolls, Frank De Vol's orchestra begins the opening strains, and announcer John Jacobs lets us know we are enjoying the Tide Show, "T-I-D-E Tide! The Wash Day Miracle!" "Smiling Jack" Smith, along with the lovely Dinah Shore and Ginny Sims will treat us to 15 minutes of popular 1940's music, witty banter, and, OK, a commercial or two.

In 1837, father-in-law Alexander Norris of Cincinnati noted that his sons-in-law, candle maker William Proctor and soap maker James Gamble, were competing for raw materials, and so he proposed a partnership be formed. In the mid 1800's advertising was mostly a practice of disreputable manufacturers. Nevertheless, the company authorized an $11,000 annual budget to promote its Ivory Soap with the sober slogan of "99% pure."

Timely investment, product development, and aggressive but tasteful advertising would build Proctor and Gamble into America's largest producer of household and consumer goods. During the 1930s radio brought P&G's message into more homes than ever. In 1933 P&G became the primary sponsor of daytime serial programs, the birth of the Soap Opera.

During the prosperous post war years, the household automatic washing machine was revolutionizing the way families washed their clothes. P&G answered this change with their new synthetic detergent Tide. Backed by a $21million advertising budget, Tide was soon outselling even P&G's own Oxydol and Duz, and would remain the number one selling laundry detergent into the 21st century.

The Tide Radio Show ran every week day evening from 1945 through 1952. From 1948 on the shows would be broadcast from the Music Box Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Typically a program will feature several songs, presented as solos, duets, or ensemble numbers by the regular cast. Interspersed will be small skits and banter that introduce the musical numbers, as well as educating us of the virtues of Tide Detergent and other P&G Products. The show closes with the musical invitation:

"The same time, the same place, tomorrow night. Good night and remember, always buy two boxes of Tide, one for the cleanest clothes in town, and one for the easiest dishwashing ever."