Here are the Peanuts gang and Tennessee Ernie Ford to tell you about the Ford Motor Company’s value leaders for 1960, the Falcon and the Fairlane 500.
In 1960, Charlie Brown and Tennessee Ernie Ford were two of America’s most beloved personalities. Charlie, of course, was the meekly-mannered protagonist of Peanuts, the popular daily comic strip created by Charles M. Schultz. Tennessee Ernie was a chart-topping country singer (no relation to the carmaking family) who hosted a down-home musical variety series, The Ford Show, every Thursday night on NBC from 1956 to 1961. And both enjoyed profitable stretches as TV pitchmen for the products of the Ford Motor Company.
As Ernie explains, price is the central message in this 1960 spot from The Ford Show, which features the Falcon and the Fairlane 500, billed here as the Economy Twins. The Falcon was Ford’s new entry that year in the emerging compact category, while the Fairlane 500 was the company’s full-size, mid-trim level offering for 1960. The top of the Ford line when it was introduced in 1957, the Fairlane 500 was soon knocked down a few pegs by the Galaxie and Galaxie Special. Priced at less than $2,000, the Falcon was considerably cheaper than the expensive-to-build Corvair, while the Fairlane 500 slotted into the $2,300 bracket, nose-to-nose with the Chevy Bel Air. Now here are Tennessee Ernie and the Peanuts gang to sell you a new Ford. (Note: Don’t forget to click and subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we host our videos and feature tons of great content. Thanks!)
The 1960 Fairlane was a better looking can then the ugly 1959’s were, but I don’t think the Fairlane hit it’s stride again until the 63’s came out The 60 just looks like the stripper it was, plain Jane cheap transportation.
The Falcon though, man what a great design. Great size, smooth lines, it only got even better when they started putting the 260 V8 in them later on. I’d love to have one of those with the V8 and 4 speed, a little rocket ship!
Ol’ Ernie sure came a long way from Fordtown.