In this spot from the golden age of television, two of the funniest men in show business use their classic Man in the Street bit to sell the 1960 Plymouth. Lots of fun, watch.
In 1960, entertainer Steve Allen was the king of Monday nights as host of the Steve Allen Plymouth Show. (You see where we’re going here.) One of the program’s most popular segments was the zany Man in the Street sketch, which featured Allen and a cast of regular players including Louis Nye, Tom Poston, Bill Dana, and Don Knotts—before he became Deputy Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show. Among the famous catchphrases generated by the bits were “hi ho, Steverino,” and “my name Jose Jimenez.”
Here Allen and Knotts, with the aid of announcer Peter Hansen, adapt the Man in the Street bit into a platform to pitch the many virtues of the 1960 Plymouth, including its brand new Dura-Quiet Unibody construction. Knotts plays a character with an interesting approach to motoring: He enjoys planning long automobile trips but refuses to leave his home. You know, they just don’t sell cars this way anymore. Enjoy.
Funny they were worried about body mount bolts working loose and rattling while the rest of the car rusted away. I doubt many, if any 1960 Plymouths reached that 200,000 miles. They were rusted away long before then.