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UnknownParty Magic (Beich Screen Ad--"Whiz" Bar) (ca. 1938)

Screen ad for Beich "Whiz Bar" candy featuring teenagers and a magic trick.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Unknown
Sponsor: Beich Company
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Advertising: Screen ads; Candy; Magic

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Seto-Kaiba_Is_Stupid - - April 15, 2009
Subject: doowopbob vs Marysz
Both are idiotic reviewers who I hope would just shut the fuck up.

On the plus side, this is actually an awesome cinematic advertisement, though one must remember that these were usually shown as part of a "buffet" of cinema. You'd get two feature films, a cartoon, a newsreel, a comedy short and a few ads for a rather low price, according to my Gladys Brownlee, who has regularly visited the cinema in the 1930's to today.

The candy actually looks quite appealing.

Reviewer: doowopbob - - April 15, 2009
Subject: Son Of A Beich....!
How 'Bout....Jizz Inna Wrapper?....Hold On, Your's Is Almost Ready!....

Reviewer: ERD - - May 10, 2006
Subject: Movie ad reaches it goal
"Part Magic" did a good job in the time alloted.
Excellent motivation for youngsters to buy the candy in 1938.

Reviewer: uniQ - - May 29, 2005
Subject: Here! Take a whiz!
Send in 2 Whiz wrappers and 6 cents (in coins or STAMPS!) and get a book about party stunts. They are NOT 'bars' but rather like chocholated hamburger patties. It'd be interesting to try one...

The announcer is the same one from the Dreft 'Film Mystery'.

-uniQ

Revision 3

Reviewer: Karma Hawk - - March 31, 2005
Subject: "Say that's slick!!!"
This screen ad shows a boy performing a magic trick followed by what looks to be a sure "Whizz bang" of a party. As already noted "Whizbars" arn't really bars at all but look more like Rice Krispy square. The best thing about this ad is the fast talking narator who is most likely a basis for stereotyped anouncer voices today.

Reviewer: iljc116 - - October 29, 2004
Subject: What a Whiz!
Boy, that ad makes me wanta Whiz right now!

Reviewer: whizbar - - October 22, 2004
Subject: Where is Bob of Indianapolis now?
Don't magicians stand when they do magic tricks? Whats wrong with him? All those kids came to his party and he has to sit down to cut a straw, what a lame magician. I looked for the magic book on Ebay, but no luck.

Reviewer: Marysz - - April 12, 2004
Subject: Humble Depression Pleasures
A neatly dressed group watches in admiration as an adolescent boy does a magic trick with string and a drinking strawÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂa trick from a booklet viewers can get by sending in two Whiz wrappers and six cents in ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂcoins or stamps.ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ It obviously took a lot less to keep kids entertained in those simple, Depression-era times. The most unreal part of the ad is when the mom (or grandma) serves the Whiz bars on a tray to the group. Why throw away good money on garbage like Whiz when she could whip up something better from scratch for a fraction of the price? Whiz bars were meant to be eaten in the darkness of the movie theater or in the anonymity of the city street. The ad has the usual overexcited announcer of the time, whose manic enthusiasm is meant to distract us from the fact that product being advertised is worthless and overpriced.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - January 29, 2004
Subject: See people enjoying taking a whiz!
This ad, for the now-unfortunately-named "whiz" bar opens up with a kid doing a magic trick. The narrator chirps, "Say, That's slick!" and eggs the kid to find out how it's done, the kid refuses, but let's us know that we can get the "Famous" magic and party stunt book just by eating Whiz bars! They look suspiciously like rice crispie bars.. Watch for the model taking a gingerly nibble off of one and, of course, laughing. A MUST SEE on this site!

Reviewer: Derek P. Moore - - October 15, 2002
Subject: Method behind the straw and string trick featured in this ad.
As I'm sure Beich's Party and Magic Stunts booklet is out of print, here's the closely guarded secret behind the effect featured in this screen ad.

The straw is secretly prepared with a few inch slit cut longways into the middle of the straw. When the straw is bent, it is made certain that the slit is on the inside of the bend. Pulling down on the threads hanging out of the straw will pull the string through the slit and out of the peak of the bend. Clip off the peak, bring the two halves back up, and the string is magically restored.

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