Stanley Lomas Television Commercial Collection

Object Details

Collector: Lomas, Stanley
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola Company; Colgate-Palmolive Company; DuMont; R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Actor: Heston, Charlton; Keith, Brian, 1921-1997; Moore, Garry, 1915-1993; Wayne, John, 1907-1979

Topic: Baseball players -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Athletes -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Celebrities -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Television advertising -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Broadcast advertising; Cigarettes -- advertising -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Beer -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Carbonated beverages -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Cereals, prepared -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Television cameras -- 1950-1960 -- United States; Soap -- 1950-1960 -- United States

Biographical / Historical: Stanley A. Lomas (1913-2003) began working in television in 1948 at the DuMont network. He started his career producing sports broadcasts.. He went on to produce television commercials, first live and then filmed, for William Esty and Company, Inc., an ad agency with major clients including R.J. Reynolds, Coca Cola, and Colgate Palmolive. Around 1949 Lomas became Esty's vice president for televison commercial creation and production. Lomas often used celebrities to promote the products in his commercials. Many of the commercials in the Stanley Lomas Collection feature baseball players, Hollywood actors, and television personalities. Among the most well-known commercials are those that have doctors recommending specific cigarette brands. Lomas left Esty in 1957 and later founded his own agency, Stanley A. Lomas & Associates which specialized in market research. After retiring Lomas embarked on a career as an artist.

Type: Collection descriptions; Archival materials; Motion picture films; Commercials

Citation: Stanley Lomas Television Commercial Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Arrangement: The collection is arranged in two series. Series 1: Supporting Documentation, 1947-1990 Series 2: Audiovisual, 1950-1990 Subseries 2.1: Television Commercials, 1950-1956 Subsubseries 2.1.1: Reel 1 Subsubseries 2.1.2: Reel 2 Subseries 2.2: Oral History

Processing Information: Processed by Barbara Humphreys, audiovisual archivist, 1991.

Rights: Reproduction fees for commercial use. Copyright restrictions. Contact staff for information.

Scope and Contents: The Stanley Lomas Television Commercial Collection consists of 226 television commercials for products including dishwashing soap, beer, cigarettes, soft drinks, and breakfast cereals. The collection also includes a short 1954 film demonstrating the DuMont Electronicam, a camera designed for simultaneous live broadcast and film recording. There is also an oral history interview conducted with Stanley Lomas in 1990. Supporting documentation includes memoranda about the use of television in advertising, photographs, articles by or about Stanley Lomas, and an abstract of the oral history interview.

Restrictions: Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Only reference videos may be used. Reel 1 has been digitized and is available in the Smithsonian Institution Digital Asset Management Systen (DAMS).