Cal Worthington
Encyclopedia
Calvin Coolidge "Cal" Worthington (born November 27, 1920 in Shidler
, Oklahoma
) is a well-known car dealer throughout the West Coast of the United States
. He is best known for his unique radio
and television
advertisements for the Worthington Dealership Group. He was usually joined by "his dog Spot", except that "Spot" was never a dog. Often, Spot was either a tiger, a seal, an elephant, a chimpanzee, a bear, and once a hippo that Cal rode in the commercial. On some occasions, Spot was a vehicle such as an airplane that Worthington would ride on top of. Spot was officially retired in the mid 1980s, however he is mentioned in some commercials today.
According to a profile in the Sacramento Bee published in 1990, Worthington grossed in 1988, at the time making him the largest single owner of a car dealership chain. He has sold automobiles since 1945 and owns a 24,000 acre (100 km2) ranch located in Orland
, California
, north of Sacramento
, California
. His advertising agency, named Spot Advertising, had Worthington as the only client, and spent on commercials, the most of any auto dealer at the time.
at the age of 15. Worthington served in the United States Army
in World War II
, flying for the Army Air Corps
, where he was the aerobatics champion at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas
, and served as a second lieutenant
. During the war, he served as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 390th Bomber Group, flying 29 missions over Germany, and was discharged after the war as a captain. He was awarded the Air Medal five times, as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. Jimmy Doolittle
presented Worthington the DFC. He has also been in recent articles in flying magazines as the man who trained some of America's astronauts while in the service.
After leaving the Army, Worthington wanted to be a commercial pilot, but was stymied by the requirements at the time for a college degree. He sold his car for $500 to purchase a gas station, which proved a bust, but was able to sell it for the same amount he paid, an indication of future success in sales. He began to sell used cars in front of the post office in Corpus Christi, Texas
, by making a folksy pitch when people got their mail. He moved to a dirt lot rented for $25, where he made a $500 profit one week by selling three cars, and decided this would be his career.
, California
, with a Hudson Motor Car dealership and purchased time for a three-hour live country music
TV show every Saturday and Sunday on Los Angeles TV station KTLA
, which eventually was entitled "Cal's Corral". When television became more established and sponsorship of entire programs was unfeasible, he became a Ford dealer with 1 minute and 30 second commercials. By the 1970s Worthington was saturating the overnight station break schedules of four of the seven local broadcast television stations in Los Angeles which agreed to play four movies overnight. Worthington's commercials could be seen breaking into old movies overnight, from midnight to 6 o'clock. One of Worthington's rivals in the early 1960s was Chick Lambert of 'Brand Motors Ford City' who, as pitchman, always introduced "my dog, Storm" (a large German Shepherd dog
) as a prop in the commercials. Storm would be seen either lounging on the hood of a car, sitting behind the wheel or walking with his owner along the rows of cars. By mid-decade Lambert had taken his dog act to Ralph Williams of Ralph Williams Ford (formerly Leon Ames Ford) becoming well known for Storm and his intro, "Some people call this a commercial; I call it an invitation." Worthington livened up the commercial wars by countering with the first of his "dog" Spot ads, a gorilla
that roared. The response was so positive that a new campaign was born, featuring "Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!" Among the many creatures that were featured as Spot were a killer whale from SeaWorld
; a lion
; an elephant
; a goose
that, in a memorable appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
, ruined Carson's suit; a tiger
; various snake
s; a rhinoceros
; a skunk
; a bear
; a roller-skating chimpanzee
; a carabao
(water buffalo); and a hippopotamus
.
Worthington appeared as a car dealer in the 1973 film Save the Tiger
in addition to numerous appearances on The Tonight Show. According to a spokesman for the Television Bureau of Advertising, Worthington "is probably the best known car dealer pitchman in television history."
.
The Worthington Dealership Group has outlets in Carlsbad
, California
; Long Beach
, California
and Anchorage
, Alaska
. Dealerships that have been sold were located in Federal Way, Washington
; Sacramento
, California
; Folsom
, California
; Reno, Nevada
; Sugar Land
, Texas
; Houston
, Texas
; Phoenix
, Arizona
; South Gate
, California
and Claremont
, California
. He was one of the first to abandon the traditional stand-alone dealership in favor of "auto malls."
In addition to automobile dealerships, Worthington owns ten ranches (including his Northern California headquarters and the PX ranch in Nevada, which was once owned by The Salt Lake Tribune
owner and mining magnate, U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns
and years later by actor Bing Crosby
). As of 2002, he also owned three shopping centers and one office tower, grossing a year.
. They were known as the "My Dog Spot" ads because each commercial would introduce "Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!" However, the "dog" was always some exotic animal being led around on a leash, such as a tiger or elephant.
These commercials were originally a parody of a long-running string of commercials for a local Ford dealer, which invariably began with "I'm Chick Lambert, Sales Manager here at Ralph Williams Ford, and this is my dog, Storm." Storm was a German Shepherd, who was usually lounging on the hood of the first car to be featured in the ad. These commercials were seen on every channel in Los Angeles television through the 1960s and early 1970s. In addition to the many animals that were featured, one of Cal Worthington's "Spots" was Deacon Jones
of the then NFL's L.A. Rams (one of the "Fearsome Foursome"), who sang the "Go See Cal" jingle.
Worthington's commercials were also accompanied by a jingle
set to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It
" with the lyrics re-written to the refrain of "If you want a car or truck, go see Cal, if you want to save a buck, go see Cal" with the "Go see Cal" repeated numerous times. When the idea of a jingle was first pitched to him, it was conceptualized as slow with a big roll up of drums; Worthington disagreed and felt the song should be fast and wrote the lyrics and recorded the song himself. The jingle was successful and Worthington found that some children thought his name was "Go see Cal".
Worthington would get the animals from two local circuses he made deals with, in addition to private owners who would lease their animals to film and television shoots in nearby Hollywood.
In 1974, the popular TV series Emergency!
featured the paramedic stars of the show rescuing a car salesman who is trapped inside a car with a tiger during a commercial shoot.
The "My Dog Spot" ads were spoofed at the start of the animated film Dirty Duck; a car dealer shoots his dog at one point.
In some commercials Worthington would claim he would do a stunt for a sale, such as eating a bug or "stand upon my head 'til my ears are turning red".
A Cal Worthington commercial was also in the movie, "Into the Night," with Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer.
In May 2010, Worthington appeared in a political advertisement for California State Assembly Candidate Larry Miles. The spot, a throwback to the "Spot" spots, featured Worthington, "Spot" and Miles.
telling the story of Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants, which Hannibal rented from Kiddington.
Worthington's ads were also parodied in Marty Feldman
's 1977 comedy feature film The Last Remake of Beau Geste
. The film included an ad by "Honest Hakkim", a used camel salesman who gave specifics about the deals he was offering on particular camels in the same manner that Worthington would tout specific cars in his ads. The ad in the movie ended with Hakkim promising to "stand upon my fez 'til my face is such a mess" and then singing "See Hakkim, see Hakkim, see Hakkim" to the same cadence as was used to sing "Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal" in Worthington's advertisements.
The popular Blizzard Entertainment
game "World of Warcraft
" features a character named "Kall Worthaton" selling car-like "trikes".
Shidler, Oklahoma
Shidler is a city in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census, a 15.2 percent decrease from 520 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shidler is located at ....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
) is a well-known car dealer throughout the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. He is best known for his unique radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
advertisements for the Worthington Dealership Group. He was usually joined by "his dog Spot", except that "Spot" was never a dog. Often, Spot was either a tiger, a seal, an elephant, a chimpanzee, a bear, and once a hippo that Cal rode in the commercial. On some occasions, Spot was a vehicle such as an airplane that Worthington would ride on top of. Spot was officially retired in the mid 1980s, however he is mentioned in some commercials today.
According to a profile in the Sacramento Bee published in 1990, Worthington grossed in 1988, at the time making him the largest single owner of a car dealership chain. He has sold automobiles since 1945 and owns a 24,000 acre (100 km2) ranch located in Orland
Orland, California
Orland is a city in Glenn County, California. The population was 7,291 at the 2010 census, up from 6,281 at the 2000 census, making Orland the most populous city in Glenn County. Orland is located north of Willows, at an elevation of 259 feet . Interstate 5, passes west of the downtown area while...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, north of Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. His advertising agency, named Spot Advertising, had Worthington as the only client, and spent on commercials, the most of any auto dealer at the time.
Early life
Worthington grew up in a family of nine children and dropped out of school at the age of 13. His first job was as a water boy on a road construction crew for 15 cents an hour. He joined the Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
at the age of 15. Worthington served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, flying for the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, where he was the aerobatics champion at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
, and served as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. During the war, he served as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 390th Bomber Group, flying 29 missions over Germany, and was discharged after the war as a captain. He was awarded the Air Medal five times, as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. Jimmy Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
presented Worthington the DFC. He has also been in recent articles in flying magazines as the man who trained some of America's astronauts while in the service.
After leaving the Army, Worthington wanted to be a commercial pilot, but was stymied by the requirements at the time for a college degree. He sold his car for $500 to purchase a gas station, which proved a bust, but was able to sell it for the same amount he paid, an indication of future success in sales. He began to sell used cars in front of the post office in Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, by making a folksy pitch when people got their mail. He moved to a dirt lot rented for $25, where he made a $500 profit one week by selling three cars, and decided this would be his career.
Professional life
In 1949, Worthington moved to Huntington ParkHuntington Park, California
Huntington Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 58,114, down from 61,348 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with a Hudson Motor Car dealership and purchased time for a three-hour live country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
TV show every Saturday and Sunday on Los Angeles TV station KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
, which eventually was entitled "Cal's Corral". When television became more established and sponsorship of entire programs was unfeasible, he became a Ford dealer with 1 minute and 30 second commercials. By the 1970s Worthington was saturating the overnight station break schedules of four of the seven local broadcast television stations in Los Angeles which agreed to play four movies overnight. Worthington's commercials could be seen breaking into old movies overnight, from midnight to 6 o'clock. One of Worthington's rivals in the early 1960s was Chick Lambert of 'Brand Motors Ford City' who, as pitchman, always introduced "my dog, Storm" (a large German Shepherd dog
German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...
) as a prop in the commercials. Storm would be seen either lounging on the hood of a car, sitting behind the wheel or walking with his owner along the rows of cars. By mid-decade Lambert had taken his dog act to Ralph Williams of Ralph Williams Ford (formerly Leon Ames Ford) becoming well known for Storm and his intro, "Some people call this a commercial; I call it an invitation." Worthington livened up the commercial wars by countering with the first of his "dog" Spot ads, a gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
that roared. The response was so positive that a new campaign was born, featuring "Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!" Among the many creatures that were featured as Spot were a killer whale from SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
; a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
; an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
; a goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
that, in a memorable appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, ruined Carson's suit; a tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
; various snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s; a rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
; a skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
; a bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
; a roller-skating chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
; a carabao
Carabao
The carabao or Bubalus bubalis carabanesis is a subspecies of the domesticated water buffalo found in the Philippines, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and various parts of Southeast Asia...
(water buffalo); and a hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
.
Worthington appeared as a car dealer in the 1973 film Save the Tiger
Save the Tiger
Save the Tiger is a 1973 film about moral conflict in contemporary America. It stars Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, Laurie Heineman, Thayer David, Lara Parker and Liv Lindeland. The film is directed by John G...
in addition to numerous appearances on The Tonight Show. According to a spokesman for the Television Bureau of Advertising, Worthington "is probably the best known car dealer pitchman in television history."
Life today
In 1979, Cal divorced his wife of 37 years, Barbara, and married Susan Henning. That marriage ended badly seven years later. In 1995, he married Bonnie Reese, a 35-year-old radio personality. That marriage ended in 2002. In Cal married Los Angeles-based Icelandic jazz singer Anna Mjöll ÓlafsdóttirAnna Mjöll
Anna Mjöll is an Icelandic jazz singer and songwriter. She uses Anna Mjöll as her performing name; her full name is Anna Mjöll Ólafsdóttir.-Biography:...
.
The Worthington Dealership Group has outlets in Carlsbad
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Dealerships that have been sold were located in Federal Way, Washington
Federal Way, Washington
Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Federal Way is located between Seattle and Tacoma. Its western boundary is Puget Sound. It is bordered by Des Moines on the north, Kent, unincorporated King County, and Milton on the east and Tacoma and Fife on the south...
; Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; Folsom
Folsom, California
Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its famous Folsom Prison. The population was 72,203 at the 2010 census....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
; Sugar Land
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
; Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
; Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
; South Gate
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Claremont
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was one of the first to abandon the traditional stand-alone dealership in favor of "auto malls."
In addition to automobile dealerships, Worthington owns ten ranches (including his Northern California headquarters and the PX ranch in Nevada, which was once owned by The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
owner and mining magnate, U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns was a mining, banking, railroad and newspaper magnate. He was elected United States Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905.- Immigration and mining :...
and years later by actor Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
). As of 2002, he also owned three shopping centers and one office tower, grossing a year.
My Dog Spot ads
For nearly a quarter-century, from the 1960s up through the 1990s, Worthington ran a series of zany TV and radio ads for his auto dealerships patterned loosely after the pioneering "oddball" advertisements of Earl "Madman" MuntzMadman Muntz
Earl William "Madman" Muntz was an American businessman and engineer who sold and promoted cars and consumer electronics in the United States from the 1930s until his death in 1987. He was a pioneer in television commercials with his oddball "Madman" persona – an alter ego who generated publicity...
. They were known as the "My Dog Spot" ads because each commercial would introduce "Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!" However, the "dog" was always some exotic animal being led around on a leash, such as a tiger or elephant.
These commercials were originally a parody of a long-running string of commercials for a local Ford dealer, which invariably began with "I'm Chick Lambert, Sales Manager here at Ralph Williams Ford, and this is my dog, Storm." Storm was a German Shepherd, who was usually lounging on the hood of the first car to be featured in the ad. These commercials were seen on every channel in Los Angeles television through the 1960s and early 1970s. In addition to the many animals that were featured, one of Cal Worthington's "Spots" was Deacon Jones
Deacon Jones
David D. "Deacon" Jones is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.Jones specialized in quarterback sacks, a term attributed to him...
of the then NFL's L.A. Rams (one of the "Fearsome Foursome"), who sang the "Go See Cal" jingle.
Worthington's commercials were also accompanied by a jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
set to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It
If You're Happy and You Know It
"If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular repetitive children's song, stemming from an old Latvian folk song. The song is supposed to belong to the public domain, although many of the different versions of the song are still protected by copyright law...
" with the lyrics re-written to the refrain of "If you want a car or truck, go see Cal, if you want to save a buck, go see Cal" with the "Go see Cal" repeated numerous times. When the idea of a jingle was first pitched to him, it was conceptualized as slow with a big roll up of drums; Worthington disagreed and felt the song should be fast and wrote the lyrics and recorded the song himself. The jingle was successful and Worthington found that some children thought his name was "Go see Cal".
Worthington would get the animals from two local circuses he made deals with, in addition to private owners who would lease their animals to film and television shoots in nearby Hollywood.
In 1974, the popular TV series Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
featured the paramedic stars of the show rescuing a car salesman who is trapped inside a car with a tiger during a commercial shoot.
The "My Dog Spot" ads were spoofed at the start of the animated film Dirty Duck; a car dealer shoots his dog at one point.
In some commercials Worthington would claim he would do a stunt for a sale, such as eating a bug or "stand upon my head 'til my ears are turning red".
A Cal Worthington commercial was also in the movie, "Into the Night," with Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer.
In May 2010, Worthington appeared in a political advertisement for California State Assembly Candidate Larry Miles. The spot, a throwback to the "Spot" spots, featured Worthington, "Spot" and Miles.
Sources
- Woodroffe, Pam. Seattle Times April 6, 1986, "Cal Worthington's 'depressed'"
- Hintzberger, John. Seattle Times April 15, 1986, "Trustworthy or Trustless? Poll rates people in the public eye"
- Stanley, Don. Sacramento Bee January 14, 1990, "The Dealer: By Golly, Cal Worthington Went From Dirt-Poor Ranch Hand to Millionaire Car Czar"
- Rivenburg, Roy. Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
June 3, 2002, "Spot's Co-Star" - Hemmings Classic Car, August 1, 2007 (reprinted on hemmings.com)
- WoWHeadWowheadWowhead is a search database for the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft . The site first started out as a talent calculator. It was in beta from April 4 to June 25, 2006, and the database was released on June 26, 2006...
site link for Kall Worthaton.
Cultural references
Cal Worthington and his dog "Spot" was referred to as Loud Kiddington and his dog Fetch in a parody skit from the animated show Histeria!Histeria!
Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
telling the story of Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants, which Hannibal rented from Kiddington.
Worthington's ads were also parodied in Marty Feldman
Marty Feldman
Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor who starred in a series of British television comedy shows, including At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, which won two BAFTA awards and was the first Saturn Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Young...
's 1977 comedy feature film The Last Remake of Beau Geste
The Last Remake of Beau Geste
The Last Remake of Beau Geste is a 1977 American historical comedy film. It starred and was also directed and co-written by Marty Feldman. It is a satire loosely based on the novel Beau Geste, a frequently-filmed story of brothers and their adventures in the French Foreign Legion. The humor is...
. The film included an ad by "Honest Hakkim", a used camel salesman who gave specifics about the deals he was offering on particular camels in the same manner that Worthington would tout specific cars in his ads. The ad in the movie ended with Hakkim promising to "stand upon my fez 'til my face is such a mess" and then singing "See Hakkim, see Hakkim, see Hakkim" to the same cadence as was used to sing "Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal" in Worthington's advertisements.
The popular Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
game "World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
" features a character named "Kall Worthaton" selling car-like "trikes".