Looking backwards to the early years of the Balloon Club of America.
My thoughts of the gas balloons used in advertisements.
Lipton Tea – 1965
The 19,000 cu.ft. rubberized cotton gas balloon used in the Lipton Tea ad of 1965 was constructed by Goodyear in 1936. The balloon was registered as N4150A with the Federal Aviation Administration. I was twenty-two years old when the balloon which we later referred to as the “Private Eye” was inflated with
hydrogen gas in the open space behind the home of Peter Pellegrino in Newtown, Pennsylvania. My dad Tony Fairbanks participated as well as Peter Pellegrino and his son, who we referred to as “young Pete.”
The cost of the helium which was delivered by a truck cost $250 to fill the balloon. You can see from the photographs that the appendix is “tied off.” At the bottom of the balloon envelope is the appendix which is an eight foot long sleeve. After the envelope is filled with hydrogen, breakable twine is used to tie-off the appendix. When the balloon is ready for launch but remains sitting on the ground, even a gentle wind when pushing against the balloon envelope would result in hydrogen escaping through the appendix.
It is unclear as to the reason for the added expense of the rental of a crane to lift the balloon for the television filming but perhaps to avoid the envelope from swaying back and forth as could occur with a moderate wind.
The filming was centered upon an afternoon of tea with Don Meredith. Don Meredith was a well known Dallas Football quarterback who made the transition to becoming a sportscaster on Monday Night Football. He is equally known for being the spokesman for Lipton Tea, having made a series of Lipton Tea advertisements for television. I haven’t been able to find a Lipton Tea magazine advertisement with the use of our gas balloon. The filming was exclusively for television.
The filming of the advertisement was a group of persons having lunch and drinking tea while sitting around a large picnic table. The beautiful gas balloon with the basket resting on the ground in the background was possibly to provide a thrill or an expectation of experiencing an unusual and fun activity. Don Meredith was never in the wicker basket and the gas balloon wasn’t lifted above the ground by the crane. The balloon sat on the ground in the calm of the day.
Don Meredith passed away in December 2010 at age 72. He was a nice person with an outgoing personality. As much as I remember the early Balloon Club of America activities, the quiet afternoon spent listening to Don Meredith read his prepared script of how much he likes Lipton Tea remains fixed in my mind as a pleasant memory.
Written by Michael Fairbanks
The Paxton Cigarette Balloon
The Balloon Club of America had two 19,000 cu.ft. balloons. One was painted in 1953 with figures from Greek mythology by Hollywood to be used in the movie “Around the World in 80 Days.” The balloon would forever be known as the “La Coquette.”
The second 19,000 cu.ft. balloon was painted green and white with a Paxton Cigarette Logo in the year 1963. The cigarette package was unique for the early 1960’s as the cigarettes were sold in a plastic package. Paxton Cigarettes could be purchased out of a vending machine and printed ads could be viewed in several magazines. The small gas balloon which was later named “The Private Eye” was a picturesque balloon. Looking at the ads of long ago elicit fond memories of Mike’s involvement as a crew member with early Balloon Club of America flights. In June 1963, Paxton Cigarettes which were manufactured by Phillip Morris, went national in all fifty states. September 1963 -Paxton introduced in Puerto Rico. Mike does not remember getting free cigarettes from Paxton. It would have been nice as in 1963 the dangers of nicotine was not widely understood.
Written by Michael Fairbanks
Below, ads for Paxton Menthol Cigarettes in a Humiflex Plastic Pack.
The first two ads were in the Saturday Evening Post in 1963.
Sprint Candy Bar
An advertisement for the M&M Sprint Chocolate Wafer. The 19,000 cu. ft. gas balloon was used to make a 1967 video for Television. By 1969, M&M no longer used the word ‘Sprint’ for their line of candy Bars.
Watch the Sprint candy Bar TV Commercial
Advertising for Justice Dunn – Private Eye TV Show – 1970’s
Future Ford – 1966
Wilmington, Delaware October 8, 1966
