In the days before cable (and decades before digital cable), there weren’t many television stations available for one’s viewing pleasure. As a kid in Chicago, we had the three major affiliates (CBS, NBC, ABC), PBS (yawn), and a few independent stations (WGN and WFLD are the two worth mentioning). Slim pickings, though we didn’t feel anything was missing.

The old cabinet-style television in my family’s rec room was usually tuned to WGN or WFLD (the latter only if the temperamental UHF setting cooperated that day). My siblings and I spent countless afternoons in front of that set, getting our fix of 1960s sitcoms, from Green Acres and I Dream of Jeannie, to Gilligan’s Island and Bewitched. Never, however, was Mr. Ed in our stable of go-to shows. (To this day, I’m still not sure why my mom wouldn’t endorse the talking horse.)

But it’s the 30-second “shows between the shows” I recall the most. Seeing the same local commercials hour after hour, day after day, and year after year had a lasting effect. While each was shilling something different, this, um, select group of advertisers was working with similar shoestring budgets, judging by the resulting spots and indie-station buys.

Thanks to some enterprising folks who had the foresight to capture the “cream of the crap” for our future viewing pleasure, let’s fire up a few of these funky commercials from the early to mid-’80s. Check out some wall-to-wall coverage from Lincoln Carpeting:

This Victory Auto Wreckers commercial is such a classic, it’s still airing today with a revised voice-over. I wonder if the mane attraction is alive and kicking:

Looks like the folks at Harlem Furniture had a few more bucks to burn. Style, like fame, costs:

Within the local commercial universe, Danley’s Garage World is one of my all-time favorites. No Cubs broadcast was complete without an appearance from the mustachioed-garage guy:

Today, local commercials (what’s left of them) don’t possess the same charming lack of quality (with the notable exception of “Eagle Man,” a modern classic for sure). Viewer expectations are higher and video production quality has vastly improved, both driving bigger budgets. Of course, a giant pot of gold will never be able to salvage a badly written spot.

But as these low-budget examples show, there’s one trick to sticking out: Perhaps it’s time to revive the jingle.