You Deserve A Break Today: McDonald's Commercial (1970-1980s)

You Deserve A Break Today

McDonald’s is struggling nowadays in the fast food market.

Perhaps they should drop that idiotic campaign and extremely stale “I’m lovin’ it” and go back to this classic from the 1970s, with a new cast, of course.

Oh, right they can’t, because for some stupid reason they abandoned the rights to the song.

An excellent review from Eater:

McDonald’s Drops ‘You Deserve a Break Today’ Slogan; Here Are Some of Its Best Moments

After decades using “You Deserve a Break Today” as its central advertising slogan, fast food giant McDonald’s has “abandoned its trademark” for the phrase. Burger Business reports that although the move is “more symbolic than significant,” the slogan was McDonald’s “first real tagline, the iconic one, and the one that many people still can hum.” (In recent months, it had also been co-opted by striking fast-food workers arguing that they too “deserve a break.”)

The article continues:

McDonald’s advertising strategy has drawing negative attention of late, with many criticizing its new “Lovin’ > Hatin’” slogan (which fared only slightly better than the original rumored slogan, “Lovin’ Beats Hatin'”). To mark McDonald’s ongoing image makeovers, do enjoy the original “You Deserve a Break Today” commercial above, plus some incredibly wholesome choice cuts embedded below.

The original 1971 classic:

The Actors

This advertisement is filled with very talented performers.

I spy John Amos (appearing at the time in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and future father in Good Times), Anson Williams (future Potsie in Happy Days), John Wheeler (the manager with the operatic voice, I remember him singing operatically as part of Felix’s opera club in The Odd Couple), Johnny Haymer, future actor in M*A*S*H (“Put a shine on the floor!”) and the wonderful character actor Robert Ridgely (with the clean burger machine!)

I’m trying to figure out the others, especially the actor who opens the commercial. He looks familiar.

This commercial was immensely successful and influential, and the best campaign McDonald’s ever had.

They used it for many years while making new commercials.

A 1971 version with a with “Shaft” theme:

1972. A Family-Style Commercial:

1982. Dig the leg warmers!

1983: This is from Australia with some very cute young actors. I wonder if any of them made it big?

This excellent video from The History of Television Commercials YouTube Channel tells the interesting history of that iconic McDonald’s commercial:

You Deserve A Break Today: McDonald’s Commercial (1970-1980s)

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