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The drawback of commercial television is, of course, the emphasis on advertising. With every passing decade the networks slowly added more and more commercial time to the average television program, cutting a half-hour sitcom from 26-28 minutes to 20-22 minutes, and the typical hour-long drama from 50 minutes to roughly 40. But not everything about commercials is bad. Sometimes they're hilarious and are actually worth watching.

In general, however, commercials are an annoyance. They're pervasive; they inundate the viewers with flashy colors, catchy jingles and memorable slogans. And, of course, famous faces. Celebrities have been pitchmen from the early days of television, back when commercials were integrated directly into the program. Actors, musicians, models, comedians, they've all hawked products on the small screen.

Join Television Obscurities as we present dozens of television commercials featuring famous faces, from the 1950s to the present. We've got Cheryl Tiegs, Brooke Shields, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Sorbo, Don Adams, Farrah Fawcett, the cast of M*A*S*H and many, many more. Sit back and see how many of these gems you remember.

Skittle-Pool, Soup Bowls and Cheryl Tiegs

In this commercial from the 1970s for Aurora Skittle-Pool, Don Adams portrayed a hapless salesman going up against the odds. He played it straight (but for laughs). He won the game but got beat up anyway. Skittle-Pool really didn't look all that fun. Replacing cues with a slingshot, it also replaced all the fun.

Florence Henderson utilized her Brady Bunch image in this 1970s commercial for Jello Soft Swirl, using her own family to prove the point that the stuff was good eatin'. Here's a good one from the early 1960s featuring Donna Read: her television series paired up with Campbells to give away soup mugs or soup bowls. All you had to do was collect, count 'em, ten different labels from Campbell soups and you could send them in to get the soupware. That's a lot of soup.

Cheryl Tiegs didn't have to utter a single word in this classic ad for Breck. All she had to do was shake her hair while looking good. And she nailed it. The commercial ran in the late 1960s and is simply unforgettable. Singer Bing Crosby had a long association with Minute Maid, starting on radio and then moving to television. He promoted their products, using his distinctive voice and his actual family. This particular commercial aired in the late 1960s.

When IBM wanted to promote its new personal computing system, the company turned to the cast of the hit CBS comedy M*A*S*H. Various cast members from Jamie Farr to Loretta Swit, from Harry Morgan to Wayne Rogers, appeared in televisions ads IBM aired and catalogues IBM sent out. In this 1988 commercial, they were promoting the IBM Personal System II.

What's more famous, the Ultra Brite jingle or Farrah Fawcett's flawless smile? More importantly, does it really matter which one is more famous? We all know that Farrah's smile is what everyone remembers. The jingle was just icing on the cake.

Cigarettes, Coke & Pepsi

For years, cigarette companies formed the foundation upon which network television was built. Pumping countless hundreds of thousands of dollars into production and distribution these companies were rewarded with prominent product placement. Watch Nick Adams promote L & M cigarettes. His series The Rebel, which premiered in 1959, was sponsored by an assortment of companies, including L & M.

When you think cigarette companies promoting television shows you usually don't think of cartoons. At least, not the Saturday morning sort. One of television's most well-known primetime cartoons, The Flintstones, was sponsored by Winston cigarettes early in its six-year run, which began in September of 1960.

When the series was put into syndication, an alternate version of the opening credits were used to cut out all mentions of Winston and its cigarettes. Take a look at this commercial featuring Fred and Barney sitting back and having a smoke.

While the funny man is better known for his association with Jell-O, Bill Cosby also promoted Coke products in numerous commercials throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Cosby brought his unique humor to this early 1990s advert for Coke. Speaking so fast he is barely comprehensible, Cosby continued promoting after the jingle ran out.

Here's another commercial, this one from the mid-1980s, in which Cosby explains why he prefers Coke over Pepsi. But Cosby wasn't the only one promoting Coke. Pierce Brosnan appeared in this commercial in 1987. This was back when he was still best known for starring in Remington Steele, not for portraying James Bond on the big screen. And while we're talking about Pepsi, here's a rival Pepsi commercial in which Lionel Richie sings and dances.

As Family Ties was coming to an end in 1989, Michael J. Fox was appearing as two characters in a commercial for Diet Pepsi -- himself and an robot double. Fox shot to stardom as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties, the conservative son of liberal parents. He starred in the popular Back to the Future trilogy and then returned to television in the mid-1990s in Spin City. Here are some additional, fast-paced commercials for Pepsi and Diet Pepsi, featuring the likes of Ray Charles, Andy Dick, Regis Philbin and more.

Perfume, pizza and more

Comedian Martin Mull already had years worth of experience as a stand-up comic and a parody songwriter when he broke onto the television scene as Garth Gimble on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman in 1976. Mull also played Garth's twin brother Barth on Fernwood 2-nite/America 2night in 1977 and 1978. Half a decade later, in 1984, Martin Mull explained the finer aspects of pizza etiquette in this commercial for Pizza Hut.

Before he found fame as the great Hercules and long before he took the helm of the Andromeda Ascendent in the syndicated Andromeda, actor Kevin Sorbo did his fair share of television commercials. Perhaps some of the most well-known are his spots for shampoo and conditioner Pert Plus. Here's one from the early 1990s.

Also from 1984 is this Jane Seymour commercial for le Jardin de Max Factor perfume. Famous today for her starring role in the long running Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman series, she was famous then for her countless made-for-TV movies and miniseries roles as well as a supporting role in the very first James Bond flick to star Roger Moore.

Before he took the helm of The Tonight Show Jay Leno was best known as a stand-up comic and as a guest host for Johnny Carson. As mildly hot property only getting hotter in the late 1980s and promoted Doritos in several amusing commercials. Take a look at another one. You tell 'em, Jay.

Only in her mid-teens when she began her modeling career, Brooke Shields quickly became one of the most recognizable faces in the nation. She appeared on hundreds of magazine covers during the 1980s.

A massive celebrity, Shields appeared in dozens of commercials, ranging from her own "Brooke Shields" doll in the early 1980s to Ivory Soap in 2000. In 1984 she promoted Arrid Extra Dry deodorant, with a flashy smile and vibrant hair. It's a strange commercial, with plenty of quick cuts and close-ups.

Crooners, beer, cars and pretzels

John Denver had a long and healthy association with television, beginning in the 1970s and lasting until his untimely death in 1997. Concerts, guest spots, acting roles, theme songs, Denver did it all. And he also did commercials, including this 1987 spot for Raisin Bran. Not unlike Denver, country singer Kenny Rogers has appeared in several television movies and as himself on various variety shows and concerts. He did his best to sell Dole Pine-Orange Banana Juice, also in 1987.

It took Denise Richards years of modeling and bit parts on television to make it big in Hollywood. But in the late 1990s she appeared in a string of high-profile movies culminating in 1999's The World Is Not Enough, the nineteenth Bond flick. Back in 1993, however, Denise had a few seconds of screen-time in this commercial for Secret deodorant. She has also done commercials for Pepsi and Head & Shoulders.

Diedrich Bader spent nine seasons as the clueless Oswald Lee Harvey on ABC's The Drew Carey Show. Prior to that, he had guest-spots on shows like Cheers and Quantum Leap. One of his earliest acting credits was actually a small role in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1989. He has also done extensive voiceover work in television and film. Here he is in a 1992 Bud Dry commercial.

Here are a pair of commercials from 1994 promoting Tropicana Twister and featuring not one, not two, not even three but five famous faces. John Ratzenberger from Cheers, Lawanda Page from Sanford and Son, Betty White from The Golden Girls, Swoosie Kurtz from Love, Sidney and Sisters, and Calvert DeForest, funnyman best known as Larry "Bud" Melman.

Speaking of Calvert DeForest, take a look at this commercial for 1-800-COLLECT that included a surprise appearance from him at the end. Airing in 1994, it chiefly featured David Spade, who at the time had yet to gain sitcom fame with Just Shoot Me.

Edward Herrmann is reaching a whole new audience as Richard Gilmore on The WB's critical hit Gilmore girls. Back in the 1970s he appeared in several well-regarded made-for-television movies but his best roles were on film and on stage. Here he is in an early 1990s commercial promoting the Dodge Intrepid.

Easily one of the most hilarious actors to grace the small screen in the past few decades (thanks to his sometimes understated, sometimes overstated humor), Jason Alexander was huge in the 1990s as George Costanze on NBC's Seinfeld Watch him hawk Rold Gold pretzels in this commercial from 1993.

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Last Updated April 26th, 2006