The “So Bad, It’s Good” Blogathon- BONUS “Match Your Mood” Westinghouse Commercial 1968

TCM shows short films as filler between films. Some of these short films are terrible, some are funny, some are horribly outdated, then there are some that are amazing. The best short hands down, is the 1965 “Wonderful World of Tupperware” 30 minute film that goes into the production of Tupperware. The second best short film, in my opinion, is the six-minute ad that specifically targets women to tell them how they can improve their quality of life by adding custom paneling to their Westinghouse refrigerator.

Everyone dances in front of the fridge at parties, right?

The commercial starts out with a woman walking aimlessly in the snowy woods, looking very down and out. Some maudlin-sounding flute music is playing. The opening is very reminiscent of the beginning of Valley of the Dolls. Then suddenly, a title card for Westinghouse pops up and the music gets a whole lot jazzier and more psychedelic. We then are treated to a montage of all the available pre-fabricated panels that you can purchase from Westinghouse to jazz up your boring Westinghouse refrigerator. Get fake wood paneling like Supreme Walnut or Catawba Cherry, or maybe go with a more tropical look and get rattan panels. Or perhaps you’re into something flashier and metallic, like Astro-Glo Bronze? Or maybe you want something sleek and dark, like Surtex Black.

Then comes to the greatest part of the commercial. You can make your own custom DIY panels! We see a woman grab some paper (wallpaper??) that matches the wallpaper in her kitchen. While dancing (because this is fun, remember), she grabs one of the panels from the fridge so she can measure twice and cut once. Then the commercial segues into showing how one can customize their fridge for any outfit, hobby, or occasion. The rest of the commercial is made up of a never ending dance party in front of the fridge. We see the fridge decked out for Halloween, Fourth of July, and New Years. The thought of somebody decorating their fridge to match their outfit is hilarious.

I absolutely love this commercial. It is so cheesy. So ridiculous. So absurd. But it is perfect. I am curious how many custom fridge panels Westinghouse sold. I highly recommend everyone search for “Match Your Mood” (1968) on You Tube and watch this amazing commercial. It’s 6.5 minutes and worth every second.

For the record, I would get the Astro-Glo Bronze.

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