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When Alan Alda was the Face of Atari


ValkerieSilk

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Alan did a good job as spokesman for the machine. I am not certain he actually used them in his private life, but he had an infectious way about him. Great salesman for Atari. Too bad, the Tramiels didn't find someone to sell their computers. Jack was the tightest tightwad in the history of business. Watched every nickel going out, until there were no more nickels.

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IIRC, Commodore had William Shatner as pitchman for their computers, at least the VIC-20 and I think also C-64.

... and the TI 99/4A got Bill Cosby. The poor old '99 still can't get a break.

 

I really liked the Alan Alda commercials, too. In 1983, around the same time as the huge M*A*S*H finale, I'm sure he was quite a big name for Atari. He strikes me as someone who was intellectually curious enough to have been genuinely interested in home computers at that time, which (to me) put him a cut above the other celebrity pitchmen who were more obviously doing it for the money. The commercials are not the kind you'd see today, of course, but that only makes me like them more.

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... and the TI 99/4A got Bill Cosby. The poor old '99 still can't get a break.

 

I really liked the Alan Alda commercials, too. In 1983, around the same time as the huge M*A*S*H finale, I'm sure he was quite a big name for Atari. He strikes me as someone who was intellectually curious enough to have been genuinely interested in home computers at that time, which (to me) put him a cut above the other celebrity pitchmen who were more obviously doing it for the money. The commercials are not the kind you'd see today, of course, but that only makes me like them more.

 

In his tweet, he said he learned Basic on his Atari, so he actually owned one and used it. He definitely loves technology and science... Always wanted to meet him...

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I wonder how many American celebrities actually owned and used Atari computers back then. I know there were one or two English celebs I learned about over on Atari Sector. Right now I know Alan Alda and Wil Wheaton both owned and used Atari's. I am referring to the computer lines only, I'm sure there were plenty that owned an Atari VCS...

 

I bet Fred Savaged did, he at least had experience with one from the movie 'The Princess Bride' and I bet he played the one on set in between scene filming...

Edited by Gunstar
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I remember those! But I hadn't seen all of them until now. He is the One True Hawkeye! Now age 82 and unfortunately diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease , although thankfully it cant be severe yet based on his activity.

 

Anyway, that art program blows, but I used Atari Writer in HS and college. It certainly made typewriters obsolete for me.

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Definitely remember the Alan Ada ads both on TV and magazines. Funny that a few years later they used the rest of the MASH cast to sell IBM PS/2 computers.

 

Wow, just made me remember the MASH cast with the IBM PS/2. It seems so odd to think of that all as being contemporary once for some reason. I guess because I haven't thought of it for 30 years but now remember them playing it about every commercial break for a while. The PS/2 mouse; the protocol is still in some mice they sell today, I think.

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  • 2 years later...
On 10/11/2018 at 10:15 AM, ValkerieSilk said:

 

In his tweet, he said he learned Basic on his Atari, so he actually owned one and used it. He definitely loves technology and science... Always wanted to meet him...

I heard a story he wrote a program called HI DOC! which simulated a session with a psychotherapist. 

 

Does anyone know if this program got released to the public?

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3 hours ago, Stormtrooper of Death said:

Ratwell, Thanks for the list of commercials. I never heard about the Atari Telectra before.

I had heard about it, seen that commercial. Too bad it was never marketed and deployed.  Power wires used as transmission lines for phones...Now we do it all the time.  Atari, way ahead of itself.  Great engineering, terrible logistics and marketing people.  Those innovators must have been really frustrated with their leadership. 

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9 hours ago, gilsaluki said:

I had heard about it, seen that commercial. Too bad it was never marketed and deployed.  Power wires used as transmission lines for phones...Now we do it all the time.  Atari, way ahead of itself.  Great engineering, terrible logistics and marketing people.  Those innovators must have been really frustrated with their leadership. 

Never heard of that phone before, but can see one reason why it may not have made it to market: using the home's power wiring not only lets every power outlet in your house act as an extension, but also the outlets in potentially every other house on the same segment of the local power grid.

 

If you've ever used X10 for home automation, you may have experienced interference and / or control of your X10 devices by someone else's X10 installation if they used the same house code as you did.  And, if you were the recipient of said interference, you may or may not have used a firecracker module and a few shell scripts to make sure that they found a less-hostile house code ;)  Same problem here.

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