The Prelinger Archive presents a fascinating collection of classic ads from the fifties and sixties for Coca Cola, Goodyear, Marlboro, Volkswagen and more.  Some fit a traditional, slogan-driven mold, while others experiment with a little shock value -- a skydiving waiter delivers a can of Colt 45, an eating contest promotes Alka-Seltzer, and a Noah-like character fills a 1967 American Motors station wagon full of tigers, elephants and other wild animals. Their depiction of women evolves too, from totally helpless in a Goodyear spot ("this flat tire needs a man!") to professional and independent in a Coca Cola ad about a jet-set TWA stewardess. The commercials below are an excerpt from the full reel, which you can find here. What would Don Draper think of this ad copy?

For more films from the Prelinger Archive, visit http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger.