08/10/2006 Entry: "August Megaparty #10: The Milford Plaza!"

A few years ago, when I was still working from home, I tended to go nuts, because I worked from home. The grass is always greener, and as a person prone to become a vegetable whenever the opportunity presents itself, I can't stress enough how important and healthy it is to not have beds and couches within arm's reach at all times. Point: When I worked from home, I sometimes went crazy and conjured up stupid trips just to get myself out of the house. In October of 2003, I decided to stay at the Milford Plaza in New York City, just to break the monotony. Until I started working in the city, I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't really know it. I mean, I knew the certain social corners my group of friends would frequent, but beyond that, I was as good as an Arkansasawian.

Within that, I had no idea what a crappy hotel the Milford Plaza was. Comparatively speaking, at least. I was led to believe that this was the place to be -- the ultimate cosmopolitan hub. It wasn't through word-of-mouth or planted reviews on travel sites. It was all because of a dumb commercial I saw fifty-thousand times while growing up.

I'm assuming that you'd have to have lived in the tri-state area to know this one, but the Milford Plaza commercial made the hotel seem fancier and more accommodating than, shit, heaven or something. With the catchiest jingle in all the land sung by the happiest bunch of hotel hands you ever did see, I grew up believing that a two night stay at the Milford Plaza was probably the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person. I was wrong. It wasn't a slum by any means -- for the money, it was perfectly adequate -- but considering the shitty showers, the tiny rooms and windows that required jacks to open, this ad is total proof of the power of advertising. Watch the commercial, and tell me you're not tempted to start booking.

Chestnuts roasted by gramsci @ 08/10/2006 11:45 PM EST

Thanks Christine - stick around!

Also, for those who keep getting the posting "limit" block, a friend of mine is very close to getting the entire blog converted into a new prog that will eliminate that problem and add a few new bells and whistles. Bear with us.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 08/10/2006 11:48 PM EST

thanks to that lullaby, I'm sleepy now

Chestnuts roasted by random bob @ 08/10/2006 11:49 PM EST

I once stayed in the city at a place that had rooms so small you could piss from the bed. We also had the best view ever: a brick wall. If you opened the window and looked down you could see what would have served as a perfect movie set that was titled "Deadly Alley". We swore there were things living in that space between buildings that have not been seen by man in years. All that for probably $600-$800 a night...Gotta love NY!

Chestnuts roasted by Shuanfu @ 08/11/2006 12:05 AM EST

Matt, you may have covered this somewheres, but is there an archive? I only recently discovered X-E and would love to go back and read past articles. Just so I wont ask stupid questions like, Does anyone know what Tranzor Z is?

Chestnuts roasted by Joker @ 08/11/2006 12:10 AM EST

Matt: Huzzah! It's about damn time!

And I 1) had work at 10am this morning and 2) invaded a buffet earlier tonight with 2 friends...So now I'm both full as hell and tired as hell. Now for watching Pee-wee's Playhouse!

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 08/11/2006 12:10 AM EST

Welcome Christine!
After watching that commercial I’m convinced that you’re lying about the quality of the place. It’s got to be as awesome as it looks on the commercial, its just gotta! Commercials don’t lie, you just want to steer people clear of it so you can have it all to yourself! Well I’m not falling for it, I’m moving into that hotel and there’s nothing that you can do to stop me!

Chestnuts roasted by Darth Poop @ 08/11/2006 12:16 AM EST

Yay for new bells and whistles! Hopefully I'll still be able to post from my mobile. Mad props, Matt's Friend!
I always thought you tri-staters all knew NYC like the back of your hands, like it was an innate thing. It makes me feel better to know that's not the case.

Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 08/11/2006 12:29 AM EST

That's the great thing about New York, isn't it? No matter how shitty something is, the tourism board makes up for it by saying "But You're in New York!"

And you totally buy it.

Damn movies, that's who I blame.

Chestnuts roasted by RoadBlock @ 08/11/2006 12:35 AM EST

Matt, I remember that commercial very, very well. Channel 9, WOR, used to run it at least once an hour (and it would occasionally turn up on Channel 11, too). That commercial and the various elaborate plugs for hit Broadway shows like "The Phantom of the Opera" and "City of Angels" were the definition of real New York glamor to a girl who lived on the far south side of the Garden State Parkway. I still think of the Milford Plaza whenever I hear "The Lullaby of Broadway."

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 08/11/2006 12:45 AM EST

I wonder if I could stand to stay there if the staff really were that happy. I think I would snap after the first hour.

Chestnuts roasted by mnpchan @ 08/11/2006 01:25 AM EST

Those waiters were close enough to that grease pan fire to have their eyebrows singed off and they were STILL happily singing. Wow.

Also, for those who keep getting the posting "limit" block, a friend of mine is very close to getting the entire blog converted into a new prog that will eliminate that problem and add a few new bells and whistles.
Yay!

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 08/11/2006 01:28 AM EST

Yea, that place... not so nice. You're free to stay at my place in East Village if I can trade you for a trip to the creepy ass mountain home with the cool gag store.

Chestnuts roasted by Bryan @ 08/11/2006 02:21 AM EST

Joker, there is technically supposed to be an archive...but isn't. Your only hope is to use the search feature with random things.

Chestnuts roasted by Ragnarok @ 08/11/2006 03:02 AM EST

The perfect jingle to send me off to sleep - which I should've been there hours ago.

That song sounds really familiar, but I dunno. I severely doubt that one would've played way down here in MD. Heh...

Thank you, Sweet Jesus, for the man with the new Blog Plan! I can hardly wait!

Time for bed. Ahhhhh! I'll pretend I'm living it up at the commercial friendly Milford, tonight.

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 08/11/2006 03:24 AM EST

I'd stay there -- as long as they had an arcade that featured air hockey, as well as a vending machine for late-night snacks. There's nothing better than eating salted peanuts in a carpeted hallway far from home..

Chestnuts roasted by Review the World @ 08/11/2006 03:34 AM EST

I love hotels. If it has indoor hallways, it's a good one as far as I'm concerned. I'm not sure if It's just a southern thing or what, but most of the hotels around here, all the doors are outside and each one has a seperate rickety stairway to it. I hate hotels like that. But any hotel with the indoor, carpeted hallways reminds me of good times.

Chestnuts roasted by Hazzard @ 08/11/2006 04:29 AM EST

I know what you mean, Hazzard. When I went to Movie World (Australia's Disneyland, but with a Warner Bros theme- best attractions were Gremlins: The Ride and the Police Academy stunt show) as a kid I was expecting to stay in some plush hotel with elevators and bellhops and shizz, but we stayed in one of those awful sickly green hotels with the outside staircases and the dirty pool. It looked like something from Mike Brady's portfolio.

I must admit, though, that my impression of hotels is largely informed by Home Alone 2 and Dunston Checks In.

Chestnuts roasted by Daniel85 @ 08/11/2006 04:40 AM EST

Call the travel agent, I'm going to the Milford Plazaaahhhh!

I know a lot of this belongs on the last thread but:
1. No tattoos for me. It's funny that that became the topic though since I joked to the kids that I was going to get a Bartolome de las Casas tattoo in class today.
2. Not sure but I think the Doho/Manicurse only applies to SNT. Doho, back me up.

Thanks Matt for all that you do and let the Megaparty give meaning to all of our lives.

Chestnuts roasted by The Manimal @ 08/11/2006 07:32 AM EST

Joker: If you've really got a lot of time on your hands, I'd start at
http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/3.html
and then when you're done reading that article, delete the "3" and replace it with a "4." There are quite a few broken links that far back, and once you get up to article #11, for example, it will just boot you back to the main page. So back up and try #12. Have fun, and say "hi" to the Green Bamboo Mystery Peanut for me.

Chestnuts roasted by Jedoc @ 08/11/2006 07:47 AM EST

There are just some nights when I feel like staying in a hotel, though that happened before I worked from home. Working from home is awesome, but perhaps I just say that because all of my other jobs have been unenjoyable.
That one girl has the best 80s bangs of all time. All. Time.
Hooray for bells/whistles - I'm not even a frequent poster and I get banned sometimes.

Chestnuts roasted by Jessica Marie @ 08/11/2006 07:48 AM EST

Where is doho?
I suppose I'd be willing to pay a whopping 43 dollars a night per person if a guy in a tux threw my luggage around.
I've lived in mid-sized cities (Minneapolis and Seattle) most my life, but I think in NY I would feel like I was always on a movie set. Cause that's the only way I've ever seen it.

Chestnuts roasted by kb @ 08/11/2006 07:49 AM EST

Arkansasawian, that's good stuff.
On my trip to New York last year, I wish I stayed in a place that nice.

Chestnuts roasted by Dino @ 08/11/2006 08:13 AM EST

Hey Joker, there's blog archives here:

http://x-entertainment.com/updates/entries/archives/index.html

and those entries alot of times link to stories. Happy reading!

Chestnuts roasted by Todd @ 08/11/2006 09:11 AM EST

Hazzard, Maybe it's just a midwest thing, but around here, if it has inside access to the rooms (a la carpeted hallways) it's referred to as a hotel. Places that have outside access to the rooms are referred to as a MOtel (combo of motor + hotel... i guess because you can drive your car to within 25 feet of your room/door).

I'm guessing you can't still get a room for under $50 in New York anymore... at least, not without the prospect of getting shot. That, or all of my preconceptions of NYC are just all shot to hell.

Chestnuts roasted by bad karma @ 08/11/2006 09:21 AM EST

Dude, that's too funny. That place is such a pit. One of my friends from the West Coast booked it off of hotels.com or something a couple of years ago and opted to stay with us down in Dirty Jersey instead. Haha! But I'll remember to recommend that to my sister the next time she starts complaining about the monotomy of working from home.

Chestnuts roasted by LemurCat @ 08/11/2006 09:35 AM EST

I want to stay at the Milford Plaza now too. But I'm guessing it hasn't been updated since that commercial, maybe even with the exact same people working there so now they are all old and still keep their poofy hair and bangs and shoulder pads.

That actually sounds sad. But I bet it was the place to be in 1983.

Chestnuts roasted by Fox @ 08/11/2006 09:46 AM EST

bad karma - you are correct on the hotel/motel. i always wondered the difference myself and learned while planning my summer vacation last year.

Chestnuts roasted by bitchpants @ 08/11/2006 09:48 AM EST

For Ryane and anyone else who was wondering, that's an altered version of a song from 42nd Street which, I believe, was sung by Jerry Orbach's character. The song's been used to death since, so chances are you've heard it somewhere, if not there.

Yay for knowledge gained from having theater major friends!

Chestnuts roasted by Paul @ 08/11/2006 09:52 AM EST

Once again Matt you've revived a part of my childhood I'd not have remembered had some not jogged my memory. Although I'm from Upstate NY, our cable carrier used to bring us WWOR, WPIX, WNYW and WBSK (out of Boston) and I remember this commercial fondly from watching WWF "Superstars" and it's Sunday afternoon equivilant (which I forget the name of - Does anyobdy remember that one? Hosted by Heenan and Monsoon?)

I love your commercial entries Matt...but I'm still waiting for the entry where you give us the famous "Home for the Holidays/Peter" commercial that Folger's coffee gave us a few years ago. That seems to be the one hole in my commercial collection.

Chestnuts roasted by Scott C @ 08/11/2006 11:19 AM EST

I only know this song from the Muppet show. Loving the hair on those reception girls.

Chestnuts roasted by Blackavar @ 08/11/2006 11:38 AM EST

Not sure if Matt is reading down this far, but just a question: Since webcomics, etc exploit their following by issuing books, and Matt's a writer, why not an Official XE Book that we could buy and read anytime? I'd be first in line for it, even at 30 bucks or so. Come on Matt, howzabout some XE we can take home?

Chestnuts roasted by Terror Claws Cole @ 08/11/2006 11:49 AM EST

an X-E book would rock, and be a best seller.

By my count we are around a month out from a Halloween countdown if Matt starts really early again. I'm in the Halloween countdown countdown phase.

Chestnuts roasted by Fox @ 08/11/2006 12:07 PM EST

I've definitely entertained the thought of putting together a coffee table-type nostalgia book before, for people our age. That what I get for working in subsidy publishing. It would be rad, though...

Chestnuts roasted by Jessica Marie @ 08/11/2006 12:15 PM EST

Come on along and listen to
The Lullaby of X-E.
Really old Kool-Aid and Pikachu,
The Lullaby of X-E.

or

If you're blue and you don't know where to logon to,
Why don't you go where it's better than "Rent"?
X-Entertainment!
Different blogs ev'ry August day,
Brand new posters come in to say "hey",
It don't cost a mint.
X-Entertainment!
Gag gifts that lokk like a pile of boogers.
Or trying hard to dress like Freddy Krueger,
OOGA-BOOGA!
If you're blue, and don't know where your nostalgia made off to,
Why don't you follow where it went:
X-Entertainment!

I want both a bell and a whistle.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash has no idea where that came from @ 08/11/2006 12:56 PM EST

Where is doho?
I suppose I'd be willing to pay a whopping 43 dollars to see dohopoki

That's a fair price, at a sell, I'll give it to you. So here I am! Paypal or Money order?

Doho, back me up.

Who am I shooting? Oh, you meant about the curse. Here's the real truth of the DohoManicurse. It's an SNT because that's how we got the curse to begin with.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 08/11/2006 01:01 PM EST

Whoa, you have mad skills of rhyme, kingklash!

I remember once I stayed in the GHETTO of Montreal...I didn't even know there WAS an area of the city like that...three guys were using drugs in the parking lot behind the building, the 'Econo-Lodge' logo (And half the front of the building) was covered in grafitti, etc. Scary man- the stains on the carpets and walls looked suspiciously like blood...

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 08/11/2006 01:09 PM EST

Ahem, gentlemen. I am an Arkansasawian, and I have successfully been able to both read and understand this citified blog for years now (althought this is the first t ime I done figgered how to get my words up there on the screen). This commercial is part of the reason I want to live in New York. We used to get a local station from New York on my small-town Arkansas cable. I can't imagine why. It had the best local commercials, although I never saw this one. The local news was awesome. I now live near St. Louis, which is one of the country's more significant metropolitan areas, but their local commercials are nowhere near this grand. Becky the Carpet Queen is a far cry from the Milford Plaza. God bless you.

Chestnuts roasted by Josh @ 08/11/2006 01:11 PM EST

Becky the Carpet Queen!! YES!!!

I think she killed Wanda the Queen of Tile.

Chestnuts roasted by bad karma @ 08/11/2006 01:16 PM EST

That commercial actually gives me a creepy vibe with the fake smiles and 80's clothing (especially the sky blue women's uniforms). I imagine a Twilight Zone episode where a guy stays in this perfect hotel with the overtly joyous employees that seem a little corny and too eager to please. Through creepy plot twists and a surprise ending, he ends up being killed and served for dinner in those flaming dishes by waiters who never quit smiling.

I don't know what it is but whenever I see a flaming entree or dessert, I gotta think, "Now that's a ritzy place!"

Chestnuts roasted by freudguy @ 08/11/2006 01:20 PM EST

manimal and dohop, im always on the blog but for the life of me i cannot remmeber the details of said curse, can you fill me in?>
and terror claws cole: i totally agree man, i would buy several copies of that book, XMAS shopping done in one fell swoop!!

and sqee: about your sacred hearts, awesome tat. idea, my first is actually a sacred heart with a banner that says .Xdrug.freeX. stupid idea, seein as how im not sXe anymore, ahhh well. but i bet it would look pretty sweet on you.

JoooooooshC

Chestnuts roasted by JoshC @ 08/11/2006 01:33 PM EST

This reminds me of a vending machine at a hotel my family stayed at in Nebraska when we went to visit my grandparents back around 1993/94. There was a machine where you put in a couple bucks and it cooked you a personal pizza in a sort of a can or something like that. They featured one on the Today show or Good Morning America just a few years ago as if they were new. They had been around for at least a decade prior to that. My brother and I wanted to try one of those things. I'll be back in about 9 hours or so. Let's hope my boss is in a good mood today. While we're at it, would all of you out there on the blog do me a big favor and post any advice on dealing with lousy bosses? Mine is a doozy. Thank you, everybody!

Chestnuts roasted by Hoverbored @ 08/11/2006 01:39 PM EST

Reminds me of those commercials for Foxwoods Resort and Casino that they air on New England sports shows (i have the baseball satellite package so i can see games from out of my market). It looks fun and it makes you want to go there, but is it really as good as you'd think?

Click my name for a link to the official page of the hotel. It's definitely not cheap anymore.

Chestnuts roasted by mjf7583 @ 08/11/2006 01:42 PM EST

doho
The checks in the mail.

Chestnuts roasted by kb @ 08/11/2006 01:53 PM EST

I'm coming for you greymatter. You unmyelinated meanies!

The last time I was in a hotel, I had to fend off drunken friends, wade through piles of vomit, brave a night in the girls' room, and run from a guy robbing the room next door. Then I just had to live with the fact that I had been up for 4 days straight. Never again shall DC see my grimy mug. NEVER.

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 08/11/2006 02:42 PM EST

JoshC

During the time just before the very first SNT I was a rather frequent user, as was Manimal I believe and was checking these blogs several times a day. This place was coming out of a sort of recession and picking up to a faster pace. Well the one day I didn't come here at all the first SNT was born and was among, if not the greatest one of all. Manimal also didn't show up. Since then, for the very most part if Manimal or I post in an SNT it's going to be a slow one. Many times if we don't post in one, it'll be a strong night with lots of post.

This hasn't been brought up much lately, I'm not even sure I can say it's still in effect. The real truth of the matter of how successful an SNT is and has always been how much Matt participates.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 08/11/2006 02:54 PM EST

Hah, I've also wondered what the "curse" was about. I think it partly has to do with when SNTs are posted, too.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 08/11/2006 03:20 PM EST

Matt, as any New Yorker can attest to, they don't call it the Mildew Plaza because it's five star.

Chestnuts roasted by Aliquis @ 08/11/2006 04:14 PM EST

Oh Lord! How corny is that commercial? I am a westcoaster, but I have been to NYC and stayed in the old Time building that has been converted into a hotel. The view from the window was of the rooms across some sort of open area, with dead pigeons and other unidentifiable stuff on the ground. But at only $65 per night, I couldn't complain too much. The room itself, albeit barely big enough for a double bed, was clean and we paid an extra $5 to have our own bathroom. Come to San Diego, we don't have any slum hotes/motels here! LOLOLOL!

Chestnuts roasted by sdspidy @ 08/11/2006 04:26 PM EST

Dude, I have a video tape of "Ghostbusters" that my parents recorded way back in 1987, and since I watched it constantly (I was 3, and obsessed with the GB) I have that whole commercial permanently etched into my subconscious. At the age of 22, I can finally appreciate the wordplay in the spelling of "lullabuy." Those clever so and sos...

Chestnuts roasted by J Dubs @ 08/11/2006 05:41 PM EST

I live upstate in Rochester, and we'd get WPIX as part of the cable package...that thing was on TV night and day!!!

To be honest, I figured it got bulldozed years ago!

Also, great site...glad your back after your absence!!

Chestnuts roasted by Danny C. @ 08/11/2006 06:25 PM EST

Okay, I'm tempted to start booking

Chestnuts roasted by Jenny @ 08/11/2006 06:59 PM EST

Speaking of, I've been poking around San Francisco hotels for a vacation next year. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd like a room downtown, but it's not completely required.

Chestnuts roasted by Julie @ 08/11/2006 07:50 PM EST

Hi, first-time poster here.

My goodness. This article brought back a little piece of my childhood I'd completely forgotten (actually, pretty much everything you write, especialy the stuff about New Jersey, does that for me, but I digress). Thanks for posting this!

- Simon J, former Jerseyan, currant Hoosier

Chestnuts roasted by Simon Jester @ 08/11/2006 08:22 PM EST

So were there any other Milford commercials, or did they shoot their load of invitational glee all at once?

CEO #1--"I'm tellin' ya, John, the boys in advertising really hit this one out of the park! We're gonna be booked year-round, and eventually, there will be Milford Plazas all over the world! What'dya think?"
CEO #2--"I think I just sharted."

Chestnuts roasted by ColonelCatsup @ 08/11/2006 08:25 PM EST

I loooovvvvvvedddd the Milford Plaza commercial! Back when I was 5, Annie had just came out, and I equated that with Mlford Plaza for some reason....btw, here's an oldie but goodie jingle I used to hear on the eye witness news morning additon before i went to school in the morning:

(scene shows a Henry the 8th type king)

(Cheesy Irene Cara flash dance ish music starts)

Trump castle Hotel and Casino, the best party that we knooww..
Your the king of the caasssstle!!!

I also remeber this other one with Doo Wop guys singing about diamonds, Robinns on the Rock or something.

And that baby furniture toy store in Westbury,"we sell everything but Giant Gorrillas!"

There's a current one that also gets in my head at inconvienient moments:

5-8-8 2-3-hundred Em-pire...today!(cue to computer generated guy that looks like Stan Lee)

Chestnuts roasted by mandy_Reeves @ 08/11/2006 08:36 PM EST

I haven't read the posts yet, i just wanted to hurry up and see if i could even post anything myself, i keep getting that message that says youre over your limit or whatever! Its felt like ive had my tongue cut out for a week now or something!

Chestnuts roasted by Katella @ 08/11/2006 09:20 PM EST

Katella - You feel like you've had your tongue cut out? Greymatter=Godfather. It must be stopped.

Totally off topic, but I'm so excited - we're getting digital cable, after a year without it! Wrestling, BBC America, those million music channels that no one listens to - honestly, I'm a little giddy. Had to share.
The giddiness is probably because I work from home, and now will have a new distraction.

Chestnuts roasted by Jessica Marie @ 08/11/2006 09:51 PM EST

I'm the real Joker!
I actually vaguely remember this ad, never had the need to stay in a NYC Hotel though.
The song is stuck in my head now!-

Chestnuts roasted by Joker @ 08/11/2006 10:29 PM EST

5-8-8 2-3-hundred Em-pire...today!(cue to computer generated guy that looks like Stan Lee)

I thought these ads were a local NY thing, but I found out through Conan O'Brien that they're also run in Chicago! During Conan's week-long stay in Chicago, one night had La Bamba dress up at the Empire Carpets Guy, followed by the entire audience singing the jingle.

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 08/11/2006 10:51 PM EST

Ah, yes--the Milford Plaza...the hip hooray of ballyhoo of Broadway! The commercials weren't local--I seem to remember them more during CBS's football show (what was the one called with Brent Musberger and Irv 'looks like Nat 'King' Cole' Cross. That and Dutch Master products.

Chestnuts roasted by kindersczenen @ 08/11/2006 11:45 PM EST

the windows are locked so tightly due to the MULTIPLE suicides or mudres that have occured there over the years . . . a despondant sciencetologist jumped from the 10th floor in 1990 http://www.whyaretheydead.net/Noah_Antrim_Lottick_24/ and a man in the navy pushed his girlfriend out of an 6th floor window http://www.navytimes.com/print.php?f=1-292925-2191333.php

there are more window deaths that have occured at this place so i guess that is why the mangement choses to triple lock the windows -- but it does not seem to help. it's a nice-looking hotel from the outside of the building -- but it's kind of like the "old" times square on the inside -- seedy and sad

Chestnuts roasted by ginger @ 08/12/2006 01:52 AM EST

43 BUCKS!?!?! These days, even the shittiest of hotels aren't that cheap!

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 08/12/2006 03:11 AM EST

Those Empire ads? That group is based out of Chicago, but it is a national group. Having lived in Chicago for a decade I know that one of the unofficial rules of being a Chicagoan is that you have to know the Empire song. Also, Cub fans are considered to be second-rate citizens.

Chestnuts roasted by mjf7583 @ 08/12/2006 10:42 AM EST

I grew up with that ad 25 times a day for my whole childhood. UPSTATE, baby!

Matt

Chestnuts roasted by Another Matt @ 08/12/2006 12:38 PM EST

I love localized commercials. My favorites are the kooky car commercials that only people from your area remember the catch phrases from. "100 dollars says we'll beat your best deal REGARDLESS!" "What Grandma says, Grandma DOES!"

Here's a pre-SNT question: What's the best hotel you've ever stayed at?

Chestnuts roasted by Blazer @ 08/12/2006 03:52 PM EST

wow... talk about a kick in the balls section of my memory...
I know I'm a bit late posting here and therefore no one will probably read this but I had to post anyway.
This commercial, is probably one of my most prevelant memories from TV when I was a kid. considering this ad ran at least twice during every commercial break I found myself singing along with a song I hadn't heard in at least a decade. The only other ad that could compare with this were the Shop-Rite Can-Can commercials...
holy shit.. this made my night.

Chestnuts roasted by WonKa @ 08/12/2006 07:51 PM EST

My God that commercial springs my mind back about 18 years. Wow.

Chestnuts roasted by Joseph Christ @ 08/13/2006 09:02 PM EST

Jesus, Matt, you really are a magician. How do you find some of this stuff?

This commercial haunted my childhood in Queens. It was in heavy, heavy rotation for at least two years, and, since they knew their demographic, the only respite was Saturday morning cartoons. When the "Milford Plaza" jingle came on, you knew cartoons were over for another long, joyless week.

And like Starwenn, I never hear "the Lullabye of Broadway" to this day without thinking of those scary reception women in their matching outfits and ubercoiffs.

Chestnuts roasted by hodsthorn @ 08/14/2006 07:46 AM EST

that was definitely a commercial that sticks with you. i still quote from it til this day!

Chestnuts roasted by Jay @ 08/14/2006 12:37 PM EST

"Wrestling Challenge" was the other weekend WWF programming.

I am from upstate and they aired the Milford Plaza commecial here too. I think it was on WWOR, but even the local NBC affiliate aired it too a few times, and we are nowhere near NYC. I thought the commercial was awesome too, the jingle alone was unforgettable.

Chestnuts roasted by Destro @ 08/14/2006 03:37 PM EST

My God I remember this commercial like it was yesterday. Geez, I'm getting old (29, but who is counting!?).

Well done, as always!

Chestnuts roasted by crookedterror @ 08/16/2006 12:08 PM EST

Boy, that one brings back memories. Anyone who watched tri-state area TV in the mid-to-late '80s has that commercial ENGRAVED in their head.

If you thought that the Milford was a shithole now, you should have seen it then, right off of the then-whore-infested 42nd street in a hellish sort of metropolis only seen in the likes of a Tim Burton film. I'm sure these days are some of its better ones.

Chestnuts roasted by Oliver Haddo @ 08/17/2006 12:02 AM EST

By the way, the jingle is actually a bastardized "Lullaby of Broadway" by Al Dubin and Harry Warren, circa 1935.

Chestnuts roasted by Oliver Haddo @ 08/17/2006 12:16 AM EST

I'm just really glad they made the Children's Aid Society.

Chestnuts roasted by Chris @ 08/18/2006 06:52 PM EST