The Food Commercials You Didn't Realize Starred Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander will forever be "Seinfeld" character George Costanza in the hearts and minds of fans. Whether he was pretending to be a marine biologist, establishing his title as "master of his domain," celebrating a traditional Festivus, or sporting a pair of prescription swim goggles, it's hard to imagine Alexander as anyone other than Jerry's best buddy. This talented thespian, however, has played some other very memorable roles.
He was Richard Gere's slimy lawyer in "Pretty Woman," then Earl, the depressed telemarketer who befriended Phoebe, on "Friends," and also "Young Sheldon" teacher Mr. Lundy, who aspires to be an actor. Alexander has also appeared on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "The Connors," and the "Mad About You" reboot. He is a Tony Award-winning Broadway artist who won $250,000 on a celebrity episode of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," and was nominated for an Emmy for his role as George Costanza seven times (IMDb).
You may be surprised, however, to learn that Jason Alexander has been singing, dancing, and acting on television screens since the early 1980s, when he was hired to try to entice you into buying an entire lineup of food products.
A young Jason Alexander played high school tropes in early spots
A 1981 Hershey's Kisses commercial brought viewers a young Jason Alexander bedecked in a high school varsity jacket bearing a huge letter "H" (likely signifying Hershey). As he proclaimed, "Mom always said big things come in little packages like the big taste of chocolate in this little Hershey's Kiss," just as a beautiful blonde cozies up to him beside his locker while cooing, "Hi David." Yes, in a past life, the man who brought us George Costanza was a popular jock.
His attention soon turned to promoting Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. Surrounded by handsome athletic types sporting team sweaters and carrying pitchers of celebratory lager, a nerdy-looking, black bowtie-bedecked Alexander looked noticeably out of place in the commercial. A pretty brunette even smooshed his face in a mom-to-toddler fashion. Consumers, however, didn't have to feel bad for Alexander for long as his fortunes soon took a turn for the better. The same girl whispered something in his ear and he fell to the floor with a smile on his face. Whether it was a fantastic whisper or too much Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, it was nice to see his character experience some happiness in this role.
Alexander was very enthusiastic about potato chips too
In a Lipton Onion Soup Mix advertisement, Jason Alexander played "Joe," the barbecuing star of the neighborhood block party. Armed with a freakishly large oven mitt, he's seen busily grilling up burgers when a neighbor asks him where the onions are for his patty. Having mixed his ground beef with the onion soup mix, Joe responds that they're inside his burger, adding, "Lipton makes a burger taste better." His affable community seemed to agree.
An extremely excitable, fast-talking Jason Alexander also aimed to convince consumers that Delta Gold were the best potato chips. While he oozed enthusiasm for this snack food, the compliments poured forth from his mouth at an alarming rate. He declared, "You can see how good they taste ... see how golden and light colored these chips are. That's exactly how they taste ... they sparkle with flavor." That is high praise, but what likely convinced buyers most was that Alexander couldn't seem to stop eating the product.
The actor can dance and sing as well
For many, Jason Alexander's most memorable advertising gig was the one that saw him dancing and singing with a very un-George-like sense of rhythm and coordination in a commercial for McDonald's McDLT. Outfitted in a tie and a white sports coat with sleeves rolled up "a la 1980s," he managed to flit about unhampered by the carefully displayed burger in his hands. Singing lyrics about the hotness of the McDLT's beef and the cool crispness of the lettuce and tomato, Jason Alexander played the part of the world's most impressed hamburger customer ever. And when he declared that this McDonald's burger, "Could be the best lettuce and tomato hamburger ever," he was pretty darn convincing.
Yes, Alexander was a very hot commodity in the advertising world for a time. It's hard to imagine that this product peddler's ready smile, witty banter, and sheer joy of life belong to the same actor that played rage-aholic George Costanza — a man who once trampled senior citizens and children to escape a small kitchen fire.