The Hilarious '60s Commercial That Gave Us One Of The Most Iconic Culinary Catchphrases Of All Time

In the world of advertising, one could argue that true success is achieved when people start using taglines, catch phrases, and jingles in everyday conversation, or at least during life's little scenarios. There are many mornings when my husband rolls out of bed and says, "Time to make the donuts," which of course comes from the popular 1980s Dunkin' Donuts commercials.

And when I make a meatless dinner, he occasionally proclaims, "Where's the beef?" in a nod to the classic ads from Wendy's from the same time period. If this theory is true, then a 1969 commercial for Alka-Seltzer could take the crown for one of the best, most successful commercials of all time. The catchphrase, "That's a spicy meatball!" was not only stated repeatedly during the commercial itself, but has been regularly quoted by other media (and my husband) well into modern times.

In the outtake-style ad, actor Jack Somack sits at a table covered in a checkered tablecloth. With his on-screen wife, played by Fran Lopate, standing close by, Somack takes bite after bite of the spaghetti with meatballs (an Italian-American dish which isn't even from Italy at all) and exclaims, "Mamma mia, that's a spicy meatball!" At this point, the clues suggest it's a commercial for pasta sauce, or maybe frozen meatballs. It isn't until the end, when Somack is overwhelmed by indigestion caused by those spicy meatballs, that Alka-Seltzer appears on the screen. The ad was met with laughs as well as criticism, with some Italian-Americans taking offense at the stereotypes portrayed on screen. Either way, people couldn't — and still can't — stop quoting the classic ad. By the way, if you like a little spice, amp up your homemade meatballs with a dusting of Hot Cheetos.

The "Spicy Meatball" commercial is clever, with some pretty sharp comedic timing. This has much to do with the fact that it was directed by Howard Zieff, the director behind the classic 1980 hit comedy, "Private Benjamin." Interestingly enough, sales of Alka-Seltzer dropped after the ad was released, mostly because people still thought the spot was for some kind of spaghetti sauce, not an antacid. But its reputation was just in its infancy.

Fast forward to 1994's hit movie, "The Mask," where Jim Carrey exclaims the famous catchphrase after ingesting a bundle of dynamite, reviving the line for a whole new generation. Then, in an episode of "The Office," the character Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, similarly quotes the phrase after biting into a cold, limp slice of New York-style pizza that was sent to him via mail. In true Michael Scott fashion, the attempt at humor is completely baseless and irrelevant ...but, for the most part, the average viewer was familiar with the line, which is what made it funny.

So, you see, one really doesn't need to be biting into a spicy meatball at all (stay far away from canned meatballs) in order to effectively quote the original commercial. And, with that, you have a true advertising success story.