Crazy Eddie - Advertising

Advertising

An essential part of Crazy Eddie's success was its advertising campaign. In 1972, WPIX-FM late-night disc jockey Jerry "Dr. Jerry" Carroll ended a live commercial with the now-famous slogan, "Crazy Eddie, his prices are IN-SA-A-A-A-A-ANE!" Antar called in and told Carroll to say the line the same way every time.

Beginning in 1975, Carroll starred in a series of humorous television commercials, each ending with the same frenetic slogan. Among the more memorable promotions featured by Crazy Eddie was the annual "Christmas in August" sale. In the 1980s, more than 7,500 unique radio and television ads were aired in the Tri-State Region. Carroll's acting was so convincing, and he became so identified with the company that many people thought he was actually Crazy Eddie. One commercial spoofing Superman implied that Carroll really was Crazy Eddie; this drew the ire of Warner Communications, the parent company of the distributor of the Superman film series, who sued the chain over the commercial. Eddie Antar countered by threatening to stop selling Atari video games and systems at Crazy Eddie stores; Warner Communications was Atari's parent at the time and Crazy Eddie was its largest customer. The suit was eventually settled.

The commercials were so memorable that HBO's news parody series Not Necessarily the News created a parody TV commercial featuring a caricature of Oliver North (from the then-infamous Iran-Contra affair), known as "Crazy Ollie", selling used weapons at bargain prices. Carroll and the commercials became significant 80s icons, with the commercials often appearing in the background of films of the time, including Splash.