May 8, 1886 was the date on which Dr. John Pemberton (1831-1888) first sold Coca-Cola to a local Atlanta drug store, thus marking its debut on the world stage as a publicly available soft drink.
Pemberton, a morphine-addicted Confederate Civil War veteran, experimented with different concoctions in an effort to come up with a formula to kick his habit. He’d been at it for 20 years by the time he came up with Coke. Earlier efforts had included “Dr. Tuggle’s Compound Syrup of Globe Flower” and “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”, which he made by adding extract of African kola nut to Mariani Wine, a then-popular mixture of wine and cocaine. When Atlanta went dry in 1886, Pemberton had to remove the alcohol element, replacing it with carbonated water, which was thought to have medicinal properties. Initially, the product was thought of as patent medicine. Once Pemberton added sweeteners, by universal consent the drink was also pronounced delicious. The famous “refreshment” that the beverage provided was less that though than a drug rush, featuring the triple whammy of sugar, caffeine, and cocaine. Coke was proclaimed to cure a wide variety of ailments, but really it just got you wired. It continued to do so even after the cocaine was removed when the drug became illegal a few years afterwards.
Originally sold only at soda fountains, Coca Cola was first sold by the bottle in 1894, widening the market substantially. It has often been thought of as America’s most successful brand, to the extent that the product is often understood as a symbol of America itself. The script of its logo, the shape of its bottle, everything about it has always been fetishized. Holiday print ads in the 1930s were one of the major contributing factors in the modern conception of the appearance of Santa Claus. What could be more major than that? Coke is also heavily identified with American servicemen, thanks in part to the company’s vigorous wartime marketing efforts.
In 1927 the company launched their first radio show The Coca Cola Hour, featuring Jessica Dragonette as “Vivian, The Coca Cola Girl”. Several other shows bearing their sponsorship followed. Another early one was Coca Cola Topnotchers (1930-32), a sports show.
Coca Cola Spotlight Bands (1941-46), later known as The Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands featuring the top swing orchestras of the day, including those of Glenn Miller, Xavier Cugat, Guy Lombardo, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Benny Goodman.
The Coke Club, which launched in 1945 featured “Irish Nightingale” Morton Downey, backed by Jimmy Lytell and His Orchestra.
The Pause That Refreshes on the Air ran from 1942 to 1949. Jane Froman was a cast member towards the end of its run.
Coke also sponsored The Charlie McCarthy Show (1949-52).
Coke also sponsored The Mario Lanza Show (1951-52).
Cola Cola also sponsored the television variety show Coke Time (1953-57), which also ran simultaneously on radio. Initially hosted by Don Ameche, a few months into its run became Coke Time with Eddie Fisher. Guests included Gisele MacKenzie, George Jessel and Milton Berle.
During the Cold War, Coca Cola’s global marketing efforts were seen by many as symptomatic of American imperialism. The famous “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” tv commercial campaign of the early 1970s, with its imagery of people of all races holding hands and singing on a heavenly hilltop was no doubt an effort to put a positive spin on that reputation. Not everyone was charmed though. In this connection I always think of the lyric from The Clash’s 1982 song “Straight to Hell”: “Let me tell you about your blood, bamboo kid. It ain’t Coca Cola, it’s rice.” It seemed emblematic of America’s long history of extracting blood and treasure from other lands and giving nothing but shiny baubles in return. There’s a bit of a theme going today. Our next post is on a related topic.
For more on show biz history, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, And please stay tuned for my upcoming Electric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.
(Travalanche) 
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