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Don Boyd | all galleries >> Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet >> Miami Area TELEVISION and RADIO PERSONALITIES Historical Photo Gallery - click on image to view > Jack O'Brien doing a live commercial for Municipal Auto Sales in the back lot of WTVJ-TV Channel 4 (Jack's story below)
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Photo Courtesy of Gary Licko

Jack O'Brien doing a live commercial for Municipal Auto Sales in the back lot of WTVJ-TV Channel 4 (Jack's story below)

Miami, Florida


Thank you to Gary Licko for providing this image which has been distributed all over the internet but now the above image is an improved restored version.

Anyone who grew up in Miami in the 1950's and 1960's has memories of seeing this showman's commercials for Municipal Auto Sales on the back lots of WTVJ Channel 4, WCKT Channel 7 and WLBW Channel 10. Municipal Auto Sales was located on NW 36th Street across the street from the original first Burger King which blossomed into a worldwide chain, second only to McDonald's.

The following story was written by Jumpin' Jack O'Brien on his Facebook account and I'm reposting it here because a huge number of people want nothing to do with Facebook and it will be seen by far more people on this site:

The Municipal Years
by Jumpin' Jack O'Brien

There was nothing easy about working at Municipal Auto Sales! First of all, you had to have nine drivers, minimum, to get three cars to the three television stations, where we did “Live Commercials.” There was no tape yet, so every commercial was live! And they all were one minute in length and if you were late getting to the stations, you still paid for the commercial that was missed…so you NEVER were late. NEVER!!

The nine drivers were college guys who were going to an aviation college to learn how to work on aircraft. “Fuji” was their “Boss” and he lined them up and showed up with them every Monday thru Friday at three o'clock. I was HIS boss and he learned never to show up without eight guys and himself no-matter-what!

Meanwhile, I was getting the list of cars and prices of same that would be appearing on television that day - we had 10 to 12 spots between four o'clock in the afternoon and seven o'clock in the evening. The shooting took place at the TV stations, out back, so to speak, where we had big signs with MAS on them etc. to show above the cars as they drove by. The salesmen on the lot and I got the nine cars pulled into one area so Fuji and his men to get out fast - get to the gas station at the corner, and put four gallons of gas in each one. Then off to the three stations to wait for me to show up. I had made up the master list of which cars went where and when so we didn’t show the same cars at the same stations all evening. Timing was everything, but soon it became quite hairy…I would get to one station with maybe a minute to spare and then get caught in traffic and go nuts trying to get to the next station on time, what with the four o'clock traffic. Finally, we had so many commercials that there was no way to make them, so we hired a helicopter to fly me from Channel Four downtown…to Channel 10 at Biscayne and 38th Street and then up to the 79th Street causeway for Channel 7 and then up and back again! The drivers were also having trouble getting to all the stations, believe me, it was no fun and games time every day! And weekends were even worse, we averaged about 20 commercials a day on Saturday and Sunday for a total of about one hundred spots a week!

The cars sometimes were sold sight unseen to people who went to the lot while we were still on TV.
They really were bargains and we sold a lot of them every week. Fact is, we sold over three hundred cars some weeks…had thirty (30) salesmen and thirty five (35) factory trained mechanics in our huge service department…something unheard of in the used car business. So it was a good place to do business and business was good!

My first raise was within a month of doing the commercials. My second one was within two months and my third within six months. I was pretty happy with myself. The owner did all the buying of the commercials and when business slowed down, he didn’t cancel them, he added ten more…or twenty!
He kept me hoppin! One day he paged me over the loud speaker system: “O’Brine (that’s how he pronounced my name: O’Brine” …sheesh) come to the office.” That usually meant bad news.

“I am tired of having to choose what goes where on television” he said.

“You went to TV College, You know how to buy spots don’t you? So YOU buy the spots and let ME run the car business. You think you can handle that?”

I said, “Certainly”

And he said “And don’t even ask!”

And I said, ”Don’t even ask WHAT?”

And he said “Don’t even ask what you were gonna ask … about a raise … NO raise!”

“More work, no raise?"

“Exactly! Here.” And he handed me a box of business cards.

I was just thrilled to see that I was, from that time on, Vice President in charge of Public Relations for the newly created Municipal Advertising Agency. No raise and only VICE president. I asked “Who's President?"

He smiled and said “Guess?”

I did get my own office however. They cleaned out a storeroom across the street next to the world's first Burger King (really) where I could smell the burgers cooking all day and hear them when they said, “You want fries with that?”.

Little did I know that I had just taken my first step towards a TV Kids Show that was my dream! Funny how things happen. My life was about to change, wonderfully!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


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Jim Grimes 11-Feb-2016 02:37
This brings back so many memories. My Father, Lem Grimes worked for both Ed Lane and Merrill Yarborough back in the mid or so 50s. He was Sales Manager when he decided we were all going
back home to Atlanta. I have only been back to Miami one time since then in 1966.
Jack O'Brien 15-Oct-2007 20:34
This picture was taken "out the back door" at channel four. We had the big signs at all three tv stations and we would run the cars by "Live" and then head off to the other two stations to do the commercials all over again...there was a time when I had to ride a helicopter from Channel four to channel seven, to just make it in time...one day, it quit (the helicopter) over Biscayne Bay and we got wet and I missed the 4:30 pm commercial.
If you look closely at the camera, you will see just one lens (wide angle) on it...they didnt even have zoom lenses back then...and, oh yes, at the beginning all the commercials were in black and white...color didnt come in til much later.
Jack O'Brien
jumpinjack@comcast.net
Cathy Blondell 13-Oct-2007 16:48
We moved from Coral Gables (I went to Merrick and St. Theresa) to Perrine in 1960. Our little Cutler Ridge Jr. High School crowd found out where Jumpin Jack lived, which was right around the Colonial Palms Golf Course. We used to make random house calls by honking our horn and some daring prankster would knock on his door. Always the entertainer, he would always come out, usually jumping, and give a great welcome to his little fan club. It was always hoot. On another note, our family would gather around the bathroom door while my little sister sold cars from the tub, hitting the side, and yelling "Sold! For $1.00!" She has not lived down her Ed Mark"em Down Lane impersonation to this day.
Carlos Betancourt 04-Sep-2007 01:17
I lived at 3240 nw 38 st between 1964 - 1966 I would walk by Municipal Auto Sales, cross 36th st go pass the Burger King to school (Melrose Elementry.) I remember once getting into a fight with another kid and one of the salesmen coming out to stop the fight.
Don Boyd17-Jul-2007 00:38
On July 16th, Jumpin Jack writes: "Well now, let me see....since I last posted here I have had heart attack number 4... it's all that good living I do up here in Cane Ridge, Tennessee (20 miles south of Nashville) my heart doctor is amazed that I can still walk around and he says I must have a second heart in back on the first one...cause my front one is more than half dead. It's the good Irish stock I come from!! I have been "down" for about two months, but I now and up and working again and all is right with the world. Called Charlie Baxter when I got his number from one of you, but he never did call me back, so I guess he doesnt remember me or whatever...I sure do wish him well and if any of you is in contact with him, please say "hi" for me.

I will be collecting pictures of Jumpin Jack and some Municipal Auto Sales things and sending the along as soon as I dig them out of the attic...going to the attic is NOT
on my things to do list just yet...too steep of a climb...damn, I am almost 80 and, if I remember correctly, that is NOT middle age any more!

Enjoy this site a lot...

My e-mail address is jumpinjack@comcast.net should you care to say hello.
Jack!"
Jeff 16-Jul-2007 03:13
Ed "Mark 'Em Down" Lane took over a lot location on NW 7th Avenue that was originally Tropical Motors Used Cars - possibly owned by Tropical Chevrolet...

After Ed Lane Auto Sales fell by the wayside, it was the home of Executive Motors - whose TV commercials were originally pitched by Joel Hamilton [who, in the 1950's cut a 45 for Roulette Records] and later Tony Gallo...

If you recall, Joel Hamilton moved on to running bigger auto dealships such as Miami Lincoln-Mercury...
Jeff 16-Jul-2007 03:09
I surely cannot type very well... and my buddy Seth would be so upset if I didn't correct my error... It's Seth Bramson, *not* Branson...
Jeff 16-Jul-2007 03:07
I acquired the negative for this print directly from WTVJ - Channel 4. It's now part of historian Seth Branson's archive.
Guest 22-Jun-2007 02:14
ed-mark-em-down lane was located in the 50's on the corner of Curtiss Parkway & 36th st in Virginia Gardens. One of my parents neighbor's rushed over to the car lot just after his commercial aired and the car "had been sold", but he had another one for a few hundred dollars more.
Guest 21-Jun-2007 17:47
i also remember ed mark em down lane who used to say "if you come down now we'll through in the back steat for free " he was located behind the howard johnson on nw 7 ave and 96 st --he was before jack obrian
there also was a blonde buxsom model type women who sold cadilacs on nw 36 st and about 3 ave she did live commercials
George W Young 21-Jun-2007 01:30
Jack O'Brian is alive and well in Middle Tenn. He just sent my buddy a picture of himself on the lot at MAS standing beside a Corvette. If you e-mail me, I can get you in touch with him. gfyoung@bellsouth.net
Wally Bray 20-Jun-2007 17:16
I remember the line Jack O'Brian said at the end of the spot. "The best for less at MAS, Municipal Auto Sales. Thank You!
Tyler Penny 16-Jun-2007 11:54
Another car huckster from that era was Ed "Mark-em-down" Lane. He would always slap the car door as it started to drive away. That was until the mechanics pulled one on him. They loosened the door so that the driver could push it loose when he slapped. I would love to see a replay of the look on his face when the door fell off.
Guest 09-Jun-2007 22:02
I've been trying to find Jack O'Brien since losing touch with him in 1974 when he had an office supply place in South Miami. If anyone knows of his whereabouts, please post it here. After 32 years, I'm fearful that he's no longer with us, but it would mean a lot to have some details. Thanks
Don Boyd03-Jun-2007 19:45
ALL of us looked so young years ago, even your dad. What is he doing now? Don
Guest 03-Jun-2007 18:33
that is my Dad!!! He looks so young!!! :)