WHAT'S THE REACTION?

At a recent gathering, my friend Vivian and I were regaling the group with memories of our radio-listening habits when we were teenagers.

As we were discussing WLAC, I shrieked with delight, "THUNDERBIRD--say it!"   I was referring to the vintage (sorry, but I cannot resist that pun) Thunderbird Wine jingle:

WHAT'S THE WORD? THUNDERBIRD
HOW'S IT SOLD? GOOD AND COLD
WHAT'S THE PRICE? THIRTY TWICE
WHAT'S THE JIVE? BIRD'S ALIVE
WHAT'S THE REASON? GRAPES IN SEASON
WHAT'S THE REACTION? SATISFACTION

To this day, asking "What's the word?" to people (mostly men, but obviously also some women as Viv and I remember the ads) of my generation will elicit a response imitative of the low, suggestive voices of the radio disc jockeys from the 1950s, and "satisfaction" is always said with the addition of several A's: "saaatisfaaction".

The history of Thunderbird Wine is interesting. After Prohibition the Gallo Brothers wanted to corner the market of young wine consumers. Ernest Gallo began selling Thunderbird in ghettos around the country and it is reported that he would place empty Thunderbird bottles in gutters as advertisement and also began advertising on the radio with the "What's the word?" jingle. Thunderbird Wine is known as "The American Classic" and as a Bum Wine. The original price was 60 cents ("thirty twice") and the cost today is $4.50.

I read that the yellow, fortified wine is known to turn the lips and mouth black and that the taste is disgusting.