A one and a half minute video clip of Louisiana state Senator Dudley LeBlanc of Vermillion Parish, purveyor of the patent medicine, Hadacol, on You Bet Your Life television show hosted by Groucho Marx. Alas, according to Wikipedia, by 1951 the company collapsed under a mountain of debt.
Hadacol was a patent medicine marketed as a vitamin supplement. Its principal attraction, however, was that it contained 12 percent alcohol (listed on the tonic bottle's label as a "preservative"), which made it quite popular in the dry counties of the southern United States.Several popular songs were inspired by Hadacol, including "Hadacol Boogie", performed by Jerry Lee Lewis.
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The label on the tonic's bottle clearly stated that the recommended dosage (1 tablespoonful taken 4 times a day) was to be taken "...in a 1/2 glass of water after meals and before retiring". However, some pharmacies in dry counties were known to sell it by the shot-glass and at least one bar in New Orleans' French Quarter was known to sell a "Tassel Cocktail" with Hadacol as an ingredient.
Video and link sent to me by an old friend.
Hey, I saw that scene. As you did, I suppose. I remember from later that I did not remember the
ReplyDelete"What's it good for" exchange the first time around, but then saw it become famous.
And Jerry Lee Lewis. Him, I did not watch or want to hear. Young prig. Amusing now to have my nose rubbed in what fun that music was.
Jerry Lee Lewis, with his 7 wives, one his 13 year old cousin, was a character, to put it mildly, but he could play the piano like no one else, and his music was great fun.
ReplyDeleteHahaha. Priceless. But hey, at least he was honest - about what it was good for!
ReplyDeleteYou can't say Louisiana pols don't have chutzpah. Edwin Edwards, known for womanizing, had a standard line when he campaigned in black churches: "I don't drink; I don't smoke. Two out of three ain't bad."
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