YouTube Gold: The 1969 NBA All-Star Game

Well this is a pretty cool find: the entire 1969 NBA All-Star Game, including ads. The halftime apparently featured a national address by President Lyndon Johnson which was cut.

However, the ads are pretty interesting. TV advertising was established but not particularly sophisticated and obviously social attitudes have changed immensely since then. Seeing tobacco ads was a bit jarring and when you see the Buick ad, make sure to look for how the baby is kept in the back seat.

You'd be arrested for that today.

Among the All-Stars here are Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek, Elgin Baylor, Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas and former Duke star Jeff Mullins.

You see a lot of interesting things here. The modern game was incubating in the ABA and the NBA was still very staid and proper. Nonetheless, you get an idea of why people were amazed by Earl Monroe, an idea of just what a ridiculous athlete Wilt Chamberlain was and Elgin Baylor’s very strange free throw routine, where among other things, he scans the lane like he’s expecting someone to come at him and start some trouble. Everyone has their own free throw ritual and some are really odd. It’s really one of the weirdest foul shot routines we’ve ever seen.

Anyway, the video is in good shape and the whole thing is well worth your time. Fascinating time capsule.