1954 ad

Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson better known as Stan Laurel, was an English
comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team
Laurel and Hardy (below). His film acting career stretched between 1917 and
1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film The Music
Box (1932). In 1961, Laurel was given a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award
for his pioneering work in comedy. He has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame.   
 

(Original IBM logo)

International Business Machines (IBM) is headquartered in Armonk, New York
and manufactures and sells computer hardware and software. It also offers
infrastructure, hosting and consulting services. IBM was founded in 1911
as the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation thorough the merger
of four companies. CTR adopted the name International Business Machines
in 1924. Fortune ranked IBM the 18th largest firm in the United States, as
well as the 7th most profitable.

Thomas J. Watson led IBM from 1914-1956.

Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford (above) and incorporated
on June 16, 1903. The automaker is the second largest in the U.S. and the
fifth-largest in the world.

The Jacksons is a variety show featuring the Jackson siblings, except for
Jermaine who was signed to Motown while the Jackson group was signed
to the CBS record label. It was the first variety show where the entire cast
were siblings. As with the Jackson 5 regular performances, Michael Jackson
was the lead performer in musical and dance performances.The thirty-minute Wednesday evening show began airing on CBS-TV as a summer 1976 show
and it continued into the 1976-1977 season, finishing on March 9, 1977 after
running for 12 episodes.