Russ Alben facts for kids
Bernard Russ Alben (born December 27, 1929 – died August 26, 2012) was an American advertising expert and a talented composer. He was a top creative leader at a big advertising company called Ogilvy & Mather. Russ Alben is famous for creating the catchy "Choo Choo Charlie" jingle for Good & Plenty candy. He also came up with the well-known slogan for Timex watches: "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Biography
Early Life and Career
Russ Alben grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He went to Midwood High School. He earned a college degree in 1951 from Syracuse University. He even worked at the university's radio station, WAER. For a short time, he produced several children's television shows. One of these shows was Bozo the Clown. After that, he started his long career in advertising.
Advertising Work
Russ Alben began his advertising journey as a copywriter. This means he wrote the words for ads. He worked at companies like Benton & Bowles and Grey Advertising. Many of his projects were for children's toys and products. These included toys from Mattel, Hasbro, and the Ideal Toy Company. He often had his two sons play with new toys. This helped him get ideas for commercials. Russ Alben created ad campaigns for Hot Wheels. He also wrote the script for the very first Barbie Fashion Show.
Alben also worked on ads for foods, candies, and children's cereals. He wrote the famous "Choo Choo Charlie" jingle for Good & Plenty candy commercials. In the 1960s, he worked on ads for Post Cereal. He wrote songs for two of Post's cartoon characters. These characters were Linus the Lionhearted and Sugar Bear.
In 1968, Alben became a creative director at the Carson Roberts Agency. This agency was in Los Angeles, California. In the early 1970s, he became the Vice President and Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather. He stayed in this role until he retired in December 1981.
As a Composer
Russ Alben and his wife, Ruth, were very musical. They wrote both official albums for the 1964 New York World's Fair. These albums were called Jump to the Fair and Hop to New York. Russ Alben wrote lyrics for many radio and television commercials. He also wrote music for local shows. He could play many instruments. These included the clarinet, saxophone, banjo, balalaika, and mandolin. He often performed in concerts with Ruth.
Alben also worked with Jerry Hart. They wrote music for a play about Albert Einstein. The play was called "The Smartest Man in The World." It opened in 2007.
Russ Alben passed away on August 26, 2012, in Los Angeles. He was 82 years old. He was survived by his wife, Alice Germanetti. He also had two sons, Alex Alben and Ted Alben, and five grandchildren. He was buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.
