Part 1 (SC 1251, Audio 1102A/1-36, PH 6814, film call numbers): Original Collection, undated
Physical Description: 0.1 cubic foot (1 folder), 37 audio recordings, 61 films, 7 videorecordings, and 0.1 cubic foot of broadsides (1 oversize folder) 
Scope and Content Note

These records of McDonald Davis & Associates consist almost entirely of radio and television spot advertisements prepared or distributed by the firm for a number of national and Wisconsin candidates. The exceptions to this are a few paper items pertaining to the 1970 campaigns of Jack Olson and Henry Schadeberg (transferred to the Visual and Sound Archives), and an incomplete file, 1965-1966, transferred from the State Archives, of Wisconsin on the Line, a newsletter published by the agency. Subjects discussed generally include state and national politics.

The relative absence of paper means that all documentation which would have carried the original idea for each campaign from conception to completion was destroyed prior to donation to the Historical Society. A notable exception to this is a sound recording of a strategy meeting held in October 1967 by various members of the firm in order to discuss the issues to be stressed in the upcoming Nixon primary campaign in Wisconsin. In addition, there is some unedited sound footage and extensive rough film footage from which the filmmaking aspect of ad production may be studied. The footage on the 1966 Knowles campaign is of particular interest for it was shot by the independent filmmaker Maysles Film Inc.

The collection is organized alphabetically by the name of the candidate and then divided chronologically and by length and type of ad. In a limited number of cases -- the 1966 and 1968 Knowles campaigns and the 1970 Olson campaign -- there is also unedited sound, video, and negative footage.

Much of the videotape material was originally received in two-inch format. These tapes have been re-recorded on 3/4-inch cassette format for preservation and access.

More detailed information on the contents of each title is available on the sound and film control sheets completed at the Archives.

Bush, George

Television spots, 1980

Biography

Interior

Mill

Montage

Exterior

Rescue

Denton

Interior

Mill

Montage

Exterior

Governor Gregg

Victory

Concerned

Excellent in government

Biography

Five-minute biography

Revision

In spite of

Fed up

Cases

Defense

Energy

Biography

Interior

Mill

Montage

Exterior

Rescue

Admiral Denton

Ceci, Lou

Television spots (Crime, Interview), 1966

Dean, Douglas

"Sunday After New: The Douglas Dean Story"

Dwyer, Robert

One-minute radio spots, 1968
Note: Statements in Dwyer's own voice.

Henry Reuss does not live in Milwaukee (D1-60-68)

Reuss allies himself with anarchist New Left (D2-60-68)

Reuss has not repudiated Barbee for statements about Huey Newton (D3-60-68)

Reuss wants non-producers to run country/Dwyer is a working man (D4-60-68)

Reuss' extreme views have been rejected by Democrats (D5-60-68)

Reuss offers no real help to Milwaukee poor (D6-60-68)

Reuss studies foreign economics, not Milwaukee problems (D6-60-68)

Reuss wants taxes/does not understanding workingman/is too far removed from our problems (D8-60-68)

Erickson, John

Television campaign spots, 1970

Construction (E30-1)

Save the School (E30-2)

Campus-Drugs (E30-3)

Commitment (E30-4)

Campus-Politics (E30-5)

Campus-Voting (E30-6)

Campus-Draft (E30-7)

Revenue (E30-8)

Welfare (E30-9)

Military-Industry (E30-10)

Polly Erickson (E30-11)

Pollution (E30-12)

Knowles endorsement (E30-13)

Pollution (E30-14)

Packers-Youth, with Carroll Dale and Bart Starr (E60-1)

Kasten, Robert

Television spot, Spending, 1980

Knowles, Warren

30-minute campaign film, featuring Melvin Laird, Jack Olson, Wilbur Renk, and Knowles made as part of the Knowles gubernatorial campaign, 1964

60-second radio spots, 1966, “Voices of the People of Wisconsin and their Newspapers” series

Television spots (13), 1966

20-second television spots, 1966
Note: More complete descriptions of rough footage [AC 327-330, CA 940-949, DD 520-527], negatives [CA 967-971, DD 536-539], sound footages [AC 333-338], and audio outs [DD 534-535, FE 515-516] shot for 1966 campaign by Maysles Film are available in the Film Archives.

60-second radio spots, 1968, Newspaper endorsement series

Milwaukee Journal editorial endorsement (K1-60-68)

Fond du Lac Reporter endorsement (K2-60-68)

Beloit Daily News endorsement (K3-60-68)

Dunn County News endorsement (K4-60-68)

Wisconsin State Journal endorsement (K5-60-68)

Television spots, 1968
Note: More detailed information on rough footage [AC 331-332, CA 957-965, DD 531-533] is available in the Film Archives.

Leonard, Jerris

One-minute radio spots, 1968 (Humorous)

Who's Jerry Leonard? (L1-60-68)

What ever happened to Gaylord Nelson? / It's time he came home (L2-60-68)

No one has heard of Gaylord Nelson since he was governor / You'll know Leonard's around (L3-60-68)

If you want change, Leonard gets things done (L4-60-68)

Television spots, 1968

Forgotten Man

Shrinking dollar

Law and order

Soldier

Agriculture

Shrinking dollar

Law and order

Law and order

Funnel

Agriculture

Shrinking dollar

It's that basic

Nixon

Leonard for Senate

Television spot (L-4-60), 1968

Lucey, Patrick

Lucey for Governor, 1974 radio spots

Governor Lucey radio spots

Governor Lucey spot #9

Lucey general radio spots

Lucey general election spots

McCullough, Walter

Four television spots, 1968

Myse, Gordon

Television spot, “Gordon Myse: Victim's Rights,” circa 1983

Nixon, Richard

30-second television spot used to appeal to farm vote, 1968

Television spot, “November group,” 1968

60-second radio spots, “Nixon's the one” series, 1968

Vietnam

Other nations must pay their share of foreign aid

World peace

Courts have given criminals too many rights

War on crime promised

Black America

Wealth of America

Time for new leadership

Bart Starr endorsement of Nixon (NA5-60-68)

Medicare views (RN 150)

60-second radio spots, 1968, “This time vote like your whole world depended on it / This time Nixon” series

Law and order (RN 158)

Farm costs
Note: All agriculture spots are RN 93.

Farm prices

Secretary of agriculture will be true farm man

Farm exports

Bargaining for farm prices

Agricultural program changes planned

Individual statements from Democrats for Nixon

30-second radio spots, 1968, “Nixon's the one series”
Note: Many are shortened versions of the 60-second series.

Leadership

Law enforcement

Crime

Wealth of America

After 40 years it is time for restoration of power to states and cities

Foreign aid costs

Our nation is troubled today because our leaders have failed

60-second radio spot, 1968
Note: Paid for by Nixon-Agnew volunteers, this spot asks for volunteers.

60-second radio spots, 1972

Four cuts of individual Wisconsin voters endorsements (CT 502)

Miscellany

Unedited footage of Nixon's Bart Starr Day airport statement to hecklers, 1968
Note: See also Olson radio spots.

Unedited footage of Nixon advertising planning session to develop concepts and ideas, circa 1967

Olson, Jack

Five-minute audio statements, 1970

Views on environment (O-5-70)

One-minute radio spots, 1970
Note: Note on box explains how spots were to be rotated.

Interview format/Lucey will increase state spending, Olson won't (O-60-1)

Nixon response to hecklers at Green Bay as expression of his true free speech views (O-60-2)

Nixon response to heckler at Green Bay as expression of his free speech views
Note: Differs from O-60-2; this tape uses Nixon's own voice.

Newspapers including Sentinel, Portage Daily Register, and Wisconsin State Journal endorse Olson (O-60-3)

Lucey is promiser and spender (O-60-4)

Withholding is high, but Lucey wants to raise it (O-60-5)

Two hippies say Olson has always been for law and order (O-60-6)

A father advises daughter to study record on how to vote; Lucey never did anything as Lt. Gov. (O-60-7)

Miscellaneous sound footage, 1970

Nixon endorses Olson and Erickson, October 1970

Olson announces his candidacy for governor, 1970

Television spots, 1970

Beautiful state

Next generation

Open and honest

Together

Expression

Bart Starr

Budget

Home

Public employees

Problem solver

Revenue

Money

Campus

Farm

Quality

New Left

Nixon

Knowles endorsement

Hecklers

Governor

Great state

Man on the move

Issues

Environment

David Martin

Olson and Nixon
Note: Silent rough footage.

Rough film footage of Olson and Nixon, 1970

Campaign broadside, 1970

Schadeberg, Henry C.

Five-minute report to district campaign spots, 1968

Cost of living / Inflation is the result of Johnson administration overspending (SC1-5-68)

Vietnam War / Problem is that administration has not communicated its policy nor exercised its strength (SC2-5-68)

Farm problem / Johnson administration's inconsistent policies talking the nation into farm depression (SC3-5-68)

Crime / Problem arises from failure of administration to understand moral values of society / Money will not wipe out the misery of the poor
Note: Includes musical jingle for HCS.

One-minute radio spot series, 1968

Inflation caused by government spending (SC1-60-68)

LBJ fails to indicate where our defense perimeter is in the Pacific (SC2-60-68)

LBJ does not have will to fight organized crime / Nation needs to be set on moral course (SC3-60-68)

LBJ has ignored farm problem (SC4-60-68)

North Vietnamese are stalling the peace talks / U.S. should act accordingly (SC5-60-68)

Government programs must be cut; much waste in poverty programs, foreign aid (SC6-60-68)

Crime problem (SC7-60-68)
Note: Short version of campaign jingle included.

Nation not getting its money's worth on foreign aid (SC8-60-68)
Note: Same campaign jingle with different music.

HCS is for peace in Vietnam, but only by being strong (SC9-60-68)

HCS is for enforcement of the law, no right to riot (SC10-60-68)

Inflation is greatest threat to economy / This is caused by wasteful government spending (SC11-60-68)

HCS is for rights of the individual / Cites soldier/rifle incident (SC 12-60-68)
Note: First version of campaign jingle included.

Agriculture problem (SC13-60-68)
Note: Second version of jingle.

Campaign broadside, 1970

Smith, Bill

60-second radio spots, 1966

Humorous spot, How to spell Smith

Kastenmeier has done nothing in eight years in Congress

Inflation

Kastenmeier has no answer on Vietnam, Smith has a plan

Television campaign spots, 1966

Humorous, Smith (B-60)

Supermarket, Smith (20-I)

Vietnam, Smith (60-C)

Steiger, William A.

60-second radio spots, 1966

John Race's views on use of atomic bomb in Vietnam

Democrats are for inflation, so is Race

Race and Lucey believe in high spending

Steiger says what he thinks
Note: Recording is in Steiger's voice.

“New young leader” radio spots, 1968

Endorsement from Rep. Ayres (Ohio)

Editorial from Plymouth Review

Editorial from Oshkosh Northwestern

Editorial from Hartford Times-Press

Statement of support from Rep. James Scheurer (NY)

Television campaign spots, 1968

Steiger Story (St-75-M)

Pollution (St1-60-68)

Education (St2-60-68)

Steiger Story (St-20-68)

Testimonial (St1-20-68)

Warren, Robert

One-minute radio spots, paid for by Republican Party of Wisconsin, 1968

Policemen's wives support Warren for Attorney General (W1-60-68)

The ideal attorney general would be a person much like Robert Warren (W2-60-68)

Statement on his leadership (W3-60-68)

He authored clean water legislation, now wants to enforce it (W4-60-68)

Wisconsin on the Line newsletter, 1965-1966
Note: Incomplete file.
Scope and Content Note: State and national politics discussed.