As Seen on TV: The K-Tel Story (2006)

Director:  Cam Bennett

Writer:  Cam Bennett

Composer:  Murray Pulver

Starring:  Dave Thomas, Bob Washington, Philip Kives, Raymond Kives, Don Reedman

More info:  IMDb

Plot:  Combining hilarious inventions, a whole lot of plastic and the ultimate hard sell, his company K-Tel rewrote the rules of advertising and went on to become one of the largest, loudest marketing success stories the world has ever known. This documentary tells the incredible rise, fall and eventual resurrection of the company responsible for creating products such as the "The Miracle Brush," "Record Selector," and the "Patty Stacker."

My rating:  7/10

Will I watch it again?   Nah.

Just like their classic 70s & 80s TV commercials, this TV documentary is short and sweet.  Dave Thomas narrates this entertaining and informative flick that tracks the beginning of the famous company of products you didn't know you needed until you saw the commercials for the hundredth time.  It follows their rise and fall and their comeback.  As a kid in the 70s, this was a nostalgic treat seeing a lot of things I hadn't seen in over forty years.  The most interesting bit was about how they got into the record business and created the compilation albums when they hadn't existed in that form before.  That was surprising.  And like all things great, when you succeed wildly in an industry that wants you to fail and take the money for themselves, you're probably going to lose the long game.  It's an interesting and fun 45 minutes about a piece of pop culture history that should put a smile on anyone's face who lived through it.