Stutchkoff's Commercials

Nowhere, perhaps, did Stutchkoff flex his linguistic muscle more than in his ad copy, especially for Manischewitz Matzo. For thousands of years matzo has been made from three simple ingredients -- water, flour, and salt. Yet each time Nahum Stutchkoff pitched it, the bread of affliction came off as something different. It was "clear," "burnished," "pearl-like," "thousand-flavored," "crispy," and "bright as the rising sun." It was a model of modern factory production and a living link to the scattered tribes of ancient Israel. It was the path to culinary delight and the manna of spiritual sustenance.

But Stutchkoff's greatest matzo pitch was his starkly direct "Manischewitz Matzo" jingle, featuring the simply beguiling lyrics "Manischewitz Matzo, buy, buy, buy." The song, so popular it was copyrighted and the sheet music sold in stores, was a regular feature on Stutchkoff's WLTH children's talent show, "Uncle Nahum's Kidkins," where the Barry Sisters, among others, got their start.