An In-Depth Analysis of the Frank Sinatra Brisk Commercial

## Introduction

For those unaware, the world was drastically changed in 1996 when Brisk Iced Tea released a commercial starring a puppet version of the famous 20th century swing star Frank Sinatra. This commercial completely revolutionized society as we know it, and in this article will attempt to explain how and why. I will be going in depth to examine every small detail from this glorious masterwork, and this is not knowledge that I can just keep to myself. With that being said, we are to begin.

## The Analysis

The commercial opens with a moving camera zooming on Puppet Frank Sinatra's face. He appears to have just finished a performance, as he is bowing and smiling while music fades. It is important to note that this commercial is in black and white, which is likely due to a majority of Puppet Frank Sinatra's success occurring before the color television became mainstream. We then move to a shot with Puppet Frank Sinatra's back facing the camera. Puppet Frank Sinatra also pumps his fist, hinting at a successful performance. The stage lights before him dim, symbolizing the dimming of Real Flesh Frank Sinatra's Life, as he died two years after the release of this commercial. He joyfully tells the audience "Good Night!" We then cut to a shot of women in the crowd screaming and cheering, clearly enamored by the pure beauty of Puppet Frank Sinatra. The women also seem to want an encore from Puppet Frank Sinatra, which he refuses, as he walks off stage in the next shot. While walking backstage, Puppet Frank Sinatra remarks "What's with those lights? Who do they think I am, Peter Frampton?" Peter Frampton is a famous guitarist who made himself popular throughout the sixties and seventies. This is strange, as the commercial seems to take place during the peak of Puppet Frank Sinatra's career, the forties and fifties. This possibly suggests that Puppet Frank Sinatra has some temporal abilities, possibly being able to see or travel to the future. While Puppet Frank Sinatra walks, we see a rotund beady-eyed worker reading a magazine labeled "Variety." This seems to suggest that Variety Magazine has a counterpart in the Brisk Puppet World. The door to Puppet Frank Sinatra's dressing room seems to magically open in front of him, hinting once again that he may have supernatural abilities. It is important to note that Puppet Frank Sinatra's dressing room is labeled "The Chairman." This references Real Flesh Frank Sinatra's real flesh nickname of "The Chairman," which he gained due to his role as founder and *chairman* of Reprise Records. When Puppet Frank Sinatra enters the room, he commands a large man (seemingly a bodyguard) to "Get the car Louie," revealing the man's name. This is possible reference to Real Flesh Frank Sinatra's friendship with Louie Armstrong, particularly because the guard appears to be of African-American origin. The next shot is of a thin mustachioed man (seemingly Puppet Frank Sinatra's manager) in front of a mirror in the dressing room, where he says "Wait! You gotta do an encore Frank, those d-dames are goin crazy!" Puppet Frank Sinatra walks past him while he speaks, moving towards a bucket on his desk. This bucket contains Iced and a can of Brisk Iced Tea. The Brisk Iced Tea is the only part of the commercial in color outside of Puppet Frank Sinatra's similarly blue eyes, possibly hinting at the can having some ethereal power. We then move to a shot of Puppet Frank Sinatra picking up the can of Brisk Iced Tea, where he says, "And that's why I'm slipping out Jack, they were eyeing me up like a leg of lamb." This refers to the a leg of lamb, which is a traditional food item in some places. This shot transitions into a shot of Puppet Frank Sinatra pointing a finger at his manger, almost in an accusatory manner. We then have a close up of the manager, who begins to say "but Frank-" only for the shot to suddenly change to a wider one, where we can now see Puppet Frank Sinatra. It's also interesting to note that Louie is still in the background, suggesting that he did not "get the car" so to speak. Eager to end his manger's ramblings and attain peace, Puppet Frank Sinatra interrupts, saying, "You got clay in your ears Clyde?" This phrase is used to imply that the manager, now identified as Clyde, has not been listening. It's possible that this character is based off of Real Flesh Frank Sinatra's friend Michael Jeremy Clyde, though this seems unlikely due to his British origins and inactivity before the fifties. We then see Puppet Frank Sinatra open the can of Brisk Iced Tea and drink it while gulping noises can be heard. Clyde seems to have also taken note of Louie's lack of productivity, stating "You heard th-the man, get Mr. Sinatra's car!" This is the second example of Clyde's stutter, which seems to be a facet of this commercial for still unknown reasons. Puppet Frank Sinatra seems quite relieved after drinking his Brisk Iced Tea, sighing in relief before saying "That's Brisk baby!" The can sparkles as he says this, implying that the can is sentient and is responding to Puppet Frank Sinatra's compliment. We then get a close up on Louie, who is preparing to leave. Suddenly we cut back to Puppet Frank Sinatra. The dressing room behind him begins to fade and eventually turn to black as Puppet Frank Sinatra says "Holdon, turn up those lights Jack, this gig is just getting started." While he says this, Puppet Frank Sinatra waves his arm, causing the void behind him to become a curtain. This further stimulates the idea that Puppet Frank Sinatra has some supernatural ability. A microphone also comes into view as this occurs. The camera continues to pan back from Puppet Frank Sinatra as the previously shown crowd starts to scream at the reappearance of their idol. The camera eventually pans outside of the venue where the concert seems to be occurring, where we can see that the show is titled "Beyond Cool: Lipton Brisk Iced Tea with Frank Sinatra" This grandiose work begins to fade to black, thus ending the pure thirty seconds of Brisk bliss.