Back in the 1980s, there existed a “white coat rule” which prohibited people from portraying doctors in commercials without the benefit of a disclaimer or clarification as to the person’s credentials. As a result, the advert makers who were determined to push Vicks Formula 44 came up with one of the most popular taglines in commercial history and they used a soap star to do it.
Which of These Soap Stars Was It?
All of these actors either play a character on, or are an alum of, one of the four remaining soaps – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless. But only one of them can claim that they’re famous for not being a doctor but playing one on TV.
But who can that actor be? Is it Ronn Moss (ex-Ridge Forrester, BB), Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans, DAYS), Stuart Damon (ex-Dr. Alan Quartermaine, GH), or Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott, YR)?
Ronn Moss
In an advert for Levante Stockings, Moss played one half of a couple who couldn’t resist the urge to doff their designer duds and return to the bedroom – “Levante Stockings… it’s a sin to cover them up!”
In Australia, he played a prairie era frontiersman whose accent was just ever so slightly off. “You can tell when it’s not all Aussie… Australian Fresh [Orange Juice]. 100% Australian Fruit.” However, Moss never sold consumers on the benefits of cough medicine.
Deidre Hall
She’s appeared in commercials for products like Tide and in appeals for institutions like Shriners Hospitals for Children. And in the early 1990s, Hall was the spokesperson for Dexatrim, an over-the-counter dietary supplement. But she didn’t extol the benefits of a product designed to soothe irritated throats.
Stuart Damon
He had played a dedicated physician for years on General Hospital, so who better than Damon to represent the Vicks brand? Why, Chris Robinson – the man who had spent just as many years playing Alan’s most hated rival – of course!
Between 1984 and 1986, Robinson filmed a number of commercials for Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup (as well as its offshoots, 44D and 44M). Each one began with the now popular phrase, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” But he wasn’t the only TV soap doc they recruited for their successful commercial campaign.
Peter Bergman
In 1986, Bergman, who was then playing All My Children’s Dr. Cliff Warner, was asked to participate as well. He filmed a number of adverts for the product (always using the introductory explanation). In 2006, Bergman and his reading of the line was included in TV Land’s 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases countdown.
