Willard Hanes; Retired Advertising Executive
Willard Hanes, who produced innovative automobile commercials in the early days of television, has died at his Van Nuys residence. He was 89.
Hanes died Monday from complications of kidney failure, said his wife, Sunny Hanes.
Born Jan. 9, 1901, in Buffalo, N.Y., he came to California in the early 1940s and began working for the Campbell-Ewald advertising agency in Los Angeles in 1948. Hanes produced Chevrolet commercials using innovative methods, including special effects. For one commercial, a flower was shown opening its petals to reveal a new car inside, an unusual device in those days.
Hanes retired in 1966 as head of the agency’s television advertising office in Los Angeles. He belonged to the Corsa Club for Corvair owners in the San Fernando Valley.
Hanes is survived by his wife of 40 years; a son, Jerry Hanes of Lake Almanor, Calif.; a daughter, Barbara Fackler of Colorado Springs, Colo.; two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church, 2700 Montrose Ave., in Montrose. Praiswater Funeral Home in Van Nuys is handling the arrangements. Donations can be made in Hanes’ name to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times.
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