Hadacol Boogie - stories for my Grandchildren

I have no idea what synapse misfired and the long-buried memory of Hadcol came to my mind, but it did. So, perversely, I need to share that memory with you.

Hadacol, for those of you who are unenlightened - and that would be virtually all of you - was a health elixir that was heavily promoted in the '50s as a cure for what ails you. The short story is that  four-term Louisiana State Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc, concocted a patent medicine that he marketed as a vitamin supplement. LeBlanc was not a medical doctor, not even a pharmacist, but he was quite the huckster.

LeBlanc promoted Hadacol as a "Dietary Supplement...formulated as an Aid to Nature in rebuilding the Pep, Strength and Energy of Buoyant Health when the System is deficient in the Vitamins and Minerals found in this Tonic..." Never mind that it was pure snake oil consisting of "a murky brown liquid that tastes something like bilge water, and smells worse." It also was 12% alcohol by volume, and that alone made it popular in the dry counties of the South.

So what was my association with Hadacol? I certainly didn't need a dietary supplement of minerals and vitamins, or a stiff drink; what I did need was a box top. Marketing was everything and LeBlanc came up with the "Hadacol Caravans" - the last of the medicine shows - that toured the country and featured some of the top Hollywood stars of the time. Roy Acuff, Milton Berle, Lucille Ball, Minnie Pearl, Mickey Rooney, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Carmen Miranda, George Burns and Gracie Allen and Hank Williams, to name a few, all appeared as performers in the Caravans, and the price of admission was a boxtop.

I don't remember who headlined the Caravan that came to Breckenridge, Texas. I know it was not any of the stars above. Some lesser light, but still a draw sufficient for me to plead with my parents to shell out a buck-twenty-five for a bottle so that I could attend. After a great deal of begging and whining, my father finally agreed, but with the condition that if we bought it, I had to drink it.

That was more than 65 years ago, and I can still recall how vile that stuff tasted. The suggested dose was a tablespoon in a half-glass of water, but even that did not sufficiently dilute the taste, and you were supposed to repeat that dose 3 more times during the course of a day. That meant that 8 ounce bottle would produce 16 doses, or 4 days of misery.

I am pretty sure I did not take all 16 doses; I may have "accidentally" dropped the bottle, or poured it out and just pretended to drink it. And, as mentioned, I don't remember what "star" came to town to make me think this was a good idea, but I do remember the taste of Hadacol.

And the Hadacol Boogie? Take a listen.