The radio spots are better, maybe because I don't have to see this guy that looks nothing like Harry.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/foster/858863,CST-NWS-stella25.article

THE SCOOP: I RECENTLY called Grant DePorter, president of Harry Caray's restaurants, and told him that I personally didn't like the current AT&T TV commercials with John Caponera, who impersonates the late great Harry Caray. And this is DePorter's response:

"I am not a fan of the AT&T commercials either. The restaurants have nothing to do with AT&T's commercials but did hear that AT&T was looking at doing some sort of tribute ad to Harry," DePorter said. "Virtually everyone who has seen them thinks they are poorly done and being run too frequently. I have asked AT&T to discontinue these commercials multiple times. And I just learned that AT&T is discontinuing the commercials as of March 30.

"Dutchie Caray (Harry's widow), who has been in California, has not seen them, nor did she have any say in their production. She was under the impression that this was going to be a relatively small campaign because of the very nominal fee that was offered to the estate for the use of Harry's image. She will be flying back to Chicago this week to help open the new Harry Caray's Tavern across from Wrigley Field," said DePorter

It's a long leap from a tributary marketing campaign to one that makes a dead man look like a drunk buffoon.

of impersonating someone who is deceased, especially when you are trying to make people laugh. I always found it distasteful when people would impersonate Harry when Chip was around. Plus those ads are really bad.

on their website (under Investor Relations) where I could vent - and vent I did.

I am a shareholder, customer, and one pissed-off Cubs fan. Your current ad campaign featuring Harry Caray is a disgrace and anyone in your marketing department and/or executive management with Chicago connections should be ashamed of themselves. You took a legendary figure and made a buffoon of him. I saw your little song-n-dance number by your official spokesperson who said the ad campaign was going to end on March 30 anyway. IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE STARTED!

In addition to pissing off me and countless other Cubs fans, you have needlessly upset Dutchie Caray, Harry's widow and one of the nicest, most decent people I have ever met. Again, anyone from AT&T who had a hand in this campaign should be ashamed of themselves and their future at AT&T should be examined very closely.

I know that I will be examining my future relationship with AT&T very closely.

I had no idea she hadn't given permission. Now I'm kinda mad about it.

they are truly terrible.

These ads are shameful at best. It's one thing to "make fun" of Harry in a stand-up act, but to broadcast to the world the image of Harry as a "drunk buffon" is not only distasteful, but hurtful.

I agree with the bluebythebook, the lawyer from the estate should be ashamed of themselves for not examining the ads before they aired.

I know, it doesn't really matter to AT&T, but I for one, have switched service providers since the ads have aired.

Harry probably wouldn't have cared over this tempest in the proverbial media teapot in Chicago, I think. He was the ultimate showman who wasn't above jerking chains and I personally suspect that he likely would have given them the nod if he was alive .. after all, I seem to remember a certain series of "Bud Man" commercials he did and a comment about "booze, broads and B.S." which defined a certain kind of personal philosophy he embodied in his public persona. But as I said I haven't seen them and don't know the context of how they portrayed him.

I would agree that a playful impersonation of Harry's mannerism can be made to go too far to hyping anything, and AT & T., the bloated corporate Bord that it is, surely isn't above that kind of excess. They'll have Beyonce on there bouncing herself around with dancing cell phones next if they could. Gotta remember the old saying .. "This is America. If it works, overdo it .. "