Maury Ettleson, Elmhurst car dealer whose catchy commercials made him a star, has died at 93
Few Chicago TV commercials ever really reach iconic status. It’s a small club. Car dealer Maury Ettleson was definitely a member.
The tagline he proclaimed with his business partner Nick Celozzi was tailor-made for their Chicago accents:
“Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet .... Where you always save more money!”
Wearing suits and waving handfuls of cash, the pair implored Chicagoans to visit their dealership at York and Roosevelt roads in Elmhurst.
Soon after the commercial hit the airwaves in the 1970s, the slogan — and the monotone delivery with which it was delivered — became a Chicago pop culture phenomenon.
The automobile-dealing partners became so recognizable that they even got asked to do commercials hawking other products, including beer, pizza and furniture.
Mr. Ettleson, who was 93, died July 16 at home in Lincolnshire from natural causes, according to his family.
The dealership was sold in 2000. Today, there’s a hospital on the site.
Mr. Ettleson was a humble guy, according to his family, but enjoyed being a local celebrity.
A few weeks before he died, he was in the hospital for a medical procedure. Are you related to the Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet guys, a hospital employee asked.
“I am one of those guys,” he responded.
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