Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular - S1-E5
Deliberate mistake: Watch the end of the test run for Michael and KITT. Michael was using the KITT steering wheel, but then he gets out of the car and it switches to a performance steering wheel instead.
Knight Rider [Pilot; a.k.a. Knight of the Phoenix] (1) - S1-E1
Deliberate mistake: Watch the scene when Michael fell asleep. At the end of the cop chase the cops get out. Watch the license plate California KNIGHT in yellow letters. The next scene reads Nevada MCC224 and has an original Trans Am rather than KITT's rear.
Chosen answer: Before "product placement" became common, name-brand products were rarely, if ever seen in TV shows, mostly due to avoid advertising conflicts with program sponsors. The Pepsi logo may have been taped out to prevent any commercial infringements.
raywest ★
Are you kidding? Product placement was so rampant in the 50s that sometimes you'd wonder if you were watching a TV show or a paid ad.
Brian Katcher
Knight Rider wasn't produced in the 1950s. TV shows of that era had advertising more similar to the old radio shows from the 30s and 40s. The early 50s series often had a sole sponsor, so their product (and related items) was likely seen in a program. An announcer also informed the audience at the beginning that, "This program is brought to you by (insert brand name). " From the 60s on, brand-name products weren't generally seen in TV programs. Networks sold air time to multiple advertisers, and their ads were shown during the long commercial breaks. So no, I'm not kidding.
raywest ★