"I Lived in Milwaukee, I Ought to Know..."

This 1950 ad for Blatz showcases one of the Cream City's most famous former residents, promoting Milwaukee's most famous product:

Although the ad was printed several years after Veeck sold the Milwaukee Brewers and moved on to the big leagues, the Brews were an important part of the sales pitch.

"I lived in Milwaukee, I ought to know...
Blatz is Milwaukee's Finest Beer!"

says Bill Veeck, former owner of Milwaukee Brewers baseball team (American Association) and Cleveland Indians (World Series Champions in 1948)

"Milwaukee is the all-time leader when it comes to producing fine beers," says Bill Veeck. "Naturally, I've tried the best of them... and only Blatz Beer bats 1.000 with me. It's Milwaukee's finest beer!" Yes—official figures show that Blatz is the largest-selling beer in Milwaukee and all Wisconsin, too. Try Blatz Beer, today!

and then, to further establish Mr. Veeck's bona fides:

Milwaukee baseball fans have warm memories of Bill Veeck. In his pre-Cleveland days he owned the Milwaukee Brewers, won 3 consecutive American Association pennants for "America's Brewing Capital."

This was part of a larger campaign of the late 1940s and early 1950s in which former Milwaukee residents (including Don Ameche, Fred MacMurray and Uta Hagen) and natives (such as Liberace, Alfred Lunt, Pat O'Brien, 1948 NFL MVP Pat Harder, SCUBA inventor and pioneer Max Nohl) all showcased their local Milwaukee credentials to support the assertion that "Blatz is Milwaukee's Finest Beer!"

The campaign also included celebrities who could say "I've BEEN to Milwaukee, and...", including Groucho Marx, Sid Caesar and English actor George Sanders (forever immortalized as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book).

I never doubted you for a minute, Groucho.