We weren't as aware of the health problems associated with smoking in the 1970s as we are now. Adverts for cigarettes are banned on television almost everywhere, but they were commonplace during the time, and performers like Susan Anton owe their careers to them. Anton first caught the eye of the nation while advertising Muriel Cigars, using both her name and her singing voice to get the product firmly inside your head.
Merv Griffin was impressed with what he saw, and invited Anton to appear on his show several times. That added to the force behind her rising star. Appearances on 'Hollywood Squares' and 'The Mike Douglas Show' followed, as well as the movie 'Goldengirl.' Success just seemed to keep following success, and by 1979 she was famous enough to host a show of her own - 'Presenting Susan Anton.'