Betty Grable, Belle Starr, marketing and me
Over the fifty-odd years I’ve worked as an international marketing consultant, I’ve met dozens of Hollywood icons, but none more special than working alongside and befriending my childhood idol, Betty Grable.
This is how it happened…
In April 1969, just a few months after opening my fledgling advertising agency, I won a major Scottish retail account and was immediately tasked with coming up with a one-off promotion to cover all 60 client outlets.
My next in command came up with the idea of a competition titled “Stampede!” taking home a first prize of a vacation for two at the world famous Calgary Stampede.
But I figured we needed a dazzling stunt from Bobby to hang on.
That night I was flipping through my local paper when I saw a photo of Betty Grable sitting on the steps of the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square.
The caption read: “Hollywood star Betty Grable will appear in a new musical Belle Starr which begins its provincial audition at Glasgow’s Alhambra Theater before opening in the West End.”
A light went on and my reasoning ran, Betty Grable, Belle Starr, Stampede, perfect fit.
The next morning, back at the office, I called the embassy to ask for Betty’s contact address (try you’ll end up in handcuffs in the Tower of London today) and was rewarded with not only Betty’s apartment phone number Miss Grable, but also with a Ginger Rogers contact who was in London appearing in a stage version of “Mame”.
two for one; If Betty didn’t see me, she would try Ginger.
I nervously dialed the number and a voice answered, “Rory Calhoun.” That puzzled me, but I went ahead with a mumbled summary of my purpose in calling.
There was an eerie silence after which he said, “Sounds interesting, meet us tomorrow at twelve noon in the Welsh Institute rehearsal rooms on Grays Inn Road.”
It was raining stair bars when I got out of a taxi and ran to the Institute where I was greeted by stunt arranger Bobby Bass who escorted me to the rehearsal rooms and there she was, my childhood idol, kicking high in the middle of a group of choirs as raindrops fell on them from a dilapidated tin roof.
Wearing a 6′ 3″ tasseled denim jacket, movie star Rory Calhoun crossed the room to introduce himself and Gerry Schaffer, his co-producer. They listened to my introduction and Rory asked, “What’s the bill?” dollars acceptable?
That’s how much my client was willing to pay for Betty Grable’s services (photo shoot, personal appearance), but I was pleasantly surprised when Schaffer said, “How do you want to be reimbursed, cash or check?”
Next, I called the tour company agent, who gave me a suspicious look but perked up when he read Rory’s scribbled acceptance note. “Well then, you’d better take care of the publicity and public relations for the test; twenty thousand dollars is the budget for publicity and there’s a promotional fee of ten thousand dollars.”
hubba dubba…
The show opened at Glasgow’s Alhambra Theater to packed audiences, garnered rave reviews, and ran for six weeks instead of the scheduled three. The sponsors were ecstatic and considered that they were on a roll.
During the run, I remember taking Betty and Rory to visit Loch Lomond one morning, after which we had lunch at an Italian restaurant where googly-eyed waiters pampered Betty like bees around a pot of honey.
Sadly, despite the success of the test, Belle Starr dropped out of the West End after a handful of performances.
To the contrary, my agency made a great deal of money and attracted a flood of new business as a result of the perceived inventiveness of this unique promotion.
Neil Sedaka sings in his tribute to this famous lady, “I’ll never meet you Betty Grable…”
But I did, and benefited from the experience.
The moral of this true story is…
If you’re an ambitious young marketer dreaming up an idea so wild and crazy that you’re convinced it’s going to blow up in your face, develop it anyway.
You could be in for a winner…