I thought we had reached the ultimate in bizarre, with those Harley Earl ads that Buick has been pushing these past months. Well now, we have an even stranger case of resurrection-the late tough-guy actor (Bogart) is back…to sell you new furniture!
Now, I am not an ad man…but for those of who who are…can somebody tell me how a long-dead actor is supposed to get people to buy your tables and chairs?
I guess the biggest market for new furniture is the newly-married (age ranges 22-30). Bogey passed away in 1958-and his bext films were made in the 1930-40’s era…so how many 20-somethings (outside of NYU film students even know who this guy is?
Man, I can’t wait to see what Madison Ave. has got in store for us…next we’ll see the late John Wayne back in action!
Hey, Ralph it was John Wayne’s corpse that started this years ago when he was shilling beer for Coors.
I remember a Bogart impersonator—Jerry Lacy—doing TV commercials back in the '70s.
As for how many 20-somethings would know who he is . . . I’d have sneered at that a few days ago, but then I told one of the Editor Babies at work how cute I think Cagney was, and she said, “from Cagney and Lacey?”
This sort of thing is not new- just a few years ago, I saw the late Fred Astaire dancing around in a commercial for vacuum cleaners.
I believe it was also Jerry Lacy who was in a film called The Man With Bogart’s Face back in the early 1980s. I don’t think it was widely promoted or in release for long, but I remember seeing it. I was doing some work in the media at the time, and probably have the press kit for its release somewhere in my files. Don’t ask me to put my hands on it right now though; I think it’s buried that deeply.
As for twenty-somethings having no idea who these people are, do they no longer have things like classic movie nights at rep cinemas and college campuses any more? When I was in college in the late-70s/early-80s, those were where I was introduced to Bogart, Cagney, and so on. I saw some great movies, many of which continue to be favourites. If not, it’s a shame. I was never a film student, but those were fun nights and a terrific exposure to some great movies.
Bogie shilling for a furniture company. I just hope that it’s not the start of a beautiful friendship.
Actually, 20-somethings should be more aware of Bogart, Cagney, et al, than my generation. I didn’t have cable or videos—I had to get up at 3:00 a.m. and sneak downstairs to watch their movies on the sly!
Well, when you’re dealing with certain huge stars, the kind who became icons, it’s generally pretty safe to assume thgat even young folk know who they are.
When I was a kid, back in the 60s and early 70s, I had no trouble figuring out who Bogart, Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and Bing Crosby were, when they appeared in old Warner Brothers cartoons. I only got lost when I saw caricatures of people like Jerry Colonna (until relatively recently, I had no idea who the heck he was… or why there seemed to be so many moustachioed cartoon characters who went around saying “Grrrrreeetings, Gate!”).
But for the most part, Warner animators had the good fortune to lampoon stars whose fame and legacy would endure.
The strange thing is…the collection is named after him!
I thought the Hemingway furniture was nuts…Bogart furniture? That’s even stranger!
Hey, man! Don’t Bogart that couch!