Trending Now...

What's trending? I'd rather be timeless... #instyle #TrendingNow pic.twitter.com/mOYDsiy9Ba
— Kendra Liedle (@Cococaffeine) September 22, 2014

The Oddity Of Posthumous Celebrity Endorsements

About a year ago, I was driving North on Laurel Canyon Boulevard here in Los Angeles when I spotted a billboard depicting the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire, and Clark Gable... iconic stars of Hollywood's past.  Of course, this is not all that unheard of-- especially in Los Angeles.  The twist?  It was a public service ad for condoms.  A number of questions came to mind as I drove away.  Is this legal?  Did they honestly get permission from the estates of these dead celebrities to push condom use?  And if so, how f***in expensive was that?  For a public service announcement.  Not to mention the fact that, let's be honest, the audience most likely to notice that billboard have not used condoms in quite some time.  Just sayin.

This also brings me to the question of posthumous celebrity endorsements.  To me, there's something inherently troubling about it.  As someone with an advertising degree, I've struggled with the idea.  The ethics of it.  It's one thing if someone is approached to endorse a product while they're alive and that person agrees to do so in exchange for compensation of some kind.  However, it's quite another thing if someone approaches your estate long after you're dead.  Or puts in an offer to your primary beneficiary: "Hey... we'd like to give you "X" amount of money.  All you gotta do is let us put your great-grandfather's face on a condom ad.  Cool?"

When a celebrity endorsement works, it can really bring a product to life and get people to notice it.  Celebrities are used all the time to hawk products.  Of course, most of them are living-- at least at the time the ad airs.  But let's face it, posthumous celebrity endorsements are just strange.  It's not like the celebrity personally tried the product and decided, "You know what?  This is darn good stuff.  I'll be glad to attach my name to it."

We all know this.  We see a celebrity like Marilyn Monroe depicted in a contemporary lingerie ad-- fully knowing that the lingerie line probably didn't even exist in Monroe's era.  Let alone did she wear any of it.

Don't be mistaken.  I'm not entirely against posthumous celebrity endorsements.  I just think they have to be dealt with cautiously and respectfully.  I believe we should honor the memory of the dead no matter who they are.  To me, the only way a posthumous celebrity endorsement works is if the celebrity in question is a good fit for the product.  That is to say, does it honor the celebrity's essence?  Leave us a beautiful memory of who they once were?  Or is there some distinguishing feature or characteristic about a celebrity that naturally lends itself to a certain product. Bob Hope was an avid golfer, but would you put him in a modern ad for Twizzlers?  Probably not.  But golf balls or a PGA Tour?  That's more likely. Of course, the most ideal circumstances for a deceased celebrity product endorsement occur very rarely.  And a posthumous celebrity endorsement must be treated with particular care.

A number of years ago, Gap famously lifted a dance sequence featuring Audrey Hepburn from the movie, Funny Face for their "Back In Black" campaign to sell skinny black pants-- a look that Audrey Hepburn originated.  In the ad, Gap famously transported a dancing Audrey from the beatnik era of Funny Face into the contemporary world of Gap.  They added splashy music and a kaleidoscope effect and there's Audrey dancing like a maniac and clearly having a blast.  And you know what?  Even though Gap got some flack for the ad at the time, I truly think Audrey would've gotten a kick out of it.

Speaking of which: Galaxy Chocolates, a British chocolate brand has an ad out featuring a CGI Audrey Hepburn traipsing around a watercolor-washed landscape, circa 1950.  It's obviously not Audrey, but her essence?  In my opinion, it's there.  And the ad, while not perfect, works.  We can imagine Audrey in that world, unwrapping a sweet moment and savoring the flavor of quality dark chocolate.

 And anyone who's read up on Audrey Hepburn knows that the girl was a fan of high-quality dark chocolate, pasta, and Granny Smith apples.  [All things that I also happen to enjoy fondly.] Sure, you see Audrey's likeness all over Hollywood, but as far as endorsements, her son handles those sorts of things.  And by all accounts, he's very selective about what he agrees to on his mom's behalf.  In all likelihood, he asks himself: Does it honor Audrey's essence?  Does it highlight some memory of her?  Things she loved, activities she enjoyed, causes she believed in? If yes, then it's a good fit.

Copyright © 2014 by Kendra Liedle

"May I Put My Hand In Your Pocket?..."

I must've been five years old the first time I saw Gone With The Wind. On TV. Even on the small screen I was swept off my feet by the epic story, the cinematography, and the spirited charms of both Scarlett O'Hara (Viven Leigh) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable.)

Since then, I've seen the film countless times. I have an original paperback copy of the novel from 1939, sealed in a plastic bag. I've unconsciously memorized entire passages from the film--purely from seeing it so, so many times over the years.

But it was only three days ago, seventy years after its release, that I finally had the opportunity to see the film in its full glory-- in 35mm, on the big screen, with a sold-out audience. I saw the film Monday night in the William Goldwyn Theatre at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, CA.

The evening began with newsreels from the year 1939 and a Buck Rogers serial. Following that, the audience was given a rare opportunity to hear anecdotes from several of the remaining cast members, including Cammie King (Bonnie Blue Butler), Ann Rutherford (Carreen O'Hara), and Mickey Kuhn (Beau Wilkes). Even a firefighter who had been on-set during the historic "burning of Atlanta" sequence was in the audience. Moments before the curtains parted, Olivia de Havilland (Melanie Hamilton) offered a greeting recorded earlier in the day from her home in Paris. Then, we were off... to the the land of Tara...

On the big screen, bookmarked by large Oscar statuettes, Scarlett's world was an altogether new place. It was as fresh as the first time I'd ever seen it, yet more true, more real, more vibrant. On the big screen, I noticed things I'd never seen before... like parrots. I in two different scenes that I never recall seeing before. At the Atlanta bazaar, I was able to read a sign in the background: "Buy a hanky. Beat a Yankee." In the jailhouse scene, I could see the callouses on Scarlett's hands at the same time Rhett notices them. So much of the GWTW experience and so many details had escaped me by seeing the film on TV and VHS-- the only way I'd been able to see it up until now. I relished sharing the film with fellow audience members and cast members in attendance who were watching along with us.

During intermission, I had the opportunity to meet Ann Rutherford (Carreen O'Hara,) seated two rows behind me. I never thought I'd ever be in the position to meet anyone directly involved in the film, yet here I was, in Beverly Hills CA (at the Academy, no less) meeting Ms. Rutherford herself-- seventy years after her appearance in one of my favorite films. Ms. Rutherford is delightful-- one of the most spirited women I've ever met. I looked into her face and saw the glow that she still has after all these years. As I grow older, I want to keep ahold of that spirit within myself. So many of us lose it, over time. Ms. Rutherford says Gone With The Wind was one of the best things that ever happened to her-- as it's made her "golden years... platinum."
It's also one of the best things that's happened to me and to many people around the world.

It's a testament to the film's power that so many of us in the U.S. and around the world can become connected by our mutual affinity for such a classic film. Although many of the original cast members are no longer with us, in Gone With The Wind they vibrantly live on. For those cast members left, their GWTW experience seventy years ago is now 'no more than a dream remembered...' but oh what a glorious dream it must've been!

**I'd like to thank the Academy for offering this superb event-- especially for younger generations like me, who have very little opportunity to see classics like this on the big screen-- as they were intended to be seen.**

1939-- GONE WITH THE WIND ~ CELEBRATING 70 YEARS.

Copyright 2009 by KLiedle