It is thought that the modern phenomenon of celebrity culture has only recently created the dim-witted agent or publicist. The stupid gene has existed ever since the first press release was issued. The venerable sage Ezra Goodman noted this phenomenon back in the 1950’s. Goodman, was the most distinguished Hollywood reporter of Time Magazine, he later quit journalism because editors in New York were tampering with his copy. “Performers on the way up are always anxious for publicity. When they reach the top, they may play it cooler. And when they are headed downhill again, as often happens, they start…

The publicist’s skill in crafting a great sound bight has a long an illustrious history. Harry Reichenbach made Walt Disney aware of the power of seeding an anecdote. It is rumoured that it was Harry’s influence that crafted this Disney gem. When the film producer was asked about how it felt to be a celebrity. Disney said, ” It feels fine when it helps to get a good seat for a football game! But it never helped me to make a good film or a good shot in a polo game, or command obedience of my daughter. It doesn’t even…

Last week the Guardian asked me to write a feature on Jay Bernstein. It appeared this morning in the Media Section under the banner “End of a great Hollywood era”. Jay Bernstein’s death a week ago at the age of 69 means entertainment publicity will never be quite the same again. He was a one-off – a kid from Oklahoma who rose to be as famous as many of the people he represented. He walked the walk and talked the talk and made the lifestyle of the humble PR man sexy. http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1769644,00.html

Reading the transcript of the Jay Bernstein interview I found this moving moment when the legend contemplates his professional and personal loneliness. “I had a conversation with Michael Moore a while back. I said to him you are like me. We run on compliments. We fill our tank with compliments from people. We have what we need to keep going. Success? This is a very lonely painful place. I feel happy for Steve (addressing fellow PR Steve Jaffe who was also present in the room) who I’m very fond of as he has Susan (Blakely) I don’t have anybody. It’s…

The Church and various religious groups have always created brilliant copy, and the film and theatre business have benefitted from outraged clerics who find inoffensive theatre shows too sexually explicit for words. This is not a modern phenomenon. The first Church offensive against the fun brigade was in the 1920’s. Clerics in the U.S. were threatened by the hard facts that more people were going to theatre shows on Sundays, than to Church. The Church felt the slump spiritually, but more importantly in the collection plate. In 1919 The Methodist Church noted three vices for the ban list. Card playing,…

I received a call late last night from Steve Jaffe in LA who told me that Jay Bernstein, the legendary publicist, died on Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, after a massive stroke. He was 69. Jay Bernstein was the flamboyant Hollywood personal manager, best known as the “star maker” who launched Farrah Fawcett and Suzanne Somers to fame in the 1970s. When I was in LA, Steve Jaffe managed to persuade Jay to spend some time with me to help with research for my book project. A one hour session turned into three in his wonderful house…

In the late 1920’s an organisation for the Preservation of American Musicians was set up to protect the ‘live’ performance, due to burgeoning fears that the rise of the radio and record industries would put thousands of musicians out of work. Apparently, musicians felt under such a threat that the organisation employed Larry Neive, a well known publicist, to launch a campaign to stop the ‘rot’. Larry, pre empting David Blaine, decided to organise a continuous ‘live’ string quartet performance, one in New York and the other in Washington to lobby politicians to extol the virtues of ‘live’ music. These…

When the Wall Street Crash struck, Variety came up with a publicity wheeze and ran free classified ads for show people. At one point there were over 25,000 actors idle, all placing ads in the trade paper. One of the biggest PR clangers came from the usually savvy Hearst, who started a breadline on Broadway. Unfortunately this telegraphed a depressing spectacle to punters and seriously cut into dwindling business. The breadline was kept open but it transferred to off Broadway, alas the damage had been done.

Great press agents have all been touched by madness. This letter by Richard Maney, one of the great Broadway publicists, was sent to George Bernard Shaw has a resonance in the 21st century. “There are over sixty theatrical press agents in New York, most of the fine sober and reliable as so many Congressmen. This, I think, is the unfortunate. In achieving respectability and recognition, the theatre has lost something. It was a more fascinating profession when its agents were outlaw. There’s too much decorum in the world, too little fun. Humour, along with those who practice it, is about…

Legend has it that the doyen of studio publicity, Russell Birdwell, came up with the bright idea to use the film trades to sell celebrity real estate. Errol Flynn in 1954, used Variety and advertised his hilltop, ten acre estate, complete with caretaker, tennis court, “gorgeous pool,” projection room and pony ring. This was the residence where Flynn once had a fancy dress party featuring white -mice races emceed by George Jessel. Birdwell inserted a line ads and cautioned: “Qualified prospects by appointment.”

Without great PR advice, history teaches us that there are many ways to destroy a successful career in the film biz. The most common is shooting inappropriate remarks from the hip. The mighty Tom Mix was a top cowboy of American silent films, known for his daring stunts, and equally famous for his elaborate cowboy outfits. He was the model for the dandyish, squeaky-clean movie cowboy that was much parodied in later years. Mix also had a famous steed, Tony the Wonder Horse. When the great recession hit California, Westerns were axed by the dozen. Mix was stung and troubled,…

Day 11 When war was declared in 1915 the American nation looked to the entertainment industry to set an example. Unfortunately Broadway became a hideaway for draft dodgers. The Government sent in agents to hound out the slackers. One act that sort PR advice on what should be done to generate popular appeal during this time was the Marx’s Brothers.