Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S11E12- Lions, Panties & Hotel Keys: Hollywood Publicity Stunts

Episode Date: March 26, 2022

This week, we look at the most outrageous Hollywood Publicity Stunts. The crazier the stunt, the better. From sneaking a full-grown lion into a hotel room, to convincing women to throw panties at Tom Jones to spending $8 million dollars on a single stunt for a movie - wild publicity stunts were catnip to the press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please, do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling.

Subscribe now, and don't miss a single beat. This is an apostrophe podcast production. Your teeth look whiter than no nose. You're not you when you're hungry. You're a good hand with all teeth. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Buster Keaton was one of the funniest comedic actors of all time. But he was also one of the most courageous.

He was addicted to high-risk stunts. And he did them all himself over the entire course of his career. He never refused a stunt, no matter how dangerous, and often doubled for other actors who were too timid to take a fall. And he was the star of the picture. Joseph Frank Keaton learned his stunt prowess when he was three years old. He was part of a family vaudeville act that was called The Little Boy Who Can't Be Damaged. His father would throw little Keaton around the stage and design elaborate stunts for his son to dazzle audiences with. It was then that the younger Keaton learned to fall softly, like a cat. In one of the traveling shows,

illusionist Harry Houdini was performing alongside the Keatons. One day, he watched six-month-old Keaton fall down a flight of stairs than just smile and crawl away. Houdini said, wow, that fall was a buster. The nickname stuck, and little Joseph Keaton became Buster Keaton for the rest of his life. While Buster Keaton is known for his comedy, he is also known for one other thing,

his serious face. During his vaudeville days, he learned that if he laughed at his own humor, the audience wouldn't find it as funny. The more serious his face was, the more they laughed. So a deadpan look became his trademark. He always played it straight and never winked at the audience. When you look at his stunts today on YouTube, they are still utterly amazing. More so when you realize he did them all with no green screen, no stunt doubles, and none of the safety gear used by actors today.

In a 1928 film called Steamboat Bill Jr., Buster pulls off an incredible stunt. In the scene, the entire facade of a house detaches from its frame and falls down around Buster, but he is unharmed because he is standing precisely where there was an open window. To pull this off, Buster had to stand perfectly still, leaning two inches either way, and the 4,000-pound facade would have crushed him. As a matter of fact, he had to stay so still, he had his shoes nailed to the ground.

The film crew even turned away as the building fell, convinced Buster would be killed. But he wasn't. He just stood there, stone-faced. But one of his most famous stunts was in the 1924 movie Sherlock Jr. In the scene, he is running along the top of a moving train. He gets off by grabbing the spout of a water tower, releasing a huge torrent of water that sends him crashing to the ground.

Exactly as planned. Except, the intensity of the water blast smashed his neck against the train rail. But what is remarkable is that you see Buster Keaton jump back up onto his feet in the very same footage with no edits. He suffered severe headaches for several days after, but kept working on the film. When he eventually went for x-rays, it was revealed he had broken his neck.

Buster Keaton was virtually indestructible. He made 152 films from 1917 to 1966 and survived them all. He was the king of the stunts. There are two kinds of stunts in Hollywood. One happens in the film, and the other happens outside the film. The latter are called publicity stunts. Movies and celebrities need press attention, and one of the best ways to attract press was with publicity stunts. Hollywood perfected the art of the publicity spectacle way back in the era of Buster Keaton. And the key to a successful stunt is to be outrageous.

You're under the influence. The Hollywood publicity stunt has been around for a long time. Many film historians point to Harry Reichenbach as the pioneer of motion picture publicity spectacles. Born in 1882, Reichenbach was just 13 years old when he ran away with a circus. It was while working with carnival barkers, magicians, and traveling acts

that he learned how to draw a crowd. Many years later, he brought his brazen circus smarts to Hollywood. When asked to generate press for a 1920 film, The Revenge of Tarzan, Reichenbach pulled off one of his best-known stunts. He checked into New York's Hotel Belclair under the name T.R. Zahn. He said he was a musician and wanted to install his Steinway piano in his suite. When the wooden crate arrived, bellhops helped carry the heavy box up to Reichenbach's room. Later, Reichenbach called room service to order 15 pounds of raw steak.

The hotel manager immediately called him back to make sure the strange request was correct. Reichenbach confirmed. When the manager raced to accompany the waiter to the suite, they knocked on the door, and when it was opened, they were greeted with this. There was a full-grown lion prowling the room. The house detective was called, then the police were summoned. Next thing you know,

the press was crawling all over the hotel. What the hotel didn't catch on check-in was that T.R. Zan really meant Tarzan. And with the lion stunt, the premiere of The Revenge of Tarzan. And with the lion stunt, the premiere of The Revenge of Tarzan was splashed across all the front pages. When it came to Hollywood stunts, Harry Reichenbach was king of the jungle. Jay Bernstein was a Hollywood publicist who inherited the mantle from Harry Reichenbach

when it came to stunts. Bernstein represented hundreds of stars in his 50-year career, including the Rat Pack, and his stunts were legendary. When Mary Hart was chosen to host entertainment tonight, Bernstein told the press he was insuring her shapely legs with Lloyds of London for $2 million. The press went crazy.

Bernstein never did insure her legs, but it didn't matter. She became an instant star as a result. When his client Farrah Fawcett was first cast in the TV show Charlie's Angels, she was an unknown and had third billing. So Bernstein came up with an idea. He created a poster of Farrah in a red one-piece bathing suit. Then he applied his PR magic to it. That poster became a phenomenon.

Printing presses had to roll 24 hours a day. It became the most famous pin-up in history, selling 12 million copies. The poster was a star before Farrah was. It created Farrah-mania. Soon, Bernstein was fielding over 200 calls a day from journalists all over the world chasing Farrah Fawcett. When singer Tom Jones was trying to break into America in 1968,

Bernstein was hired to help. Jones was performing at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, but the crowds were small and lukewarm. Bernstein instantly recognized the appeal of Tom Jones. He was a powerful singer with tight pants, a hairy chest, and the ladies clearly found him sexy.

But in order to make a jump to the big time, Jones needed some kind of stunt, a headline-making stunt. And Bernstein had an idea. Jay Bernstein knew the hotel's management well, so he asked for a dozen bogus hotel keys with the flamingo printed on them. Next, he went shopping for ladies lingerie and bought a dozen pairs of lacy panties. Then Bernstein invited the press to attend the show. Just before showtime, he stood near the door of the Flamingo

Theater looking for girls without dates who were there with one or two other girlfriends. Bernstein then approached them and offered one of two deals. He would give them $25 if they would throw a room key onto the stage while Tom Jones was performing, or he would give them $50 if they would throw a room key onto the stage while Tom Jones was performing,

or he would give them $50 if they would throw a pair of panties. He had a lot of takers. Just as Tom Jones was working up a sweat, Bernstein gave the first girl a signal, and she threw a hotel key on the stage. Tom Jones, completely unaware of Bernstein's plan, looked at the key, picked it up, and kept singing. Then a pair of panties landed on the stage. Tom Jones' eyebrows shot up.

Then he really started to sing. Soon, the keys and panties started to rain down on Mr. Jones. The more they landed, the more Tom Jones gyrated, and the more frenzied the audience became. The press ate it up. The next day, Tom Jones was in the headlines everywhere. By the second week, women were lining up to buy tickets. Soon, the hotel keys and panties were landing on the stage

without Bernstein's help. Not long after, Tom Jones was a singing phenomenon with a big house in the Hollywood Hills. One day, legendary movie producer Dino De Laurentiis was walking back to his office after lunch and spotted a long lineup of people. movie producer Dino De Laurentiis was walking back to his office after lunch and spotted a long lineup of people. Curious what film was drawing so much attention, he asked what movie they were waiting to see.

That's when he was told they weren't waiting for a movie. They were lining up to buy tickets for the New York State Lottery. That surprised De Laurentiis and it got him thinking. What if you created a movie with a plot that contained a contest

where the audience could win a million dollars? De Laurentiis knew that everyone had a dream of becoming a millionaire overnight. And maybe, just maybe, he could tap into that dream with a movie. The resulting movie was titled Million Dollar Mystery. Released in 1987, the plot revolved around an embezzler who dies after hiding $4 million. His death triggers a mad race to find the money,

with other characters searching for four hidden one million dollar bundles. But here was the plot twist. The actors on the screen only uncover three of the four million dollar bundles. The film then gave clues, both true and false,

for finding the last million, which was up for grabs for anyone in the audience. There was no big star in the movie. The star was the million dollars. It was kind of a treasure hunt, and De Laurentiis hoped the chance to find a million dollars would bring a huge audience out to see the film.

De Laurentiis formed a partnership with Glad Garbage Bags. Although a seemingly odd collaboration, Glad agreed to advertise the contest in a national promotion, with entry forms and additional clues available inside Glad packages. It was a win-win. De Laurentiis got to advertise his movie using Glad's money, and the additional clues in the garbage bag packages fueled more GLAAD sales. De Laurentiis was convinced of one more thing, too.

He believed the chance to win a million dollars would also attract the infrequent moviegoer, thereby expanding his audience. The one million dollars was not actually hidden. It was hidden somewhere virtually. But to win, the public had to guess where that virtual place was. As it turned out, a 14-year-old sophomore at a California high school pieced together the clues and figured out where the last million dollars was hidden. That hiding place was in the nose of the Statue of Liberty.

The newly minted teenage millionaire said she planned to buy a horse and get braces and put the rest of the money into a trust fund. But here's the hilarious part of the story. The million-dollar mystery movie cost $10 million to make, but only attracted just under $1 million at the box office in total. In other words,

the $1 million movie marketing prize was actually worth more than the film's own box office receipts. Don't go away. We'll be right back. In case nobody's told you,

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striking portrayal of a year in the life of internationally acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix. Released in 2010, the film followed Phoenix as he announced his retirement from a successful film career and set off to reinvent himself as a hip-hop artist. When the Oscar-nominated actor made the statement, the entertainment press was wide-eyed. When reporters contacted Phoenix's talent agent

for confirmation, he said, that's what he told me. Phoenix allowed the film crew to follow him around for 24 months. During that time, Phoenix made a historic appearance on The David Letterman Show.

Heavily bearded with matted hair, wearing dark glasses and dressed in black, Phoenix told Letterman of his intention to leave acting behind and pursue hip-hop. He became more and more unresponsive as the interview progressed, mumbling and chewing gum, which only fueled Letterman's lacerating wit.

Um, what, uh, what can you tell us about your days with the Unabomber? When Phoenix said he would like to perform some hip-hop on the show in the future, Letterman smiled and said... You know, that seems unlikely. When the interview was finally over, after nine minutes of squirm-worthy television, Letterman landed his coup de grace. And, Joaquin, I'm sorry you couldn't be here tonight.

Not long after, Phoenix made an appearance at a Miami nightclub, rapped ineptly, and fell off the stage. When the documentary finally came out, reviewers commented on the remarkable access Joaquin Phoenix had granted the filmmakers. Critics called it, quote, sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, and always riveting. Saying it was a portrait of an artist at a crossroads, a documentary where we watch an important artist having a breakdown. One critic called it, I'm still here, not all there. But as it turned out, I'm Still Here wasn't a documentary.

It was a mockumentary. Joaquin Phoenix wasn't leaving acting to pursue a hip-hop career. He and director Casey Affleck had created a fully planned performance piece that fooled everyone. They were making a comment on the media's thirst for celebrity scandals, especially breakdown scandals. Affleck and Phoenix gave them all the tantalizing ingredients, drug use, sexual escapades, bad celebrity behavior, the Letterman interview, and, like Buster Keaton, never winked while doing it.

And by playing it perfectly straight, they fooled the media while sticking a finger in their collective eye. As one journalist admitted, I'm still here enticed the celebrity media industry to feast on a bogus celebrity breakdown. It was an incredible stunt. While most stunts happen within a single day, or even a single hour, this stunt lasted two full years. Probably the most expensive stunt in movie history took place in 1957.

Mike Todd, third husband of Elizabeth Taylor, had produced the film Around the World in 80 Days. It had won the Oscar, and Todd wanted to keep the buzz going. One year after the debut of the motion picture, Todd threw an anniversary party. But not just any party. He rented Madison Square Garden. The marquee outside said, a little private party tonight. 18,000 guests were invited to that little party, including celebrities, performers, and 400 press members. Mike Todd flew in theater owners and their local press from 87 towns where

80 Days Around the World was playing. Todd also convinced CBS's Playhouse 90, one of the most watched television programs at that time to suspend its usual dramatic format to telecast the party live. Walter Cronkite was recruited to host. CBS agreed to pick up the costs of the broadcast, but there was a reason. It owned 10% of the movie. The scale of the Around the World in 80 Days party was astounding.

The largest birthday cake ever baked was created especially for the celebration. It was 14 feet tall and required $15,000 worth of cake mix to make it. Elizabeth Taylor had to climb a flight of stairs just to cut the first ceremonial piece. That was after Taylor had made her entrance riding in on a pink elephant. A 24-foot Oscar replica was created out of 100,000 copper-colored chrysanthemums. The enormous base was made up of flowers flown in from florists all over the world. Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler and a 100-piece band played as hundreds of dancers, extras, and bagpipers, together with dozens of horses, wagons, and elephants, marched around the floor.

Duke Ellington was booked to play for the dancing pleasure of the guests. Champagne was served, along with 25,000 hot dogs, 200 gallons of Vichyssoise, one ton of baked beans, 10,000 egg rolls, 36,000 donuts, vast tubs of ice cream, and 4,000 pizza pies. There were also elaborate gifts and giveaways on the floor. A partial list included an actual Cessna airplane complete with flying lessons, four automobiles, a cabin cruiser, motor scooters, record players, 1,000 record albums, 100 cameras, four mink stoles, 250 bottles of vodka, 10,000 imported cigars, 40 Siamese cats, and a rickshaw from Japan. These prizes were supposed to be given away in a draw using ticket numbers.

But that many moving parts made the spectacle unwieldy, and it didn't take long for chaos to break out. People in the balcony seats soon discovered they had no direct access to the floor where the food, drinks, and dancing could be found. Anyone wanting to go down to the floor would have to go outside, then come back in again. Confusion reigned. TV cameras wandered aimlessly through the parade of animals and performers.

Celebrities were interviewed, but no one could hear them. Interviewers kept looking into the wrong camera. Soon, guests started getting hangry. They jumped over the seats and ran for the snacks. Food fights broke out. People started throwing hot dogs.

Women with ketchup-stained gowns were slipping on spilled ice cream. Men in black tie were splattered with baked beans. The cake was toppled. Horses and elephants started getting nervous. Then the guests started stealing the prizes. They simply walked off with the portable ones And some made a serious attempt to steal the cars, plane and rickshaw When a camera caught Mike Todd wiping profuse sweat from his face

He angrily waved the camera away An unhappy Walter Cronkite gave up trying to maintain any order Looked straight into the living rooms of America, and called it a madhouse. And the band played on. What was supposed to be a landmark in television history turned into the worst network telecast of 1957. The advance build-up for Mike Todd's Around the World in 80 Days party

boasted a long list of performers and celebrities, which gave the program huge ratings. But what that big audience saw was 90 minutes of madness. No broadcast in the history of Playhouse 90 was so disastrous. It was like a car accident. You had to look. Cronkite would later refer to it as, quote, an essay on empty extravagance.

TV Guide called it a potpourri of vulgar confusion, adding that CBS learned its lesson to never turn its network over to a, quote, hooked-up publicity stunt like this ever again. But the fiasco did get one entry in the history books, because Mike Todd's little stunt cost $8 million. There is a difference between advertising and publicity stunts. Advertising requires paid media. Publicity stunts hope to generate free media.

Everybody wants free publicity, but in order to get it, a publicity stunt has to be big and bold or shocking and creative. Every celebrity or movie needs buzz, and Hollywood has always been home to the best buzzmeisters. From the earliest days of Harry Reichenbach, the trick was to be so outrageous that the stunt became catnip to the press.

That's why orchestrating Airborne Panties was the perfect stunt to launch Tom Jones' career. That's why Dino De Laurentiis gave away a million dollars in a movie contest. That's why Joaquin Phoenix shocked everyone by pulling off a two-year stunt. And that's why Mike Todd's

epic $8 million stunt may have been an expensive mess, but it was a ratings blockbuster. Sometimes they work, sometimes not so much. But the best ones are outrageous, unexpected, and sometimes even death-defying. The trick is to break a leg, but not your neck, when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terrastream Mobile Recording Studio. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly.

Sound Engineer, Jeff Devine. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. Research, Patrick James Aslan. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like Movie Marketing, Season 1, Episode 9. You'll find it in our archives wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Terry O. Influence. See you next week. Fun fact, Buster Keaton was also in Around the World in 80 Days.