MY FIRST AD AT AN ADVERTISING AGENCY: OUR BELOVED BUMS WERE HEADED WEST, BUT NO DODGER HAD THE BALLS TO POSE FOR THIS AMERICAN AIRLINES AD. (SO, WHO IS THIS JOCK?)

In 1955, New York was traumatized by rumors that Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley would soon move the franchise to La-La land. It’s always an eye-opener when you can tie something hot happening in the news with an advertisement, so for an American Airlines destination ad, I showed a Dodger peering west with the headline Thinking of going to Los Angeles?.I tried to get one of the players to pose for the ad, but everyone chickened out. So yours truly posed for it,casting my baby blues westward. I slammed an airline logo over my puss to keep the message authentic. Bookings on American to Los Angeles took off the next day--and alas, the treacherous O’Malley did,indeed, take flight with Jackie, Pee Wee, Campy and the Duke.