Paul Newman’s new movie had just opened, yet he was upset about a quart of Jack.

Paul Newman whiskey
Jack Daniel and Paul Newman

September 1969

Three Dog Night was singing Easy to Be Hard; China, the US, and Russia were conducting nuclear tests; and a coup was taking place in Lybia. And Paul Newman was at his local Gristedes market in Greenwich, Connecticut, complaining to the store manager that his newly purchased bottle of Jack Daniel’s wasn’t up to snuff.

When stars complain, even corporate giants listen. Their officers may not believe the celebrity’s grousing, but they listen and try to pacify.


“Both reports indicated that while the proof, ph, fusel oil, esters, and other factors were well within the Jack Daniel standard range…”


I discovered this letter while looking at an upcoming auction at Sotheby’s in New York. It’s a fascinating look at what makes some people tick: Typed letter signed to Paul Newman regarding an unsatisfactory bottle of Jack Daniel Black Label.

By the way, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid opened to so-so reviews yet scored a US gross of over $100 million. In 1969, a bottle of Jack Daniels cost about ten bucks.

By Stephen Brockelman

As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.

2 comments

  2. Stephen Brockelman – Baltimore, Maryland – As a Sr. Writer at T. Rowe Price, I work with a group of the best copywriters around. We belong to the broader creative team within Enterprise Creative, a part of Corporate Marketing Services. _____________________________________________ A long and winding road: My path to T. Rowe Price was more twisted than Fidelity’s green line. With scholarship in hand, I left Kansas at 18 to study theatre in New York. When my soap opera paychecks stopped coming from CBS and started coming from the show’s sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, I discovered the power of advertising and switched careers. Over the years I’ve owned an ad agency in San Francisco; worked for Norman Lear on All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and the rest of his hit shows; and as a member of Directors Guild of America, I directed Desi Arnaz in his last television appearance— we remained friends until his death. In 1988 I began freelancing full time didn’t look back. In January 2012 my rep at Boss Group called and said, “I know you don’t want to commute and writing for the financial industry isn’t high on your wish list, but I have a gig with T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills…” I was a contractor for eight months, drank the corporate Kool-Aid, became a TRP associate that August, and today I find myself smiling more often than not.
    Stephen Brockelman says:

    How stupid was that? (Believe me, I know the difference between scotch and whiskey. 😉 ) Thanks for the catch. Correction made.

    Reply

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