Studio (9780307817600) by John Gregory Dunne Read Free Book Online Page B

all, Jacobs spent $1 million simply to train, house, feed and transport the animals.
    Jacobs seemed relatively unconcerned that the delays and the problems had run Dolittle up to nearly $18 million, or approximately $6 million over budget. “Everyone wants to be identified with this picture,” he said. “
Everyone
. All the big companies, they want to do some kind of tie-in promotion. You won’t be able to go into a store without seeing Dr. Dolittle advertising something.You got to figure that’s going to bring people into the theater. I mean, these are big companies. They don’t do this just for
any
picture.”
    Saying it seemed to reassure him further, and he walked out into the anteroom of his office in buoyant spirits. “Who’s got the keys to my car?” he asked. He had just bought a new Dual Ghia, one of Hollywood’s most favored automobiles. “I sent them out to get another set made.”
    A secretary handed him the keys. “You ought to get a gold one,” she said.
    “They send you one,” Jacobs said. “They really do.”
    He examined himself quickly in a mirror and walked outside. The Dual Ghia was parked in his space outside the bungalow. Jacobs circled the car. “Someone left a fingerprint on the windshield,” he said. He buffed it off with the sleeve of his black alpaca sweater and then stepped back and studied the automobile.
    “I like it better than Frank’s,” he said finally.
    “Frank who?” the secretary said.
    Jacobs looked pained. “Sinatra,” he said.

3
“You’ll get the music lovers, no doubt about that, none at all,”
Richard Zanuck said
    Several days later, Arthur Jacobs sent me a preliminary list of the companies with licensing arrangements with the Studio for tie-in advertising and promotion on
Dr. Dolittle
. There were approximately fifty licensees who would spend $12 million on consumer advertising featuring the picture. The Studio was making arrangements for
Dolittle
displays in 10,000 retail stores throughout the country, a food company had ordered 20,000 eight-foot displays featuring Rex Harrison, and another food company had 15,000 Harrison displays. A soft-drink company was introducing “Dr. Dolittle Chocolate Soda” and a national bakery concern a special box of animal crackers featuring all the animals used in thepicture. Over 200 million cereal boxes were being distributed with allied
Dolittle
promotion. In all, some 300 items, with an estimated retail value of $200 million, were involved in the promotion. Among the items were pet foods, cereals, a Dolittle medicine kit, a Dolittle hat, a Pushmi-Pullyu toy, a television record player for children, a Polynesia doll, clocks and watches, a singing doll, knitted T-shirts, greeting cards, sweatshirts, children’s card game sets, children’s luggage, pencil boxes, plastic inflatable toys, novelty hats, balloons, wrist watches, combs, brushes, sunglasses, place mats, ceramic ware, notebooks, tumblers, billfolds, change purses, color slides and viewers, night lights, toy musical instruments, yo-yos, flashlight novelty items, board games, model kits, jigsaw puzzles, novelty savings banks, storybooks, activity books, buttons, play money, children’s coloring books, doctors’ kits, nurses’ kits, animal toys, children’s schoolbags, lunch kits, puppets, charm bracelets, scrapbooks, diaries, robes, coloring sets, sewing sets, 3D film cards, magic slates and costumes.
    Mary Ann McGowan, Richard Zanuck’s secretary, came into his office and announced that director Henry Koster, producer Robert Buckner and three William Morris agents were waiting outside.
    “What’s Buckner’s first name?” Zanuck asked.
    “Robert,” Mary Ann McGowan said, as she disappeared out the door. “They call him Bob.”
    The five visitors filed into Zanuck’s office. Zanuck rose and shook the hand of each. “Hello, Bob,” he said to Buckner.
    Koster, Buckner and two of the agents arranged themselves in chairs in front of Zanuck’s desk.