« A big vodka company wanted a prestige ad. And they wanted to get Noel Coward but he was not available …
They tried to get Laurence Olivier … They finally got me. The phone rings and the voice on the other end says,
‘How would you like to be this year’s vodka man?’ And I said ‘No, I’m an artist. I do not do commercials. I don’t pander. I don’t drink vodka. If I did I wouldn’t drink your vodka.’ He said, ‘Too bad. It pays fifty thousand dollars.’
I said, ‘Hold on, I’ll put Mr. Allen on the phone.’ »
Woody Allen on the ads he did for Smirnoff in 1966.
These ads appeared in every major adult periodic on the newsstands and giant billboards plastered the campaign around the country.
(Via)
