ADVERTISING...ART VS. TECHNOLOGY - The Pocket Internet

"ADVERTISING...ART VS. TECHNOLOGY"

A couple of weeks ago, when I started massaging these remarks out of my old Smith-Corona, I typed as an opening line "I am certainly glad to be back again in Minneapolis". At this point, one of those flashing red light bulbs went on in my head and I brought the typewriter to a controlled emergency stop.

"..the only reason I arranged
to be born in Seattle was
that I wanted to be near
my mother."

It says on the program notes on your tables that I am a native of Seattle. This is true. But, I wanted to make it clear that I did not intend to be born in Seattle. Actually, the only reason I arranged to be born in Seattle was that I wanted to be near my mother. As soon as I got into kindergarten and became a man of the world, the terrible significance of my mistake became evident to me. I moved to Minneapolis, taking my family with me. So, from age 5 to 25 I was a citizen of Minneapolis. As a teenager, I was a loud, brash and impertinent youth... and there are a few who alleged today that the only part of this characterization that has diminished appreciably is my youthfulness.

I used to unmercifully bombard my father with suggestions for the improvement of his newspaper and he quite properly rejected them -- with the wealth of expletive that is only developed in older newspaper men. But on just one occasion I struck pay dirt. I purchased a miniature camera and, after George Ryan showed me how to open it, I became interested in candid photography. I was then emboldened to tell my father that I had thought up a new newspaper feature in which a full two columns of candid photos taken by me would tell the story in seven pictures and captions. Strangely enough he okayed it. It got named "Right off the Reel" and became a daily feature in the paper.

Now in the early 30s, newspaper photographers were not common, and they carried cameras about the size of a dog house. Film was slow and most pictures looked like they were posed for a high school yearbook -- with eyes staring from sockets as the flashbulb (or even flash powder) went off.

"It was so successful I
was never invited back to
the council chambers again."

So by sneaking up on people with a camera close to my chest, and without any flash equipment, I got some interesting pictures from time to time. My most successful series was a collection of pictures of members of the Minneapolis city council sleeping at their desks. It was so successful I was never invited back to the council chambers again. But the greatest popularity was among clubs who were good-humored about their members being caught off guard.

And so it was that for some time, the routine for me and my camera was lunch at Kiwanis on Monday, Rotary on Tuesday, Co-ops Wednesday, Ad Clubs Thursday, Lions on Friday. Evenings ran more to lodges and PTA's. It was interesting, although I must say that chicken croquettes and a side order of creamed peas gets a little repetitious if you have it ten times a week. But in those days, a lot of people were skipping meals entirely.

However, I never did get to hear much of what the luncheon speakers said even though some of them had come from as far as Chicago. Because there was an invariable signal that marked the moment that I had to stop trying to pick the banana slices out of my raspberry Jello and get to work. The magic words which always galvanized me and my camera into action were, of course:

"Gentleman, I am glad to be back again in Minneapolis."

"I was a darn
fool ever to leave
Minneapolis."

Gentleman, I will go a great deal further today than saying that I am glad to be back in Minneapolis. I will tell you that, in my considered judgment, I was a darn fool ever to leave Minneapolis. I will go even further and suggest that there are a couple of things about Minneapolis that you probably don't appreciate -- and that you are not likely to appreciate unless you are so ill-advised as to leave this fair city.

No. 1, this is probably the nicest, friendliest, most helpful city to grow up in that there is in the world. Even some of you who have lived here all your lives might not be exposed to such a wide range of Minneapolis citizens as was a youngster who worked both as a cub reporter and an advertising copywriter. Looking back, it seems there wasn't a businessman, policemen, firemen, newspaperman or advertising man who did not go out of his way to help a young man trying to learn his trade. This is a helpful town; a patient, kindly town. The town with a warm heart.

"..there wasn't a businessman, policeman
fireman, newspaperman, or advertising
man who did not go out of his way to
help a young man trying to learn his trade."

Now you may think also that I have a soft head. You may think these things look better to me because they happened long ago. But I have proved they are just as true today. A little over a year ago, I had to talk to a young born-and-bred New Yorker about moving to Minneapolis. You know how those born-and-bred New Yorkers are. I will not describe them further because some of them are clients. But believe me, they think the only way you can leave New York is via the Trans-Siberian Railway. I told this bright and talented young man what I have just told you about Minneapolis -- and the disbelief in his eyes was set in 72-point Gothic Caps Condensed. Last night, however, this young man confessed that, after 14 months in Minneapolis, everything I said about it is true.

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