Hello, Gorgeous!

The younger readers out there may not really know of Barbra Streisand's career before her recent series of comedy films, but she was (is) a phenomenal singing talent, and at a very young age (for those days) became one of the most famous personalities in the music business.

If by chance you are interested in how publicity was managed in the pre-internet area, this is an interesting read. Notwithstanding her talent, it was essential that word get out about her, and she fashioned an image that would help in her self-promotion, particularly her "kooky" image. When the development of a musical about Fanny Brice was underway, the campaign to win her the lead focused on making sure that she became associated with the persona of Fanny Brice, including getting an organization to award her the "First Annual Fanny Brice Award" (needless to say, there were no subsequent Annual Fanny Brice Awards). Even if you have no particular interest in Barbra Streisand, reading the mechanics of promoting a show business personality in those days is fascinating.

(I wish I was back in Dr. Frechette's media relations class, as this would have been a great topic for one of the assignments.)