Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a popular 1925 novel by Anita Loos that inspired a 1928 silent film of the same name (and a Technicolor musical in 1953 starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe). Aware of this cultural touchstone, the Penn-Maryland Corporation registered the trademark "Gentlemen Prefer Blends" in 1935 for use in its blended whiskey advertising. Cartoonist Peter Arno contributed a humorous drawing to the campaign, which appeared in The New Yorker, in The New York Times, and on a promotional matchbook cover. The matchbook bears the additional slogan, "Mellow as a Cello."
 |
| Penn Maryland Whiskey Peter Arno The New Yorker, February 9, 1935, page 59 |
 |
| The New York Times, February 20, 1935, page 13 |
 |
| Peter Arno Penn Maryland Blended Whiskey eBay listing accessed February 4, 2022 |
 |
| Peter Arno Penn Maryland Blended Whiskey eBay item description |
 |
| Spot drawing by unidentified artist and advertisement by Peter Arno |
Note: I can't make out the signature on the New Yorker spot drawing, but I would appreciate hearing from anyone who can.
03868