The last time I saw legendary creative director Hal Riney was in November 2002. He had come down from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to pay tribute to editor Jacques Dury who was being inducted into the Association of Creative Editors’ (AICE) Hall of Fame.
Riney’s admiration of Dury’s artistry came from their collaborations over the years, which included such notable fare as the classic image commercial for Perrier, which brought a figurative sparkle to sparkling water by taking us to Perrier’s roots in France. Then there was the deadpan humor of Henry Weinhard Private Reserve’s “Chuck Wagon,” in which a western cowhand/cook recites the dinner menu specials of the day to a group of bewildered, hungry cowboys. (Both spots were directed by Joe Pytka of PYTKA.)
Sadly Riney died on March 24 of cancer at his home in San Francisco. He was 75. I thought it somehow fitting to seek out Dury to reflect on Riney whose career began at BBDO San Francisco, followed by Riney opening Ogilvy & Mather’s San Francisco office and then the venerable Hal Riney & Partners which is now Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco.
“Having Hal come out for my induction into the AICE Hall of Fame was as great an honor as being inducted,” related Dury. “Hal was a true artist and he made me a better artist. His writing was exquisite. A large part of what got me into the Hall of Fame was the work I did for Hal. He was a major force in creating my brand and image in the industry.”
Acknowledging that some have referenced a gruff manner in describing Riney, Dury said his experience completely differed. “He was brilliant, supportive and never made me feel pressured or intimidated…Having someone looking over your shoulder when you’re editing can be intimidating. But I was glad to have him in the room. We got to the point where we communicated in shorthand. If I heard a grunt at a certain point, I’d know that I needed to rethink something. He never got annoyed if the work wasn’t coming together. He trusted me to make it work. And to have his trust was a great gift.”
Riney was a mentor to many, including Rich Silverstein, Andy Berlin and Jeff Goodby. Similarly Dury Associates and its successor shop Decoupage opened up opportunities for talented artisans who went on to their own successes such as editor/director Larry Bridges, director Marcus Stevens, editors Hal Honigsberg and Tom Schachte. Though his was not on as grand a scale as that of Riney, Dury said he found it gratifying “to be on this parallel track with Hal of helping others to grow.”
Dury could recollect only one time that Riney got angry at him–when Dury refused to work for the Tuesday Team on the 1984 Ronald Reagan re-election campaign.
“I couldn’t bring myself to do that,” related Dury. “I remember thinking that I probably had just done a foolish thing. At the time Hal represented about seventy-five percent of my business. At first I was scared about the possible impact of my decision. But Hal continued working with me. He didn’t like my decision but he knew that’s how I felt. To me, that was a reflection of his integrity as a person.”
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More