As a follow-up to last month’s (SHOOT, 2/23) remembrance of the late Walter (“Wally”) Tannenbaum–penned by Matt Miller, president/CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP)–some fond recollections from director George Gage were relayed to us. In that Tannenbaum loved to share his stories about the business, it’s apropos that Gage get the chance to relate his tales about Tannenbaum, the colorful head of production at Ted Bates “back in the day.”
“During my commercial directing career, Walter quickly became my favorite client,” wrote Gage in a faxed memoir. “But more than that, he quickly became one of my favorite friends.”
Gage recalled an Orient Express-takeoff commercial for Panasonic that he directed for Tannenbaum. “Once on the set….Walter and I realized that a period piece parlor car should have smoke,” shared Gage. “But neither of us had budgeted a smoke machine. Simultaneously we hit on an idea. We had the assistant director John Zane light up a huge stogie and in between takes walk up and down the train puffing and exhaling as much smoke as humanly possible. We got our effect. John got green.”
The kinship between the director and Tannenbaum extended to long-form fare as well. “When I shot my first feature film, Skateboard, Walter was there,” noted Gage. “During the climactic scene, I looked down from the crane and right in the middle of the action I saw Walter with my then three-year-old son on his shoulders. After I yelled ‘cut,’ I heard Walter tell the producer, ‘I know he’ll never cut me out of this scene.'”
However, cutting remarks that were at the same time good natured and said in good humor were also part of the Tannenbaum repertoire. “I always loved to take the agency out for great lunches,” shared Gage. “Walter wasn’t impressed. He’d always say, ‘You can’t put a steak on a sample reel.’ He always had a way with words,” continued Gage. “I’ll always remember his apt description of me: ‘More luck than brains.'”
Gage’s observations dovetail well with those of Miller, which appeared in SHOOT in February. Miller wrote that “this is an industry of great people. The people we meet every day in this industry set apart those who simply have ‘colleagues,’ from those who work together to achieve miraculous feats that spawn real friendships. It may not be rocket science, but the ingenuity, creativity and perfectionism it takes to make great ads takes a certain chromosome, or maybe just a certain strain of passion. I’m sure we each have our own ‘Walter’–someone who didn’t just mentor us, but inspired us. Someone whose keen eye could spot those who weren’t cut out for this business versus those who were intrigued enough to pursue it. These people make for a great story.
Part of the collective lore of our industry comes from the stories that are handed down and shared. Remember to share yours and stop a moment in your busy day to listen to others’.
You’ll see that you’re part of a unique tribe, a ‘Band of Brothers,’ if you will.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic 3” Rule Box Office For 1st Weekend Of 2025
The Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.
The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn't far behind.
"Sonic 3" stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. "Mufasa's" running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.
In third place, Focus Features' "Nosferatu" remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. "Nosferatu," which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).
No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, "Moana 2," claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.
The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in... Read More