A Dale Gallery
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INSIDE: Going "wrink"
"wrink" ..."wrink."
thinking."
And at a party in Detroit given by old
friends of Lawrence Kasdan after "Body
Heat" was released, someone asked the
director about his next film. The Dales
were on hand to hear the exchange.
"It'll be about all of you," replied Kasdan,
referring to what would be "The Big Chill,"
that paean to the tarnished ideals of the
60s generation.
None of the "Big Chill" characters seem
modeled on the Dales. But despite their ob-
vious financial success, their "Big Chill"
values emerge occasionally. Recently, for
example, although their late-model im-
porated sedan and convertible were park-
ed outside Barbara's studio, the two Dales
were intrigued by this writer's old, old, old
VW convertible, a "Big Chill'!ish symbol
to some people, of sporty, semi-
inconspicuous consumption.
And Barbara's 1985 effort for USA for
Africa, the fundraiser for starving
Africans, was rooted in "Big Chill" ideals.
Inspired by the mega-concert, LiveAid,
Barbara wanted "to get the best and the
brightest of the cartoon industry" to pro-
duce a card for USA for Africa. She asked
more than 100 cartoonists to submit draw-
ings of one of their characters. Only one or
two balked, such as the hip, younger sat-
irist who didn't want his character stand-
ing next to Dagwood.
Once the cartoonists' drawings started
pouring in, Barbara spent over a week cut-
ting and pasting everybody from "Lulu"
to "Mary Worth." The result was a
25x7-inch card with the biggest crowd
scene since "Spartacus."
The Dales have what Jim calls "a true
collaboration. We both tinker with
something until it loses its sense of author-
ship. I'll rewrite, Barbara will rewrite or
redraw. We both think the other person has
a good, but different sense of humor. When
we both think something is funny, then it's
right."
The Dales must be doing something
right. Their cards are consistently among
the top four card brands that move the
fastest from dealers' shelves. And Hall-
mark, the giant of the industry, has come
as close to plagiarizing Dale as the law
allows.
In the meantime, the Dales are having
a ball. Explaining their success, Jim Dale
said, "We do things that are sort of funny,
but sort of real. Our agent calls that the
uh-huh factor.' Frankly, most people don't
take the time to write a funny line to Aunt
Sophie or Uncle Herman. It's very hard for
them to express what they want to say. If
we can do this with some artistry, then we
are doing them a real service."
"Our cards say what you're thinking —
and what you wish you were thinking. We
may say some harsh things, but we always
preface that with something lighthearted.
People connect with us because they think
we know them. When they purchase one of
our cards, they feel a certain intimacy with
us. And they realize they are not alone." ID
INSIDE: It's those 364 days in
between without cake that are
the killers. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
INSIDE: These cute little ted- INSIDE: Enjoying that "beach-
dy bear cards are making me ed whale" feeling?
sick.
For or La,r+hdad my (very talented)
do3 ROVER i L0,11 tap out your
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You killed my 0.1. 1
INSIDE: A little bug got you
down? GET WELL SOON.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
25