T-Mobile and Neil Simon

Has anyone seen the new T-Mobile commercial? The “hello” commercial? The premise being it’s so cheap to talk that you’ll be saying “hello” instead of “goodbye”. They have lots of cute bits of people substituting “hello” for “goodbye”. And at the end of the commercial there’s a shot of the marquee of the St. James Theatre where it says “Neil Simon’s The Hello Girl”.

Any idea what they had to pay Simon for the rights to show that? Or if they even had to?

---

I saw that and started laughing at that!

---

pay the rights on what? a title that he didn't write? I wouldn't think there is anything to pay rights ON.

---

And it starred Bernie!!!!

---

Pay the rights to using his name, I think. I mean, if the marquee had just said "The Hello Girl" without his name, they'd be totally in the clear because you can't copyright a title.

But coupled with his name in that way, I had to wonder about the legal aspects.

ETA: and before anyone else points out the obvious, yes, I know "The Goodbye Girl" did NOT play at the St. James.

---

Updated On: 7/15/08 at 11:20 PM

Well, of course it is cheaper to photoshop the title than to have an actual marquee created.

Hi - I know this thread is old, but I actually worked on that commercial - They did get permission from Neil Simon, he was paid somewhere in the 5 figures for the use of his name - I think we could use his name in exactly one sign. He certainly could have sued if the agency hadn't gotten permission, as the connection between "Goodbye Girl" and "Hello Girl" is too strong- nobody would bother using "Hello Girl" if not for the pre-existence of "Goodbye Girl" the musical. Neil Simon gave that phrase value. At least, I think that's what the lawyers would argue.

Also - none of this was done in Photoshop. We used King Displays, who does a lot of Broadway Marquees. We put it all up in one evening, shot it, and took it down the next morning. Even the custom "Neil Simon" name in lights. It cost around $40,000 to do that one shot!