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We Sleuthed for the Truth of a SF ​“M’Ad-vertising”Agency Prank

Posted on February 26, 2023February 26, 2023 By Hey You

We Sleuthed

We four, as shown above and emails below, (reading, up from the bottom)
attempted to substan­tiate a story about Herb Briggs. (There are no photos of Herb.)
These emails were sent back and fourth between us, who were there at that time.
(Note: (Spoiler)
Refer to this after reading:
This might have been a final prank, played by Jerry by his admit­ting that he was the victim, and then possibly a final-final prank, acci­den­tally, played on me, by Todd believing Jerry.
Ann
(Start reading from the bottom.)

2−25−23 1:42 PM Lee to Ann
No objec­tion to posting this.
I do stand by my opinion.
Lee

2−23−23 9:17 AM Ann to Lee
Hi Lee,
Yes I am including your letter.
This latest ques­tion was If I could show (on Geezers’ Gallery) these emails as an example of ​“mixed-up remembrances”.
(Todd wrote :And it brings back memo­ries of Herb.….and he certainly deserves to be remem­bered… espe­cially when we all need a chuckle so badly during these rocky political/economic times. One phone call from Herb and I would wind up with a new job at a new ad agency when I needed one.…he often helped me out and was a good friend.)
I am with you, Lee, it didn’t happen.
Ann

2−23−23 8:48 AM Lee to Ann
I did respond. Look down to 2⁄10 — 1:44 PM.
Just don’t think this ever happened.
Lee

2−23−23 11:09 AM Richurd to Ann
I liked what Todd Miller wrote.
Richurd

2−23−23 8:31 AM Ann to Lee, Richurd & Todd
The vote, now seems to favor ​“Go to press”.
Still’d like to hear from Lee.
Ann

2−23−23 7:33 AM Todd to Ann
Hi again, again…Sorry to be a bother…
(my last email on this subject),
I got this email this morning. It looks like Richurd agrees with my thoughts.
Stay well,
Todd

2−23−23 7:02 AM Richurd to Todd
I like your recom­men­da­tion for the Herb Story and with that ending.
Richurd

2/23/2023 2:30:51 AM Todd to Richurd
Hi,
Looking forward to our lunch next month.
This forwarded email is what I sent to the CEOs of the ​“Geezers corpo­ra­tion”. Well.…I still think it’s funny anyway. And it brings back memo­ries of Herb.….and he certainly deserves to be remem­bered… espe­cially when we all need a chuckle so badly during these rocky political/economic times.
One phone call from Herb and I would wind up with a new job at a new ad agency when I needed one.…he often helped me out and was a good friend (as are you).
Stay well.
Stay warm.
Todd

2−22−23 2:18 AM Todd to Ann
I don’t agree with Richurd on this one (and we do have lunch about every month).
I think our email state­ments and the time we spent researching this subject and the fact that everyone knew Herb Briggs (and what a kind, generous, warm person he was…really), would get a chuckle and some good memo­ries from reading all our emails and our attempted research.
I would just send the emails as they are with the heading…
START AT THE BOTTOM (and then have an opening sentence about how we attempted to substan­tiate a story about Herb Briggs…and that what follows are the emails that were sent back and fourth to some Geezers who were there.…if anyone has anything to add to this discus­sion, please do so).
Just a thought. I think it’s a funny conclu­sion to a ​“prank” that turned out not to be so funny).
Stay well,
Todd

2/22/23, 5:45 PM Ann to Todd
Richurd said not to do it.
It was fun, just trying to figure if it was true.
(I get little response to the post­ings and a lot are not even from San Francisco.)
Ann

2/22/23 5:42 PM Todd to Ann
I feel respon­sible for initi­ating this problem.
Sorry.
My sugges­tion is to print all the back and forth emails concerning the ​“Briggs Event” and see what happens.
Some­body who hadn’t given an accounting of this story may surprise all of us.
Stay well,
Todd

2/22/23, 3:04 PM Ann to Richurd
Ok, Richurd,
It was fun anyway with the back and forth sleuthing.
Ann

2/22/23, 2:44 PM
I vote to not publish the story… Only if Herb or Jerry was still alive and could verify it.
Richurd

2/22/23, 2:14 PM Ann to Todd, Richurd & Lee
Hi All,
Recol­lec­tions from a time at Y&R.
(Jerry was at FC&B and Y&R.
Herb was at BBD&O and Y&R.)
OK, Was this too fantastic to be true?
What should I do, now?
I could put it on Geezers’ Gallery as a scenario that would out-do the Madi­sion Avenue MadMen.
The are no photos of Herb.
I could add our photos (from 2018) (I have one of Jerry from then, also.) but I would need a new one from you, Lee, where you don’t look fifteen, to bad that you left the 2017 picnic early.
Or shall I keep this, just between us?
A vote from each of you?
Ann

2/13/23, 12:07 PM Richurd to Ann
I asked two friends who were there at the time and neither could remember the ​“hanging out the window” episode. They were both senior writers at the time…Now retired. The story may have been someone’s imagination?
Richurd Somers

2/11/23, 8:00 AM Richurd to Ann
Hi Ann,
I was there, but didn’t witness the hanging out the window inci­dent. I did witness the taping of Herb and know that part of the story to be factual. I always assumed the hanging story was true, and was told that it was by the ankles. I do not know who the person was. Herb was incred­ibly strong and a prankster. To my knowl­edge Don Carlson never worked at Y&R, and anyway he died years ago. I will ask around to see if those still alive, and who were there, remember the facts.
Richurd

2/10/23, 1:44 PM Lee to Ann
Ann — Never heard this story. Sounds apoc­ryphal to me. I worked at both Foote Cone and Y&R when Herb was there, and both offices were at least 20 stories up.
Lee

2−10−23, at 1:04 PM, Ann to Lee Riney and Richurd Sommers
Hi Lee and Richurd,
Todd and I are turning to you to see if you can tell us more of this story.
I cant. even picture how this could be done.
It reads from the bottom – up.
Ann

2/4/23, 4:26 PM Todd to Ann
Oh yeah…why did Herb do this???? For the same reason he surrep­ti­tiously poured rubber cement remover next to an art director while he talked to him and left a trail of the ​“remover” going out into the hallway when he left…and then lighting the ​“remover” so a trail of fire whet around from the hallway ending in a puff of flame and smoke next to the art director’s desk.
Herb did those things because he drank a little and was a wise ass, prac­tical joker (who was in the Creative Department…
the arch enemy of Account Execs.). Holding someone out the window was the last straw…even the Creative Dept. couldn’t take anymore…so they taped Herb to that chair and put it on the elevator.
I think Don Carlson (art dir.) also knows about the story.
Todd

2/4/23, 4:12 PM Todd to Ann
I just heard Herb was strong and that story was used as the example. Gibbons was a small guy. I guess Herb just put his arms around Gibbons’ waist and carried him over to the window. It seems I recall Riney’s wife mentioning this story also. Maybe she knows more about the story …or Richurd Somers???
Todd

2/4/23, 12:54 PM Ann to Todd
Just wondering how Herb could grip the full weight of a grown man. – – and how he could even get him to a window and why!
??????? Ann

2/4/23, 1:26 AM Todd to Ann
Oh yeah…I don’t see any mention of hanging by ​“knees” or ​“heels” in this story. Where was that detail mentioned??
Todd
I don’t know how many floors above the ground the Briggs/ Gibbons inci­dent occurred…it seems even one floor would be too many (since it happened over a cement sidewalk).I just heard the story from someone who worked at Y & R…maybe Richurd Somers. He was trying to tell me about how strong Herb Briggs was (like when Herb would come from behind and pick people up and put them butt first into a large garbage can). Then ( many years later over lunch) I told the story to Mr. Gibbons and he confirmed the story and said he was the one Herb held out the window.
I didn’t hear about whether he held him by the knees or heels. I just heard that Gibbons was held out of a window over the side­walk by Herb Briggs.
I once sent you a story about the incident…I don’t know if I wrote knees or heels…I am a bit fuzzy about the exact story I wrote (old age and all that).
Todd

2−4−23, at 6:57 PM Ann to Todd
Hi Todd,
I can’t seem to under­stand how Jerry found himself hanging from his heels (?) upside down from his knees?
How high over the street? Need details to under­stand such a prank.
No one would (will­ingly) be in such a risky position.
Ann

1/20/23 12:22 PM, Todd to Ann
Hi again and again,
I have an addi­tion to the Herb Briggs elevator story. About 10 years ago, I was having lunch with Jerry Gibbons and I mentioned the story about Herb Briggs holding someone out of a window by his legs and the revenge everyone took (taping Herb to a chair and putting Herb on the elevator).
Jerry stopped me between bites of a Perry’s hamburger (his favorite lunch on Union Street) and said HE was the one Herb was holding out the window.

See: obituary-jerry-gibbons-san-francisco-advertising-exec
So that’s the full story (as I got it).
Thanks…stay well,
Todd Miller

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