This Smirnoff Vodka ad, which was published in a 1982 edition of Sports Illustrated, epitomizes the very essence of F. Lee Bailey's cocky disposition right down to his cowboy boots. The defense attorney for a parade of high-profile clients including Samuel Sheppard, the doctor who was accused of murdering his wife; SLA kidnapping victim and heiress, Patty Hearst; and, of course, O.J. Simpson, he was a master of media manipulation. "Bailey was called by one observer ‘a deep-voiced self-admirer who never met a camera he didn't like.'" He was censured by a Massachusetts judge in 1970 for "his philosophy of extreme egocentricity."
Ironically, no matter how tough he was, alcohol seemed to be one of his weaknesses. The first lines of his 1975 memoir read, "Heavy trials make me thirsty."
The legal puns and clever copy writing make this ad the perfect conversation piece for an office or a bar.
Condition/description: This print is in very good condition, with slight age darkening. The edges are crisp and there are no tears. The piece is mounted under plexiglass for protective purposes and can be easily reframed.
Size: 7 3/4" x 10 3/4" unframed - 16" x 20" in plexiglass frame