On the Twentieth Century napkin, 1978.
Paper cocktail napkin printed with artwork from On the Twentieth Century, a Broadway musical used to promote travel on the Lake Shore Limited. From the Ann Owens Collection, 1978.
- Ephemera Details
-
- Date Archived:
- February 11, 2013
- Geography:
- Northeast
- Decade:
- 1970s
- Data Format:
- Image
- Route:
- Lake Shore Limited
- Date Created:
- 1978
- Download the full-sized version of this photo
To drum up interest in specific trains, the Amtrak Marketing department developed “route blitzes,” sustained campaigns focused on particular routes that generally tied into bigger events. The Broadway run of On the Twentieth Century, a musical whose action takes place on the famous train of the same name, was used to advertise the Lake Shore Limited. A “Twentieth Century Week” on the train included special touches such as discount theater tickets for Amtrak passengers, a glass of champagne at dinner and napkins emblazoned with images from the show’s streamlined Art Deco poster. In the Fiscal Year 1978 Annual Report, it was noted that the brief tie-in increased business on the Lake Shore Limited by $50,000.
