OTTUMWA —
Ottumwa native Rita Garrett Reed has her hands in the thick of Hollywood right now. In fact, a piece of her is front and center in the movie sequel “The Hangover Part 2,” which has now been seen all over the world.
Reed, 63, created and designed the “Faithful Friend Yellow Lab” T-shirt worn throughout most of the movie by actor Zach Galifianakis, who plays the quirky character “Alan.” The much-anticipated “Hangover” sequel grossed more than $137 million its opening weekend, breaking the record for the best comedy premiere ever. The movie reprises the roles of four friends who have a booze-filled night of fun, followed by a day of re-tracking their alcohol-induced steps, including major memory lapses, mayhem, confusion — and yes, a hangover.
Ironically, Reed, who now lives in Gardner, Kan., had never even heard of — much less seen — “The Hangover” before that fateful call from Warner Brothers last October.
“I had no clue,” said Reed, who graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1967. “I didn’t even know what ‘The Hangover Part 2’ was.”
As many people know, “The Hangover” was a 2009 runaway hit. Nonetheless, Reed and her husband were ecstatic and quickly ran out and rented a copy of the film.
Even more interesting is that Galifianakis picked out the Faithful Friend Yellow Lab T-shirt himself for his character to wear in the movie. Though Galifianakis could not be reached for comment, Warner Brothers told Reed the actor picked out the shirt and the studio was calling for approval to use it in the movie. Of course Reed said “yes.” And Warner Brothers promptly ordered about 60 yellow lab T-shirts.
“Zach chose the shirt,” Reed said. “And out of the millions and millions of shirts out there, that’s what he picked out.”
Reed started paying attention to movie trailers this spring as soon as she started seeing pictures and promos for the sequel. “I was just amazed at how well the shirt filmed. The colors and the simplicity of the shirt really stood out while he was wearing the shirt. It’s a really good addition to the movie.”
But will this movie bring additions to Reed’s T-shirt sales?
The answer is “yes,” according to Andrei Najjar, vice president of marketing for Junk Food Clothing, based in Los Angeles, Calif. Junk Food Clothing owns the copyright and design for the T-shirt Galifianakis wore in the first “Hangover” movie.
“[That T-shirt] was huge for us,” Najjar says. “Urban Outfitters still carries that T-shirt. That’s one of their top selling T-shirts. It was enormous. I think that shirt has been in [Urban Outfitters] for a couple of years.”
Selling a T-shirt for that amount of time is astounding, given the turnover in trends and movies, Najjar says.
“We never carry tees that long. It’s really rare. We keep getting re-orders on it — it’s a really good thing. That’s really how you gauge the success of a T-shirt — whether or not you’re getting re-orders; if consumers keep wearing it and buying it. It’s one of our most consistently selling styles.”
Najjar sees the potential for fans to connect to the Faithful Friend Yellow Lab T-shirt as well.
“I think the T-shirt would attract people that love their dog, people that love the movie and can relate to it,” Najjar says. “Those are two key audiences I see.”
The Faithful Friend Yellow Lab T-shirt can be purchased through Reed’s business website as well as Amazon, Café Press and Urban Outfitters.
“It’s good that the yellow lab tees are in Urban Outfitters,” Najjar said. “They are very much reflective of pop culture. They are who everybody looks at for T-shirts. Especially in T-shirts.”
That’s good news for Reed.
“My husband and I are nearing retirement and looking to supplement our retirement income,” said Reed. “Every year I do better. It’s gotten to the point now where I would like to quit my job and do this full-time.”
Given the success of “The Hangover Part 2,” that may just happen.
Web extra
Rita Garrett Reed’s website:
http://www.friskybizphoto.com/Home.html
Local News
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Ottumwa native Rita Garrett Reed has garnered a lot of attention with her “Faithful Friend Yellow Lab” T-shirt design worn by actor Zach Galifiankis in the movie “The Hangover 2.” submitted
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