With 'Maisel Day,' Amazon, L.A. businesses offer '50s deals

Aug. 14, 2019 11 AM PT

Angelenos soon can get a deli sandwich, a movie ticket, a full makeover and a malt — all for less than $5.

The 1950s-inspired prices and more marvelous markdowns will be in effect Thursday for “Maisel Day,” part of Amazon’s Emmy campaign for its period comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Nearly 30 Los Angeles businesses, from salons to gas stations, are preparing for the citywide event with full staffs, stocked pantries and many, many balloons.

“We’re gearing up,” said Bay Theatre general manager Manuel Medina. “We’re getting the team ready, because I think we’re going to be pretty busy. In 1959, the ticket prices were 51 cents, which — obviously, through time — ticket prices are very high compared to that.”

Tickets at the Bay Theatre, the Palisades Village branch of Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, usually cost up to $23 when purchased online. At nearly 100% off, Medina anticipates long lines for the discounted stubs, which moviegoers can only buy in person at the concessions stand in order to get the full Maisel deal.

In honor of the show’s 1959 setting, Cafe 50’s is doubling down on its bygone ambience — and doubling its staff — in order to serve authentic 30-cent malts (usually around $6) to Maisel Day customers. The retro diner on Santa Monica Boulevard already features era-defining decor, including a working payphone, a 1957 jukebox and a 1959 Chevy Bel Air. The Cafe 50’s team plans to Maisel-fy the joint even further, and triple ice cream deliveries for the day.

“[Amazon is] delivering their own balloons, but we’re going to add to that,” said Cafe 50’s head of marketing Valerie Myers, who is teaming up with a store manager to dress as dynamic comedy duo Midge and Susie. “Our waitress uniforms already look like the Stage Deli uniforms, but we’re going to enhance them a little bit with little accents that look more Maisel-y.”

The Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, which is offering a $40 room rate (usually around $200), and Blushington, with $2.50 makeovers (usually ranging from $60 to $100) in two L.A. locations, also are getting in the Maisel spirit. To reward guests who queue up on-site — starting at 9 a.m. — for their one-night stay, the Lodge intends to loop “The Marveous Mrs. Maisel” on lobby screens and play a ‘50s-inspired music playlist by the pool.

“The Sportsmen’s Lodge being in the Valley, I think it just fit the bill of what they’re trying to produce,” said general manager Stephen Chavez. “The time period that the building was actually built is also very similar to the time frame of the show, so I think it was just a no-brainer partnership.”

Though Blushington hasn’t been around quite as long as the 58-year-old hotel, chief marketing officer Nicki Maron believes the beauty chain and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” have much in common, in particular their female demographic.

“We were incredibly drawn to the character of Mrs. Maisel and thought that her ethos of the show, in terms of female empowerment and women working, were incredibly important to us,” Maron said. “We all know how important makeup can be to one’s confidence.”

Perhaps the business with the strongest connection to the series is Canter’s Deli, which has been serving “the Maisel” sandwich for almost a year at its Fairfax location, a partnership that dates to the Season 2 premiere. Owner Marc Canter isn’t too worried about the Maisel Day rush, since the deli has the capacity to accommodate hundreds, though the kitchen is stocking up on extra bread and meat to make its signature pastrami sandwiches available for 99 cents.

“[Amazon] didn’t really want us to promote it hard, because they don’t want anyone to be disappointed if too many people show up and we run out of product,” Canter said. “But in the end, we can handle it. We’re built for that.”

Canter’s, which has been operating since 1931, represents just the kind of historic L.A. establishment Amazon’s director of awards Debra Birnbaum had in mind when plotting the marketing stunt.

“We purposely scheduled it for what I call the ultimate throwback Thursday — the first day of voting — to really remind people, ‘This is what it was like in 1959,’” the former Variety executive editor said. “It’s made so much sense for L.A., given that we’ve got so many iconic businesses that have been around since then.”

Birnbaum declined to clarify the extent of Amazon’s financial involvement in the campaign, though Cafe 50’s owner Craig Martin said the company is “reimbursing every business the full price.”

Maisel Day isn’t just about the savings, though. It’s also about the Emmy Awards: This year, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is nominated for 20, including comedy series and lead actress, and Birnbaum hopes word-of-mouth from Thursday’s faux holiday will help turn those into wins.

“When it comes to Emmy campaigns, you have to look at how you address voters in phase two, and so I think we know that so many of the Academy voters live and work in and around Los Angeles,” Birnbaum said. “So whereas we can’t talk directly to them with this, I think the intention of an event like this is, of course, going to sweep up the TV Academy voters, and they’ll definitely get their notice.”

A total of 28 businesses and 30 sales items make up the Maisel Day program. See the full list of deals and locations on the Maisel Day website and below.

Bellacures
1609 Montana Ave.
Manicure, $2

Blushington
8591 Sunset Blvd.
11677 San Vicente Blvd. #101
Makeover, $2.50

Drybar
3808 Main St.
3817 W. Riverside Drive
13019A Ventura Blvd.
16624 Ventura Blvd.
120 Caruso Ave.
11677 San Vicente Blvd.
8595 Sunset Blvd.
Hair styling, $2

Gornik & Drucker
15225 Palisades Village Lane
Haircut, $3

The Grove Shine
189 The Grove Drive
Shoe shine, 75 cents

Starring by Ted Gibson
211½ S. La Brea Ave.
Haircut, $2.50

Art’s Delicatessen & Restaurant
12224 Ventura Blvd.
Corned beef, pastrami or turkey sandwich, 99 cents

Big Sugar Bakeshop
12182 Ventura Blvd.
Pink vanilla cupcake, 25 cents

Cafe 50’s
11623 Santa Monica Blvd.
Malt, 30 cents

Canter’s Deli
419 N. Fairfax Ave.
Pastrami sandwich, 99 cents

Deluca’s Italian Deli
889 Americana Way
Turkey sandwich, $2

Dominique Ansel Bakery
189 The Grove Drive
Croissant, 50 cents

The Draycott
15225 Palisades Village Lane
Glass of Champagne, $2

Häagen-Dazs
889 Americana Way
Scoop of ice cream, 80 cents

Hank’s
15225 Palisades Village Lane
Reuben sandwich, 85 cents