ABSTRACT
Nero was the instrument of considerable commercial success in 1951, as the result of his portrayal by Peter Ustinov in the Hollywood epic Quo Vadis . 1 American markets were saturated with publicity for the film and with a host of merchandizing tie-ins. The MGM campaign book distributed to cinema managers in the United States, for example, contained a sample advertisement for Munsingwear rayon boxer shorts which appealed to its potential customers with the intriguing caption “make like Nero in … QUO VADIS shorts.” Beside the caption was drawn the figure of a modern American male who happily plays a fiddle while watched adoringly by his personal “empress.” He sports a wreath and sandals, a vest, and a pair of rayon boxer shorts which are decorated with images of spears and Roman military uniforms—a design selected from among Munsingwear's “eight fiery patterns blazing with color.” 2 [illustration 5.1] Nero had become a symbol of virility, luxury and the pleasures of consumerism for 1950s America. Poster advertising Munsingwear rayon boxer shorts, in association with <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref274">Quo Vadis</xref> (1951). [From University of Southern California Cinema-Television archive.] https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315811611/1aa480ff-cfea-4b4d-ae68-92ac08a0c875/content/fig5_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
