Another ad naming all the members came with a personal message from the actor, which said “‘Win, lose or draw, you’re all my cousins and I love you all.”
In response, Groucho Marx ran an ad of his own, which said, “‘Dear Mr. Chill Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin, but I voted for Sal Mineo.”
A final ad in the campaign said this: “‘We of the Alamo cast are praying harder than the real Texans prayed for their lives in the Alamo for Chill Wills to win the Oscar as the best supporting actor. Cousin Chill’s acting was great.”
Chill ultimately lost. At the ceremony, Bob Hope joked, “‘I didn’t know there was any campaigning until I saw my maid wearing a Chill Wills button.”
