Boeing hitches its star to Hedy

It may seem a bit incongruous to use the image of a deceased Hollywood star to recruit employees for a defense contractor, but Hedy Lamarr is going great guns for Boeing. The company is using a glamour shot of Lamarr atop an employee recruiting ad as part of its “Don’t Let History Happen Without You” campaign.

The ad -- which has rolled through the pages of newspapers across the country, including The Times -- has generated considerable interest, says Dan Ivanis, spokesman for Boeing’s global staffing. “We’re trying to remind people that the horizon is limitless,” Ivanis says. “Boeing is very big on invention.” He’s not kidding: The actress never worked for the company.

“There’s really no connection between Hedy Lamarr and Boeing,” Ivanis says. But the ad does note that Lamarr also co-invented a frequency-switching system for torpedo guidance with composer George Antheil. The patented technology, known as the Lamarr-Antheil method, allows frequencies to be changed randomly and codified.

“It was something that was being used for player pianos,” Ivanis explains. The method remains the basis for many high-tech systems, including wireless phones.

The Lamarr ads -- which mention but don’t feature Antheil -- have piqued interest, Ivanis says. “Many people don’t know this about Lamarr. They recognize the name, and they know she was a movie star. It’s created a lot of buzz.” (Visits to the Boeing job site more than doubled after Lamarr’s introduction.)

“The intent of the campaign was to get people thinking in a different direction, to look at the Boeing Co. as having many diverse opportunities, and it’s worked,” Ivanis says. “One employee showed it to his daughter to show her what’s possible, saying, ‘Just because you’re a beautiful young woman doesn’t mean you can’t do these things.’ ”

-- Michael T. Jarvis