Fat vs. Sugar-A Battle of Wits: Cliff Freeman takes on SNL with a major reversal
AD-RAG EXCLUSIVE: What happens when the world's most remarkably clever ad agency gives the world's most remarkably clever weekend late night sketch comedy variety show a taste of their own medicine?
(adapted from the forthcoming Little Golden Book special hardcover edition)
Once upon a time in the 70s, a magical TV show by the name of Saturday Night Live decided to have an exciting adventure in the wonderful world of commercial parodies. They all gathered together in an incense filled room and plotted a course straight to Wheaties, "The Breakfast of Champions." Of course, not being able to afford an appearance by Bruce Jenner, they had to make do with what they had.
What they had was a boozing, chain-smoking, drug-and-food-consuming comedic genius by the name of John Belushi. The result? Little Chocolate Donuts.
Twenty some years later, a struggling but noble fast food restaurant chain named Hardee's was in dire trouble. You see, other food joints were stealing their business away and getting bigger and meaner with every passing lunch hour.
"Ha ha!," said the other fast food joints to Hardee's. "We're bigger and meaner than you! So what are you going to do about it!?"
Well, Hardee's did what any other struggling but noble fast food restaurant chain would do - They gathered at their round board table, drew straws, and hurried off the lucky loser to find a brave knight who would stand up to and defeat those bloated and darn villainous bullies.
And who did they find? They found Sir Freeman. And his merry band of partners.
Already a legend for his epic adventures in the land of "Where's the beef?" and "Pizza! Pizza!," Sir Freeman was soon ready for battle. But before traveling to Hardee's, a trusty intern fetched him his shining suit of casual armour and golden comedic cajones - the largest in all the land. With those firmly in hand, he went off to do what no one else had ever successfully accomplished... Creating a commercially viable parody commercial of a commercial parody parodying commercialism.
The details are sketchy (you'll have to figure it out for yourself by checking out the links), but this much we do know... The other fast food joints were driven back and Hardee's was saved.
And they even say that Sir Freeman's golden comedic cajones grew three sizes that day.
Fin.
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Click here for the handy side-by-side storyboards.
Click here for the SNL spot.
Click here for the Cliff Freeman spot.
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The material within the links on this page are and were included and used for critical, evaluative and/or educational-type purposes, under the really, really complicated fair use provisions of United States copyright law. Please watch Saturday Night Live every week and buy lots and lots of Hardee's roast beef to show your support for this non-profit service. Thank you.
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I'm sure the ad press will react with the same degree of disinterest as they did to Global PC's homage to Apple's classic "1984." There's a side by side board and script comparison on the Commando.com site in an article titled "Criminal Insanity" here: http://www.commando.com/ARCHIVE/Post22.html
Clayton you are my favorite detective at this moment.
I was just thinking "Gee why has no-one ripped off an SNL ad-rippoff?" remembering funny highlights such as the gravel breakfast (pure spring rocks! The whole family will enjoy it) and other spot-on spoofs.
It was just a matter of time before this happened.
Now, It is simply not funny anymore. Art imitates ads, ads imitate art, Comedy spoofs ads, ads regurgitate it all back to us.
Shame on these lame-o creatives.
It was such a funny scetch that you and I both remember it. Ideas like that come once in a blue moon and are regurgitated all the time.