Thinking Outside the Box or Going Nowhere Fast

Maybe tomorrow -- 1973

Has anyone watched Kentucky Fried Movie lately?

In less than an hour and a half, creators David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abraham, possibly better known for Airplane! and Naked Gun, squeezed in lots of laughs.  They made fun of kung fu movies, Catholic schoolgirls, the city of Detroit, and television anchormen, and they enticed Donald Sutherland to take a pie in the face for what became a cult classic.

Sure, some of the material is dated.  The movie was released in 1977.  But their parody of an oil company commercial is still timely, as we struggle with rising gas prices, bicker over when and where to drill, and squabble about government subsidies for oil companies.

The spokesperson, blandly sincere, touts the geniuses for whom he works.

“At Argon we know that a country which depends on oil can’t afford to run short.  But conventional drilling is not always possible.  Now, new ways must be found to produce crude oil.

He proceeds to give several examples of how Argon is helping address the energy crisis.

“Here at our multi-million dollar refinery we’re extracting over 2.5 billion gallons of oil each day from teenager faces. (The visual shows suction cups stuck to the faces of a handful of gangly teenagers.)

“Here, in Milan, Italy, an affiliate of Argon has developed a way to reclaim oil filtered from the discarded combs of local residents. (The visual shows overflowing containers of used, oily combs — some with dandruff — on an assembly line.)

“Back in the U.S., we’ve developed a way to filter the oil from carry out foods.” (The visual shows gobs of grease dripping from a bucket of fried chicken.)

The Red, Yellow, and Green for Gas -- 1973

“At Argon, we’re working to keep your money.”

Is it gross?  Absolutely.  Is it over-the-top?  Without a doubt.  It’s also very funny.

Anyone have any better ideas on what we can do when there’s no more cheap oil?   Now’s your turn to speak out.

No?  Well, I hope you filled up your tank because you might be going nowhere fast.

© 2011 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved