This bizarre TV spot opens with President Carter addressing the nation about high inflation. He poses the question on everyone’s mind: “What is the solution?” Suddenly, the broadcast cuts to a local used car dealership commercial – New Deal Used Cars, hosted by the enthusiastic Marshall Lucky (Jeff). He claims they’re “lowering inflation” by not just fighting or murdering high prices, but by “blowing the living shit out of high prices.”
To demonstrate, Lucky presents a “1972 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, for sixty-two ninety-nine.” Deeming the price “too high,” he promptly shoots the Cadillac, which explodes with cartoonish flair. He continues this over-the-top sales tactic with a “1973 Lincoln Continental, Mark IV,” boasting about its features before again declaring the price “too high” and blasting it with gunfire.
Adding to the surreal spectacle, “Jim the Mechanic” appears in a ridiculous “High Prices” costume. Freddie Paris, in a booming announcer voice, warns Lucky, “Look out, Marshall Lucky. It’s High Prices!” Lucky dramatically “shoots” Jim, who performs an exaggerated death scene, groaning, “Ya got me Marshall.” A bewildered Lucky, seemingly breaking character, exclaims “Jesus Christ” before winking at the camera, recovering his salesman persona and reiterating, “Yes sir, that’s New Deal Used Cars…”
The commercial takes an even darker turn. Lucky presents a “1974 Mercedes 450SL for twenty-four thousand dollars?” Outraged by the price, he doesn’t just shoot it – he blows it up with dynamite. Roy, watching at home, is aghast, yelling, “You son of a bitch!” Lucky, amidst the fiery wreckage, laughs maniacally, “Yes sir. We blew the shit out of that over-priced motherfucker just the way we blow the shit out of all high prices, down here at New Deal Used Cars.” He repeats the dealership name, urging viewers to “come on down.”
The scene abruptly cuts back to President Carter on television, who solemnly states, “I have heard you, with unmistakable clarity…” Roy, still furious and now electrocuted by his television after kicking it, repeats his earlier sentiment, “You son of a bitch.”
This aggressively absurd used car commercial is a masterclass in dark humor, reminiscent of the satirical and often over-the-top style found in films directed by Robert Zemeckis. The commercial’s outlandish violence, coupled with the mundane setting of a used car lot and the serious backdrop of economic inflation, creates a uniquely unsettling and hilarious viewing experience. The sheer absurdity of “blowing up” high prices makes a memorable, if not entirely conventional, advertisement.
