By Robert Goldrich
This spot takes us to the dreaded automobile dealership showroom where our feeling of angst is justified with the sight of a salesman who’s typical in terms of his strong arm tactics but atypical in appearance–he’s a two-foot badger in suit and tie.
“So we ready to make a deal?” he asks in a gruff manner to a couple clearly interested in a car on display.
The couple is noncommittal, with the guy and gal saying they’d like to think things over and get back to the salesman tomorrow.
“Probably won’t be here tomorrow,” says the badger, explaining that he’s got another couple interested in the vehicle.
But the couple in the showroom isn’t swayed, preferring to take its time.
“Better buy it tonight before I sell it right from under you,” warns the badger.
A voiceover soon steps in and asks the rhetorical question, “Tired of being badgered?”
We then see the logo for the Johnson Automotive chain of dealerships in Raleigh, N.C., accompanied by the slogan, “Great deals. Great Service. No Badgers.”
“Another Couple” is one of 12 TV spots in a campaign directed by Stacy Wall of bicoastal Epoch Films for The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.
The Martin Agency team included creative director/writer Raymond McKinney, creative director/art director Ty Harper, strategic planner Lauren Tucker and producer Brad Powell.
Jerry Solomon executive produced for Epoch with Anita Wetterstedt serving as producer. The DP was Bob Yeoman.
Editor was Rick Lawley of The Whitehouse, New York. James Razzell was the visual effects artist at Framestore, New York.
Francis Ford Coppola To Receive 50th AFI Life Achievement Award
Francis Ford Coppola will be the 50th recipient of the American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award, America’s highest honor for a career in film. The award will be presented to Coppola at a Gala Tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26, 2025.
“Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist--one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit,” said Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. “AFI is honored to present him with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award.”
Coppola’s The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now are ranked among history’s greatest films in AFI’s 100 Years...100 Movies list. He is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of our time; a six-time Academy Award®-winning (including the Board of Governors’ Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award) director, writer and producer of such films as Patton, The Godfather Trilogy, American Grffiti, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and his latest epic, Megalopolis.
As the co-founder of American Zoetrope with George Lucas, Coppola initiated and nourished the careers of talents such as Carroll Ballard, John Milius, Sofia Coppola, and actors Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Caan, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfus, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Matt Dillon and Diane Lane. As a writer, director, producer and technological pioneer, he created a body of work that has helped shape contemporary American cinema. Coppola’s latest film Megalopolis is a Roman epic set in modern times with an all-star cast including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito,... Read More