Did I miss the memo about how “{thing} is the Cadillac of {category}” is making a big comeback? Or is GM making payments to TV writers to subliminally insert this into our consciousness?
“Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action” ~Ian Fleming
Well, last night’s “My name is Earl” triggered the “three times” for the title phrase. A few weeks ago, I noticed it in two separate TV shows, and thought it was a funny coincidence. With Earl, I’m wondering if more is going on.
[ul][li]“How I met your Mother” (CBS). In the season premiere, Robin’s new boyfriend is described as “the Cadillac of breakup guys”.[/li][li]“Bones” (Fox). Again, the season premiere. Mineral remnants are found in a skull, which turns out to be a specific type of rock, described as “the Cadillac of granite”.[/li][li] “My Name is Earl” (NBC), 10/11 episode. Earl is impressed with his new friends El Camino, calling it “the Cadillac of cars”. This one at least had the bonus of being funny. :)[/li][/ul] It’s not even a single specific network (and NBC generally seems more focused on Nissans anyway). I did find that Cadillac was sponsoring CBS’s fall premieres, which explains “How I met your Mother”, but not the others. Maybe all three were wooing Cadillac and wrote in the lines, then left them in even after CBS got the deal.
Anyone else have any “Cadillac sightings” in your viewings? Is it time to break out the tinfoil hats to prevent a run on car dealerships?
Yes, rationally I know the simplest explanation is just a couple of coincidences, but sometimes it’s fun to go John Nash on things and look for conspiracy connections anyway.
[li] “My Name is Earl” (NBC), 10/11 episode. Earl is impressed with his new friends El Camino, calling it “the Cadillac of cars”. This one at least had the bonus of being funny. :)[/li][/QUOTE]
EDIT: I googled “cadillac of cars” and “rolls royce” and came up with three hits. One of them suggested a ‘forgetable’ '90s movie with Ricki Lake. (‘Ooooh, a Rolls Royce! That’s like the Cadillac of cars, isn’t it?’) I looked at IMDb and the only '90s film I saw that she was in (uncredited) was Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I don’t remember if that’s where I heard it.
Speaking of Cadillac product placement… Chicago Hope was sponsored by Cadillac. One commercial for their Catera model had a character saying “Lease a Catera” and another saying “Who’s Lisa Catera?” Chicago Hope, of course, then introduced a character named Dr. Lisa Catera.
I remember Mercedes being called the Cadillac of cars. I think it was in one of Richard Lederer’s books (Anguished English or Fractured English or something like that).
I remember it from a 1970’s Mad Magazine. It was an article about ad slogans that failed. It was the fist thing that I thought of when I saw the thread title.
The Wire on HBO had a really good joke about this.
A salesman is pitching an electric drill to one of the gangbangers on the show. He uses the line “This is the Cadillac of drills.”
Later the gangbanger is relating the story to another hood and says “He said it was the Cadillac of drills, but I know he meant Lexus.”
