How big was MIAMI VICE? So big that Pepsi not only ripped it off for a series of TV spots, but it even lured Don Johnson to appear in them (Michael J. Fox did some BACK TO THE FUTURE-inspired spots around this time too). But that's not Philip Michael Thomas by Don's side. No, it's ex-Eagles frontman Glenn Frey, who got the gig only because his "Smuggler's Blues" became the inspiration for a MIAMI VICE episode in which he made his acting debut.
I love the guy who shows off his threads to Don, as if to say, "Look, man, I am so cool because I'm dressed exactly like you." What a maroon.
Nobody remembers that Frey went on to star in his own series, SOUTH OF SUNSET, for CBS. Nobody remembers it because it was canceled after just one episode aired on October 27, 1993. Frey played a Beverly Hills private eye, and there wasn't really that much wrong with it, but its ratings were awful (although, by today's standards, it would be a modest hit), even though CBS promoed the shit out of it during the baseball postseason.
(Um, yeah, I watched it.)
Believe it or not that MIAMI VICE / Pepsi commercial was directed by Ridley Scott!
ReplyDeleteA couple weeks back when I picked up a bunch of tapes from a production company that was moving offices one of them was a "Best of Advertisements 1986", and this extended commercial was one of them on the tape.