Kevin Smith's Clerks Short Film The Flying Car Was Written For The Ford Motor Company [Exclusive]
A big chunk of the magic of the "Clerks" franchise is the back-and-forth between its titular clerks, Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson). The two can bicker about almost anything, from independent contractors working on the Death Star in "Star Wars" to the logic of going to a video rental store when you work in one, and their banter is always a lot of fun. The two characters have grown over the years, but they're still arguing the day away in the trilogy-ending "Clerks III," now available to buy or rent on home video. Not only have the dorky duo starred in three "Clerks" films and a cartoon series, but they were also the stars of a short film called "The Flying Car" that debuted on Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show" back in 2002.
O'Halloran and Anderson sat down for an exclusive interview with /Film's Ethan Anderton, where O'Halloran revealed the full history behind the short, which shows Dante and Randal trapped in traffic and arguing about the possibilities of flying cars and what they would be willing to trade for one. In typical Smith fashion, the conversation soon turns ridiculous, but that's part of the fun. Apparently Smith's decision to make their dialogue get weird was a little too much for the original intended client: Ford Motor Company.
A little too raunchy for the automotive giant
When Anderton asked about whether there was ever a chance we could see another short film like "The Flying Car," O'Halloran explained that it was kind of a random chance that it happened in the first place, so it's entirely possible:
"With Kevin, you never know what comes his way. He gets pitched by different companies to do things for them. Who knows? If he says, 'Oh, I have a story that could pitch your hemorrhoid cream. It's about Dante and Randal.' That's literally how 'The Flying Car' happened. The Ford Motor Company wanted to have an inspirational video to show all of their engineers for their yearly gathering. They came to Kevin, he wrote this piece. And they were like, 'What's this with the Nazi doctor, and diddling your penie, and cutting your foot off? Yeah, no, we don't need this. Thank you very much.' But Jay Leno was kind enough to let Kevin actually shoot it and air it. So whether Kevin wants to think of something, I'm sure we'll see."
The short doesn't exactly have a Nazi doctor (he's a twisted German with a foot fetish but never explicitly a Nazi), but it's definitely way too weird for an inspirational video for Ford Motors. Thankfully Jay Leno and the folks at "The Tonight Show" helped Smith get the short film made and aired. Is it likely that Smith will get another chance to make something like "The Flying Car"? Who knows — stranger things have happened.
Watch The Flying Car
The short forces its audience to think about two things: what they themselves might be willing to do in order to own the world's first flying car, and what other situations Randal and Dante's ridiculous banter could make more interesting. While this kind of thing might not work for an employee video for a major corporation, it could potentially lend itself to other avenues. Dante and Randal could share their opinions on things before the previews at the movies, they could bicker on their beliefs for a podcast, or even star as the leads in a commercial. Honestly, I don't know why Tostitos or Pace haven't hit Smith and the boys up for a "salsa shark" commercial yet. It's a match made in commercial and cinema heaven! They could put other commercial mascots out of a job. Charmin Bears? Who cares. Mr. Clean? Ain't got nothing on my man Dante.
If Smith gets any wild ideas and there's a company with the guts to make them come to life, we might just get to see more of this fabulous duo. You can catch "Clerks III" on home video and rental streaming services now, and maybe you can come up with your own ideas for Randal and Dante.