Walton Goggins is Legendary Pitchman John Bronco in New Teaser
Photo: Ford
Do you remember John Bronco? The legendary pitchman who raced a Ford Motor Company SUV prototype at the Baja 500 in 1966, giving birth to an off-road icon that also just so happens to have been revived very recently? Probably not — he disappeared from the prying eye of the public and hasn’t been seen in decades.
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He also isn’t real. John Bronco is the eponymous and (almost certainly) fictional focus of an upcoming mockumentary starring Walton Goggins. A short trailer dropped on Tuesday, and, boy howdy, does it ever look like a thing.
It’s worth putting out there that Walton Goggins is one of the more underrated actors working today. If you haven’t seen him as Boyd Crowder in Justified, make it a point to binge all six seasons of that brilliant show as soon as possible. Dude was even pretty good in a small role in a Rob Zombie movie. That’s impressive. If this means more Walton Goggins in starring roles, let’s saddle up and ride. (Because Bronco.)
Watch: ‘John Bronco’ teaser trailer
The teaser is accompanied by a fully realized website, JohnBronco.com, which treats its subject matter like he’s a kind of cryptid. Not only does it mythologize the character as “the greatest pitchman who ever lived,” but it offers visitors the chance to report sightings of the elusive star.
There’s also a link to fill out a petition urging Ford to “bring Bronco back home.” This alone begs the question as to whether the 36-minute mini mockumentary is actually just an elaborate viral marketing campaign to promote the all-new Ford Bronco. But, hey, you know what? If it’s funny and it’s got Walton Goggins in it, whatever. The world could use a little more joy (even if it’s ultimately just intended to shill a thing people can buy). It’s not like Ford’s having trouble selling Broncos at the moment, anyway.
You can also check out the John Bronco Fans Facebook page, which serves up several (probably) fake vintage ads featuring Goggins and a pretty sweet mustache. There’s also a fair amount of authentic stuff, too, including press releases, production sketches, and ads not featuring Walton Goggins’ mustache.
John Bronco also promises a pretty stellar cast around Goggins and his soup strainer, including Dennis Quaid as the narrator; Tim Meadows as Bronco’s manager, Donovan Piggot; and Bo Derek and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar playing themselves.
As for when you can expect to shove all of John Bronco into your face hole, the teaser only offers that it’s coming soon. Will it end with Walton Goggins tearing ass through the desert in a brand-new Ford Bronco having completed the hero’s journey? Only time will tell.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.