With the death of Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury inherits the title of most important living sci-fi writer. But let's not let the title get to his head: As this commercial for Sunsweet Prunes makes clears, he's certainly done his share of non-visionary whoring in pursuit of bowel regularity.

I kid. This commercial is wonderful. From the 1970s, a bombastic announcer declares that by 2001, people will travel via "pneumatic people tubes" and watch a Big Brotheresque Bradbury on gigantic wall-sized television sets while snacking on prunes. At this point, Bradbury interrupts, arguing with the narrator that his work makes no mention of prunes. The narrator, unperturbed, soldiers on, finally declaring that in the future, Sunsweet Prune technicians will eliminate the wrinkle problem too.

This is just genius. Not only did they give a sci-fi writer an endorsement pay check, but they did it with their tongue poking through their cheek. If only more science fiction writers got fruit endorsement deals!

Ray Bradbury: Whoring for Regularity [Ectomo]