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Though King of the Hill patriarch Cotton Hill may have famously spent the 1970s roasting the American troops fighting in Vietnam and traumatizing a teenage Hank, the curmudgeonly World War II veteran did more than just wreak havoc during the decade: He also seemingly made a well-documented pit stop to his local Ponderosa Steakhouse.
Fans first discovered Cotton’s apparent connection to the restaurant chain last week, when Redditor babysoutonbail popped by the Vintage Ads subreddit with a 1971 magazine spread released as a part of Ponderosa’s “Have a Lovely Day” campaign, depicting four parties having the (very staged) times of their lives at the not-so-beloved eatery.
But more so than nostalgia over the bygone promise of cheap buffet food guaranteed to make grandma happy, fans found themselves taken with another detail of the old-school advertisement. More specifically, just how much the gentleman depicted in its lower right-hand corner resembles Hank Hill’s late father.
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“That’s Cotton Hill! I’d recognize him anywhere!” wrote AnhedoniaJack of the pair’s uncanny similarities.
“He’s actually standing in that picture,” joked RootHogOrDieTrying, in reference to Cotton’s famously shinless stature.
While the world may never know whether or not Cotton actually took some time off to star in a restaurant advertisement, one thing is certain: He never looked that happy at Burton’s Prime Rib in Arlen.