I'm pissed. Maybe disappointed is a better word. I just found out on MSN.com that Ricardo Montalban died today. No, I'm not a Montalban-o-phile in that I don't have any memorabilia or DVDs of his work, and I certainly never considered Fantasy Island high art.
Why then am I disappointed? Because back in the early- to mid-80s he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. He would have been in his late 60s/early 70s, but he was sharp as a tack, and traded jokes quite liberally with David Letterman over his Fantasy Island image, as well as his turn as a spokesman for Chrysler. Letterman couldn't resist bringing up the phrase "... rich, Corinthian leather..." which was always one of the highlights of the car ads of the time. There was absolutely no ego associated with Montalban that I could tell and he seemed quite comformtable with his legacy as an entertainer. Based on this one appearance, I envisioned that he would be a great person to have as a neighbor.
I always wanted to write a letter to him to let him know I thought his appearance on the show was great, and to wish him well in his retirement. Of course, I never did (I'm sure it would have seemed a little silly to him), but who knows, he may have written a short thank you in reply. I'm not star struck by anyone, but if I were to write anyone in Hollywood, it would have been him and Barbara Eden (who was also very gracious in an interview conducted by the biggest c-u-n-t in the news business, Connie Chung).
Will I ever write Barbara Eden? Probably not, and I'm sure I'll feel a twinge of regret when she passes, too.
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