Wednesday, January 14, 2009
khan artist: R.I.P. Ricardo Montalban
Posted by Michael Giordano on Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 10:48 PM
A fond farewell to actor Ricardo Montalban who died today at the age of 88. To many, he is remembered as the voiceover for the Chrysler Cordoba, extolling the virtues of its soft... Corinthian leather. Others will always see him alongside the diminutive Herve Villechaize, both resplendent in white formal wear, declaring "I am your host, Mr. Roarke. Welcome... to Fantasy Island!"
For me, a closet pre-Trekkie high school senior in 1982, the year Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released, Montalban will always be remembered as Khan, the only man to push James T. Kirk to the limits of his abilities and the only actor to push William Shatner to the limits of overacting. I have the perverse hope that Montalban managed to conjure Khan's last words (from Herman Melville's Moby Dick), "To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!" Rest in peace, Ricardo, in thickly cushioned luxury.
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Just about all the girls at MGM got a crack at Ricardo during his years there. TCM devoted an entire day to Montalban. My favorites: dancing and romancing Lana Turner in black sequins (Lana, not Ricardo) in a bit of enjoyable piffle "Latin Lovers" and Lana accidentally offing lover Ricardo in "Madame X."
