Montalban, Former Chrysler Pitchman, Dies At 88

Former Chrysler pitchman Ricardo Montalban, known for the phrase "reeech
Corinthian leather" when referring to the Chysler Cordoba, died Wednesday
morning at home. He was 88. Interestingly, in the early Cordoba
commercials, the phrase he used was "fine Corinthian leather".

Montalban's association with Chrysler went far beyond the Cordoba. He also
did commercials in the early 80s for the K car based LeBarons and New
Yorkers. And in a subtle touch, a modified Dodge Aspen wagon was featured
on his show Fantasy Island.

Comments have poured in from around the world. Former DaimlerChrysler CEO
Jurgen Schrempp said "I've aways liked Fantasy Island. I envy people who
can successfully achieve their fantasies." Current Chrysler CEO Robert
Nardelli said "This is important... did he cash the last check we sent
him?"

Hollywood reporter Mona Barrett informed William Shatner, Montalban's
adversary in TV and movies, of Montalban's death. "He was still alive?"
asked Shatner. "You mean... Genesis *did* work?"

Montalban is survived by fellow former Chrysler pitchmen and women Joe
Garagiola, Jack Jones, Celine Dion, and Lee Iacocca. The funeral will be
postponed for a few months, so it can be held at the same time as the
Chrysler funeral.

 

Kind of insulting to someone who just
lost his life............

 

If Ricardo doesn't like it, he can always haunt the writer into the grave.
Because I'm a humorist, I'd like my obit to read much in the same vein.

Regardless, nearly every celeb is always open for satirization, even when
they die. And it doesn't matter who it is. Watch SNL this weekend (or any
week-end) and see who'd death they mention in their weekend update segment.
And they pic on everyone.

I still recall with a tear how they informed us that Morris the Cat had
passed away by suicide. He had tried many times before without succeeding
because he always had 9 lives.

SWIGGY

 

Funeral Director Says Interior of Montalban Casket Made of Fine
Corinthian Leather

 

Actually it looks like both the legend and orignal posters assertation
are wrong. Here,
is says "soft Corinthian leather".

 

In message edward ohare

Damn that is one UGLY car. He looks better driving this one:



But I've gotta ask.........

<spoiler space>





























Does Don Johnson know Khan stole his mullet?

 

This thread made me look up the commercial, not knowing what the car looked
like.

Nice man, nice voice, shame about the car....

He talks about "tastefulness", but the car sure looks ugly.... That curious
American penchant for mixing vinyl with metal in the roof...

DAS
(From London)

 

Just a note here that the Cordoba was a huge success, outselling the
Pontiac Grand Prix and Ford Elite, while being higher priced than
either. The Chevy Monte Carlo outsold the Cordoba, but cost over
$1000 less, pretty significant in in what was then the $4xxx and $5xxx
base price ranges.

Ugly? With Jaguar lamp treatment and a knock off Rolls grill? <G>

 

Wasn't that bad for the early/mid '70's. Take a look at the 73 Monte
Carlo. Long hood/short deck "luxury coupes" were the fad in the
'70's. With a 318 V-8 they could get over 20mpg on the highway. The
drivetrains were bulletproof, but the bodies, unfortunately were prone
to rust.

 

For its time, the first-generation Cordoba was a very nice-looking
car.

 

I had a '77 Cordoba, and I had always liked the way it looked. The drive
train was pretty reliable, but the body rusted out, both rear leaf spring
shackles broke and the springs poked through the trunk. The passenger side
door could only be opened from the inside, and only if you kicked it open.

Worst of all, the fancy cover on the trunk lock fell off.

Ah, the good old days .......

 

Back then Chrysler was still a high-end brand, more like Buick or
Olds. That was before years of LeBarons, PT Cruisers, Voyagers, low-
end Town & Countrys, Aspens indistinguisable from Durangos, etc.,
diminished the name plate to the same level as Dodge, Pontiac, or
Mercury.

The first Cordoba was very attractive (75-77, in fact). Then came the
messing with the styling. getting especially unattractive in 1980.

 

I thought so too, and think it has held up well, especially the first
few years with the round headlights and most especially the delete-
vinyl-roof option (unfortunately deleting a vinyl roof was against the
spirit of the times and not very common). They made it plainer and
ineffably cheaper-looking a couple of times as the years went by.
The "Corinthian" leather, of course, evoked a part of the bull other
than its tanned hide.

The *appearance* has held up well, that is. I don't see the actual
car very often anymore, even though it sold quite well back in the
day, and of course it was of a generation that gets too little respect
from collectors across the board.

Montalban maybe doesn't get enough respect either, but I think he
could really act when circumstances allowed, and was a big part of
making "The Wrath of Kahn" one of the best things in the Star Trek
franchise, albeit in the stagey style that typified the original
series and its movies. (And any of us should look even hallf as good
at sixtysomething!)

Among his lesser known side projects was something I associate with
road trips in a certain time and place in my life. He narrated
"Listen to New Mexico" -- few-minute vignettes of human and natural
history, broadcast in an infinite loop on low-power roadside
transmitters near the relevant sites, at frequencies just above or
below the normal broadcast band like 530 or 1610 kHz. A very
restrained and dignified performance, Alas, I suspect that both the
little radio transmitters and the funding program that ran them are
all gone.

--Joe

 

Incredibly stupid designs--I don't care what they looked like, but it
drove me nuts that the cars were huge yet tended to have almost no
room in the back seats. My first couple cars were ancient junkers,
but they were considerably more comfortable than those 1970s boats for
anyone actually riding in them.

 

Agreed. It was, for the time, rather minimalist and elegant. As someone
else said, all you have to do is look at contemporary GM "personal
luxury" cars or the Lincoln Mk V (especially in dark blue with a tan
naugahyde top... ack!) to see what constitutes overdone and tasteless. I
*still* prefer the long hood/short trunk look.

 

Exactly- smogged-down low-compression engines were the main culprit.
Mechanically the first-gen Cordoba is a B-body, exactly the same as my
'73 Satellite that is still going after 460,000 miles. But no one wanted
a shell of a former muscle-car re-worked to be a cushy, somewhat
under-powered, and very non-economical "personal luxury" car. In fact,
that era pretty much was the end of the 2-door midsize car.

 

I rented one in the 70s for a long highway drive.
It was lovely at 80+, but not what I'd buy for normal urban use.

 

I like the Mk V.... the Mk VI was horrible.

 

Nobody would ever argue they were space- weight- or fuel-efficient.
But they were pretty.

My '78 Newport is very comfortable to ride in -- now that I've got KYB
gas-charged shocks, a Trans-Go shift kit, and a Firm-Feel steering box
in it!

 

Except there is no such thing a Corinthian Leather