When Don Ameche died last week, the common element in every obituary was the description of him as a "nice guy."
On the surface that may not seem like such a big deal, and in fact that description is often meant as an insult when used by the self-designated "hip" crowd to identify someone as bland, dull and uninteresting.But in this age of over-information, when we know far too much - and most of it negative - about the celebrities whose work we enjoy in the various entertainment media, to be a "nice guy" may actually be the ultimate compliment.
When you think about it, the most popular entertainers are often those whose work we admire in spite of the reputations they garner for being "difficult" (Kevin Costner), "bizarre" (Kim Basinger), "eccentric" (Johnny Depp), "obnoxious" (Mike Myers) or any number of other descriptive terms used in "gossip" journalism. Not to mention those who actually revel in - and help perpetuate - their reputations, such as "vulgar" Madonna and "weird" Michael Jackson.
But Ameche was from the old school, and he was indeed a "nice guy," or at least that was my impression during our brief interview for "Cocoon" back in 1985.
As I remember our session together, Ameche was charming and courtly and full of anecdotes about "the old days," witty stories involving the famous - and infamous - stars he worked with, including Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power, Ethel Merman, Claudette Colbert, Gene Tierney and many more. Yet, never was there a hint of anything negative. And to make a story interesting and amusing without defaming the name of the famous person you're talking about is really rare these days.
Here are some excerpts from that interview, which I remember as one of the most pleasant I've done in my 15 years on the job:
Don Ameche was genuinely surprised when the 20th Century Fox publicity personnel wheeled a cake with candles into the room of the Plaza Hotel, where reporters were interviewing celebrities involved with "Cocoon."
It was Ameche's 77th birthday, and the entire room broke into song to wish the long-time movie, stage, radio and television star a happy birthday.
Earlier, Ameche proved during an interview that he hardly shows his age. In the movie "Cocoon," he dives off a diving board into a pool, does a moonwalk and breakdances, though a double was used for a bit of the latter. "I'd never seen breakdancing when I read it in the script," he said with a chuckle. "I didn't know what the heck it was.
"When I saw it, I was a little bit frightened, but it was too late."
He added that he was surprised to see how little of the double's work was used in the scene - and it's easy to see that most of the dancing really is Ameche. "It wasn't that bad. The boy and dance couple I worked with were very nice, but the boy was very young, 19 or 20 years old. You have to be to do the things they do."
Ameche enjoys working, but he doesn't get many offers these days. "Cocoon" was his first offer since "Trading Places," he said, and that was his first movie offer in 12 years. He has made only six films since 1948, though prior to that time he reigned as one of Hollywood's most durable leading men.
"I did mostly stage work. I opened either six or seven Broadway shows, did some dinner theater, a lot of tours. For four years, from 1961 to 1965, I did `International Showtime' (a TV series that featured circus performers, ice skaters and other European and American shows). I knew nothing about the circus when I went with that, but I learned a great deal about it and they were fascinating people."
Ameche is philosophical about the dearth of roles he is offered these days, however. "There are an awful lot of performers my age that are available for a part - you've probably got maybe 30, maybe more."
Of course, after "Cocoon," for which Ameche won the best supporting actor Oscar, he became very busy in movies, though most of them were silly comedies unworthy of his talent.
With one noteworthy exception, that is - the 1988 David Mamet picture "Things Change." In this comedy-drama, Ameche plays a common Italian shoemaker who agrees to be the fall guy for a mobster. But his escort (Joe Mantegna) decides to give the old man one last fling, taking him to Reno against orders.
It's a charming, witty piece with a superb central performance by Ameche and ranks among his best pictures. (Earlier Ameche films worth seeking out on video are "In Old Chicago," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Midnight," "The Three Musketeers" (a musical-comedy version with Ameche as D'Artagnan, playing against the Ritz Brothers), "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell" and the film that was Ameche's own favorite, "Heaven Can Wait" (the 1943 Ernst Lubitsch picture).
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One more thing worth noting is that Ameche was first and foremost a family man, and there are many stories about his going out of his way to spend time with his wife and children, making him unique among his peers.
In our 1985 interview, he talked about his six children and their successes and how much more important his family was to him than his career.
That career lasted until just a month ago, when he completed his last film, "Corinna, Corinna," in which he plays opposite Whoopi Goldberg. It will be released sometime next year.
Ameche was 85 when he died Monday at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home.
