Posted on 12/27/2006 11:05:07 AM PST by Roberts
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Comedian Chevy Chase, who became famous in the 1970s portraying Gerald Ford as an amiable klutz, praised the former president on Wednesday and said they later became friendly in spite of the biting comedy routines.
Chase, 63, was an original cast member on the trend-setting late-night comedy television show "Saturday Night Live" and frequently opened the show pretending to be Ford stumbling and falling. The parody in 1975-6 helped reinforce a popular image about Ford's clumsiness, even though the president had been a star athlete in college.
"He had never been elected period, so I never felt that he deserved to be there to begin with," the actor said about Ford, who died on Tuesday at age 93. "That was just the way I felt then as a young man and as a writer and a liberal."
"Later on we became friends and he was a very, very sweet man," Chase said in a telephone interview from a Colorado ski resort. "He took my wife and I on a whole lovely trip through Grand Rapids to show us where he had been as a child and what not. We kept in touch and he was just a terrific guy."
Chase, who has since starred in many film comedies, said Ford helped boost his career, but said another politician could have just as easily become the comedic punching bag in such politically turbulent times.
Chase was initially hired as a writer, not an actor but the humor he wrote mocking Ford helped change that.
"I wrote all those Gerald Ford jokes and (producer) Lorne (Michaels) put me on the air," he said. "Doing the stunt falls and stuff ... started me."
"As far as making my career, it could have been anybody who had been a Republican after Nixon and pardoned him."
Just more MSM attempts to denigrate President Ford. I see these stories all over the DBM on and off line.
Chase's assertion that, in the past, he did not think Ford "deserved to be there" is puzzling. Ford's ascension to the presidency was entirely lawful and constitutional, and says much about our strength as a nation. Although his route to the White House was untraditional, it was no less legal and legitimate. Ford handled a difficult time in our history with dignity and grace. In some countries, the unprecedented resignation of a president would be met with a coup d'etat and rioting. We, as a nation and a people, did better. Ford was an integral part of that. May he rest in peace.
It may have been funny in the comedic sense, but it was still "bad press" in the same way that Howard Dean's ill-timed "scream" did him in. I attribute the loss of the 1976 campaign to this bad PR for Ford. No kidding.
I NEVER thought Chevy Chase was funny on TV or in any of his movies. I love the fact that someone in the media needed to phone him up to see what he thought. How long before we see Chevy Chase on Larry King and some of those SNL skits? tonight? tomorrow?
In the showers, Letterman was a "looker". I guess he liked to compare, so to speak.
Rockin', I disagree. He did a helluva role on "Law and Order: SVU" as an anti-Semitic comedian or writer who was loosely based on Mel Gibson's rant.
Interesting, I never saw that one. Don't watch that show much.
LOL. I can't get away from it as my wife loves to watch it---it puts her to sleep.
"he didn't deserve to be there...not elected..."
Chevy, grab a US govt. textboook you azzclown.
"being a....liberal..."
Well, at least you admit it unlike most of your media brethern.
Folks knew that about Belushi at that time. It was sad; so much potential talent, just wasted.
Can't remember the guy's name on SNL, but he did absolutely devastating Bill Clinton parodies! IIRC the guy turned out to be somewhat more conservative all around than most folks on SNL ever were. His parodies were usually on the mark, as opposed to Will Ferrell's parodies of Bush 43, which are just stupid and silly.
I've never liked Barbra Streisand's voice; too whiny and annoying for me. Celine Dion is in the same vein; she's this generation's Streisand.
Interesting that Ford who was the captain of the two time undefeated national champion Michigan Wolverines and turned down a chance to play in the NFL was portrayed as a klutz by some limp d*ck liberal Hollywood type.
If Bill Clinton had been water boy for Georgetown they would have called him a sports legend.
Just Puke.
Good point.
Are you talking about Norm MacDonald? He is a conservative.
Either the story or Chevy or both omit the sequel to the story: Chase injured himself doing the pratfalls and became addicted to opiates/painkillers (in addition to the mountains of coke the entire cast consumed).
Bill Murray got into a fist fight with Chase backstage when Chase guest hosted SNL over a year after he left the show and Murray took his place.
I believe that was the late Phil Hartman.
Both of them suffer from the diva affliction.
They think their performances are about them rather than about the song (but that's always been a pet peeve of mine).
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