Ricardo Montalbán Reveals The True Meaning Of Corinthian Leather | Letterman

Ricardo also talks about his iconic role as Khan in "Star Trek."
(From "Late Night," air date: 4/14/87)
#ricardomontalban #corinthian #letterman
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[@christophercorrao3656]

The Original Most Interesting Man in the World

[@riceflatpicking4954]

How can someone not like this guy on every level? Great guy.

[@TheLadsBandLive]

Charming and quick witted. Laughed out loud more than once during this interview. Dave and the audience seemed to genuinely love Ricardo’s appearance here.

[@keefriff99]

What a delightful gentleman. He will always be Khan to me, but he was such a suave and charming man.

[@floridaredneck]

He is whoever the suit says he is; he's that convincing. I would have loved to have seen him impersonate his characters back to back, or even doing Khan in a Cordoba. Could you imagine? He's funny enough to have done that, but I never once thought of Khan when I see Mr. Rourke and never think of Mr. Rourke when I see Khan. He's just that amazing that you get caught up in whoever he is at the time. He could be in a drama or a sit-com and fit right in. I use present tense because he is still with us.

[@JohnSmith-ty1gm]

A gentleman, and surprisingly down to earth...a class act.

[@antonydrossos5719]

A true gentleman

[@VirginiaWolf88]

He is so awesome on every level.

[@tminusnyc2915]

This guy was GOLD.

[@hillelbuchsbaum6965]

That was surprisingly excellent. I think Dave was surprised how good that went. Started a bit slow, ended with Dave being caught unaware that time was out.

[@dukeallen432]

Why did it surprise you. Are you old enough to remember fantasy island? And Dave’s a master at this.

[@TheMongex]

What a gem this gentleman was... and what a diction for someone whose english isn't it first language. Greetings for Córdoba, Argentina (and that's right, it's accentuated on the first syllable).

[@razoraz]

It's obvious to anyone who knows the language from the accent indicator alone. But corporate interests will modify anything into a sort of milky-introduction to the culture for their interests. He was a gem and such a speaker.

[@hugotrevino2565]

The funny thing is that in Mexico the Chrysler Cordoba was sold and we all pronounced it like Ricardo did in the commercials.

[@runeshadow]

One of the all time greats!

[@56falco]

I remember seeing this when it first aired! "HI Ricardo!" "And I said Hiii..." Still cracks me up. Thanks for posting this!

[@scottcaldwell7480]

He seems like a very kind and genuine fellow.

[@cowbelltv4865]

I remember seeing this when it first aired and LOVED Mr. Montalban. I thought he was one of Letterman’s best interviews! So great!

[@peterddb1593]

I could listen to Ricardo speak until the cows come home. I’m not sure exactly how long that is, but I think it is a long time. I enjoyed this interview. One of the shows Ricardo mentioned, “The Colbys “, also included Charlton Heston. Watching Ricardo and Charlton recite their cheesy dialogue was a true joy. It was also a joy watching Paul get so excited during this segment. Thanks for randomly posting this clip!

[@canoeman1961]

Me too. I could listen to Ricardo talk about cows until they come home.

[@kstepko]

Especially if they are the cows that produce that fine Corinthian leather!

[@WilliamHerlihy-p4g]

How far away from home are the cows?

[@ghanasoul]

I get what u mean. I love his cool suave manner, accent and his whole demeanor. He’s a gentleman and was a class act.

[@fidorover]

Hearing the phrase "Rich, Corinthian leather" made me remember the time Dave was doing a sponsor-written lead-in to a Budweiser commercial. Dave said, "Tonight's show is brought to you by Budweiser. Beechwood aged... (he then looked at the bottle and continued)... ya know, they could age this stuff in plywood and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference."

[@TheFriendlyTroll]

That's hilarious. Dave's the man.

[@JiveDadson]

Reach Coranthian lather

[@justa335]

Two legends.

[@EyeTunz]

This is the coolest cat I've seen in a while.

[@calcio23]

I could listen to him talk all day. He’s so classy.

[@Thomas-h4n5h]

This was fun. I miss your old show, Dave. ❤

[@scottlarson1548]

Montalbán was occasionally on the show "Sábado Gigante" and his Spanish was clear enough for me to understand while learning Spanish in high school.

[@nunezale]

My grandmother always watched Sabado Gigante when I was a kid. I forgot about its existence until now!

[@JackSilbert]

Enjoyed this one very much! What a good-natured guy!

[@4seeableTV]

He had it all. Smarts. Humor. Charm. I wish we had seen more of him in his later years.

[@Edelweiss-hh6tk]

Great dancer too

[@hungfao]

He's more personable and funnier than I expected. Really good actor but have never seen him interviewed like this.

[@MichelleUS66]

So smooth! 🥰 (He was great as Khan, but imagine how cool it would have been if he had been cast as a villain in Batman!)

[@YarpKnudson4Prez]

Carmine Falcone perhaps

[@BrandonHardaker]

Both Dave and Ricardo are cool. R. I. P. Ricardo.

[@KungEMuller]

David Letterman learned a lot from Ricardo. This was an intelligent interview.

[@Rob_Kates]

Ricardo was a charming guy.

[@KungEMuller]

@@Rob_Kates Very true.

[@astrofan1993]

Other than Khan Noonien-Singh, the role I most associated with Ricardo Montalbán was Grandpa Valentin in the Spy Kids franchise. I did see him in the 1974 version of The Mark of Zorro, too. But Khan and Grandpa Valentin were the roles I most associate him with. In fact, I find it to be quite the fascinating dichotomy, with one character driven by his desire to seek revenge on the man who he perceived to have hurt him, and the other driven by his desire to forgive the man who actually did hurt him. It makes me wonder what would have happened if Khan and Grandpa Valentin ended up in a room together and talked about their experiences and their differing approaches to how they handled being betrayed and losing something important to them. And personally, I would have found it to be an interesting "What If" scenario where Khan and his people decided to start over in the 23rd Century, and Khan became Chief of Security aboard the Enterprise, using his knowledge of combat and martial prowess to deal with enemy threats. But I guess we have that with his descendant, La'an Noonien-Singh in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Speaking of which, it would also be very interesting to see if Captain (and later Admiral) Kirk ever contacted her about his encounters with Khan in the aftermath of "Space Seed" and "The Wrath of Khan", assuming she survives into the TOS era and beyond.

[@TyroneDaviesWELSHMAN]

A self-deprecating legend. Talent and class.. A rare combination these days. Mores the pity.

[@pauld.172]

OMG yes!

[@jeffo4817]

He was born in 1920 which means he played Kahn at 62. Do any of you remember how absolutely ripped he was for that role? Amazing I sure hope I have that kind of longevity.

[@DukeJon1969]

great guy. Full of self confidence and masculinity.

[@JamesHoran-i3d]

Shatner should have shown up and screamed KKKKHHHHHAANNNNNNN !!!!!

[@SteveMikre44]

For his role as Kahn he really hit the weights hard, which added so much to character...🏋️‍♂️🎬

[@theoriginalbridgetconnors]

Nicholas Meyer has been repeatedly asked if Montalbán wore a prosthetic chest for his scenes, as his uniform was purposefully designed with an open front. Meyer replied in audio commentary for the film that Montalbán (who was 61 during filming) is "one strong cookie" and that no prosthetics were applied to the actor's sizeable frame.

[@datacipher]

Uh NO. He was ALWAYS jacked. He was jacked on fantasy island he was long after Wrath.

[@datacipher]

@@theoriginalbridgetconnorsyes he was jacked his entire life and unlike all the Hollywood celebs since travolta and Stallone started using in the 70’s, he was presumably always steroid free.

[@SteveMikre44]

@@datacipher Very true, but he definitely added mass for his role as Kahn...

[@datacipher]

@@SteveMikre44 I don’t think so. He was very very bulky on Fanatsy Island much of the time, and of course, he was bigger in Space Seed as well. He was older by Wrath of Khan but I don’t see any evidence that he had declined sharply before Trek 2. 8 years after he was still comparable at age 70…. There’s even a clip online of him in a tank top at age 70… in BL Styker. His arms are at least his hit and his chest is wide and big - if possible slightly flabbier.

[@VirginiaWolf88]

My Grandfather had a Chrysler Cordoba. It was really nice.:)

[@mikeinmaryland]

One of my favorite lines in Naked Gun Paraphrasing: How can you be so vicious? You’re forgetting… I spent 2 years as a building contractor. 😂

[@Edelweiss-hh6tk]

I forgot about The Naked Gun. He got run over by a marching band 😂

[@TraitofSiNN727]

I would love to talk to Ricardo about Star Trek. KHAN!!!

[@CSavageSr]

Khan!!!

[@richinoable]

Self aware, humble, razor sharp, classy, etc.

[@ronsandlin9618]

So soon after the Mr. Nicky hairpiece segment!

[@hugotrevino2565]

"Maybe the hell or Don Juan" best answer ever!!!

[@carlosa7807]

What a great interview. Such class

[@MagicAl5F4781]

The Naked Gun was the year after this.

[@vantheman1238]

What a geezer this man is. Such a dude.

[@PugetSoundFlyer]

RIP Ricardo - Gone to soon!

[@luishumbertovega3900]

That guy was such a screen presence that when he played a butler in a scene of a movie in which he was standing in the background and silent while other main actors performed a dialogue the director yelled Cut for no apparent reason, then he said to him: "Ricardo, the perfect butler is supposed to be invisible" 🤣😆😂😅

[@moxica93]

We had a Cordoba when I was young. But it had no Corinthian Leather...

[@FreddyKurganNimmo]

Soft crushed velvet?

[@marshalmagooo3899]

Ricardo was 67.... He is a pro

[@mkpleco]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the best Star Trek movie still today.

[@cliphound80]

Ricardo Montalbahn. 1987 Chrysler Cordoba. With fine Corinthian Leather seats.

[@dougn2350]

Ricardo was only married once. The marriage lasted decades until her death. His wife was Loretta Young's sister.

[@reviewerman9786]

That’s interesting

[@ForeverBennett]

Style, class, grace, talent. Ricardo was the best.

[@Edelweiss-hh6tk]

The world’s most interesting man

[@razoraz]

This is a little class in acting and how much you have to contribute to mindless scripts. One of the first videos I saved on KZbin is of his commercial with Chrysler; the enunciation of "rich Corinthian leather". And the "Cordoba". He genuflects, like most latinos. Master of his craft, as Dave is of his.

[@FreddyKurganNimmo]

And so many younger people reacting to Deadpool don't get it when he says it in the movie.

[@dougn2350]

The "she is" story was funny

[@Mgh-r]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ hiiiii ❤❤❤❤❤ dear dave

[@S1L3NTG4M3R]

Khan!!!!

[@CSavageSr]

Khan!!!

[@jeffperteet2327]

Wow 5-10 to make Fatasy Island, for 7 years, it was the best show though

[@roknrolbilly]

[@nighthiker8872]

8.37

[@JamesHoran-i3d]

Prior to Victor Ludwig in The Naked Gun.

[@JiveDadson]

Reach Corrrinthian lather

[@4yules]

neighba!

[@datacipher]

Typical Dave garbage interview skills - cutoff the ending of the “cordoba” story which I wanted to hear.

[@adanvaldcontreras4283]

😅😅😅😅

[@penguin44ca]

Wait. It's not real? Well my whole life is just a lie then. Obviously not real