Legendary actor Gene Hackman has died; he was found dead in his New Mexico home along with his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog. I want to take a moment to reflect on Hackman and also his link to United Airlines.
Gene Hackman Commercials For United Airlines – A Walk Down Memory Lane
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hackman narrated a series of commercials for United Airlines, including the first to feature George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue:
Here are some more:
I love this one, though I’m not sure about the “we’ll take you back” comment in today’s political climate!
I really liked Gene Hackman as an actor. My favorite Gene Hackman movie was The Birdcage, where he played a conservative US Senator who was forced to sneak out of a Miami nightclub in drag…hilarious movie. Nathan Lane is the best…
Don’t watch this if you haven’t seen the movie!
I also loved The Firm, a 1993 mystery thriller with Tom Cruise. Of course he was great in The French Connection, Mississippi Burning, and Enemy of the State…all great films.
He got his start at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, just a short drive from my house, and I loved that he retired at his peak, enjoying his last years in the seclusion of Santa Fe, New Mexico rather than making a fool out of himself by hanging on too long.
The circumstances surrounding his death are odd (my hunch, like his daughter, is still that of carbon monoxide poisoning). But I’m thankful for Hackman today and for the laughs and thrills he brought us through his decades of acting.
Wait…don’t go….I was gonna make espresso!
His absolute best role ever. I didn’t even know it was him for many years.
I had forgotten how wonderful the United ads with Gene Hackman and “Rhapsody” were. Thanks for showing a few. I always felt a bit guilty loving those ads when as a Lifetime Platinum on American I never flew United. Oh well…
I lived in Santa Fe for 8 years, actually down the hill from Hackman’s place. I never was able to meet Hackman and thank him for giving us Royal Tennenbaum.
I was talking to friends yesterday morning when the news had just broken, before the added details made it seem suspicious rather than the joint suicide with the dog we thought it was. We all agreed it was a real “Santa Fe thing to do”.
What was your impression of his portrayal of Harry Caul in The Conversation?
Haven’t seen it. I will now!
Worst performance by a comedian was Zelinsky shredding himself .
His wife died first and he had dementia, not knowing what to do until he fell and had a fatal head injury. Unfortunately, he had a hand in killing her and one dog.
That is my theory. We will see. If correct, you saw it first in Matthew’s Live and Let’s Fly.
Hackman’s commanding style would have made him a terrific airline captain in the movies. Re-create the heated debate with Denzel Washington (Crimson Tide) with Gene as Captain and Denzel as First Officer.