JustOneMinute: Chevy Chase, Stand-Up Guy

Chevy Chase, Stand-Up Guy

Chevy Chase delivers a gracious and funny tribute to Gerald Ford. And why now?

IN recent days, I’ve been bombarded by requests to comment on my relationship with President Gerald Ford. Until now, I’ve tried to say nothing — any remarks from me during the Ford family’s private time of grief would have been inappropriate.

And here is a fair-use excerpt for folks for whom that link may not be working:

But linked together [Ford and I] were. And not just in the obvious ways. If it hadn’t been for the courage of Mr. Ford’s wife, Betty, for admitting to an alcohol problem, I would never have received the help I needed in the early 1980s at the Betty Ford clinic, located not far from the Ford residence near Palm Springs. During my short stay there, I often saw Mrs. Ford personally surveying the clinic and generously offering a helping hand to those who were lucky enough to face their problems and, with the learned help of the clinic staff, appraise their behavior and their lifestyles.

One day when my wife, Jayni, came to visit me at the clinic, the Fords invited us to lunch. As it happened, Mrs. Ford had become so beloved and respected by many for her earlier openness about breast cancer and her alcoholism that a television network was in preproduction on a special bio-pic about her. Mr. Ford suggested that while we ate lunch, the four of us could view the videotape of various performances by actors being considered to play the part of the president.

Seated at a small table set for four in a simple dining room also containing a somewhat complicated videotape recorder and TV set were the former commander in chief and I making friendly small talk before lunch was brought in. And on all fours, literally on their hands and knees in front of the bulky and confusing tape machine, were Mrs. Ford and Jayni trying their best to figure out the wiring of the playback machine and the way the whole system worked, so we could watch the screen tests. Noting the effort the ladies were putting into getting the VCR to work, I suggested to Mr. Ford that perhaps we might help them out.

As I began to stand up from my chair, he took gentle hold of my arm, sat me back down and said: “No, no, Chevy. Don’t even think about it. I’ll probably get electrocuted, and you’ll be picked up and arrested for murder.”

We both laughed.

I’ll never forget that moment. My laughter was hearty and genuine.

Posted by Tom Maguire on January 06, 2007 | Permalink

Comments

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S "Vacation At The Betty Ford Clinic."

Posted by: Daddy | January 06, 2007 at 01:15 PM

Wasn't it Chevy Chase that called Ford 'TOTALLY COMPASSIONLESS'??

Maybe he would seem a bigger man if he made an effort to apologize first.

Isn't that something they teach former drug addicts?

Posted by: Patton | January 07, 2007 at 10:21 AM

Chevy Chase was literally chasing a buck when he used to parody Ford on SNL. His Christmas Vacation movie has immortalized him and though he is as Left as they come ;he has great acting chops.

Posted by: maryrose | January 07, 2007 at 12:34 PM