Airplane! is one of those movies that just never seems to get old. Its utter zaniness and self-referential comedy was unprecedented at the time that it came out in 1980 and it spawned not only its own sequel, but countless films that approached humor in the same way. At the center of the film is actor Robert Hays, who portrayed the film’s protagonist Ted Striker. It would be hard to imagine the part in the hands of any other actor, but it might also be argued, that this, Hays’ first feature film role, typecasted him so badly that he scarcely found additional film work.
He was pretty well-known for his role in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and I enjoyed his part in the horror film Cat’s Eye, but beyond that, I’ve only seen him in a couple of appearances in That 70’s Show…but you can bet your blow-up co-pilot that I wanted to meet him.
I got excited when I saw that he was going to be making an appearance at Chiller Theatre, then the Hollywood Show, but unfortunately I didn’t make it to either one of those. But when I found out that he’d be at the Wizard World Comic Con in Louisville, Kentucky on March 28, 2014, I made sure I was there to greet him.
It’s always especially nice when a celebrity goes over and above all expectation in terms of how nice they are. Generally I am very respectful of celebrities’ time and only carry on long conversations with them if they are the one who initiates it. Such was the case with Robert Hays. Granted that it was Friday night and Wizard World wasn’t all that crowded yet, but I got the feeling that was really enjoying chatting and several times after I had already thanked him, he kept the conversation going.
I didn’t have any burning questions in my head to ask him, so instead I let him ask me questions. We ended up chatting about the trip that Carolyn and I were in the midst of, how we were visiting Lincoln’s birthplace in Kentucky, and about the other road trips that I take. He seemed envious, and said how much he’s love to do that.
There was nothing revelatory about our conversation, but I know that I felt good when I walked away, with faith that there are still some truly nice celebrities out there who seem to have no ego whatsoever.
It was well worth the $30 for the autographed picture, and there was no question about him posing for a free photograph – with both me and Carolyn. I wish they were all this swell…
Celebrity encounters from the 2014 Wizard World Comic Con in Louisville will continue…
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