RIP, Ricardo Montalban

Like Jerry says, "Who's going to be the third?"

I always liked Montalban's attitude as a product spokesperson towards the pronunciation of words from different cultures. I remember hearing an interview regarding this subject, I think, on NPR.

For example, when representing the Chrysler Cordoba to American audiences, he placed the accent in "Cordoba" on the second syllable, as Americans do, even though he knew the correct Spanish is to place the accent on the first syllable. And when representing Colgate Toothpaste to Mexican audiences, he broke "Colgate" into three syllables, as Mexicans do, even though he knew the correct English is to have just two syllables. Paraphrasing Montalban: "you pronounce words according to the people amongst whom you find yourself."