When John Landis was casting his 1983 comedy masterpiece, he had a very specific vision for the villainous Duke brothers. He wanted old Hollywood royalty. He wanted men who oozed that effortless, "old money" arrogance. Ralph Bellamy was a lock. But for Mortimer? Landis wanted Don Ameche.
There was just one tiny problem. Most people in Hollywood thought Don Ameche was dead.
He hadn't made a movie in thirteen years. The 1970s had been a ghost town for the former 1930s heartthrob. Basically, he was a relic of a bygone era, a man who once played Alexander Graham Bell so convincingly that people used to call the telephone "the Ameche." But by 1982, his royalty checks were being sent to his son's house in Arizona because the Screen Actors Guild didn't have a current address for him.
Honestly, it’s one of the greatest "where are they now" stories in cinema history. Don Ameche Trading Places isn't just a bit of casting trivia; it’s the catalyst for one of the most improbable late-career surges ever recorded.
Finding the "Late" Don Ameche
John Landis is nothing if not persistent. He wasn't looking for a "vibe"—he wanted the real deal. After being told by multiple sources that Ameche was likely deceased, Landis eventually tracked him down living in Santa Monica. Ameche wasn't dead. He was just... waiting.
At the time, the role of Mortimer Duke was originally intended for Ray Milland. But Milland couldn't pass the insurance physical required for the production. When Landis finally got Ameche on the phone, the actor was surprised but professional. He hadn't been on a film set since 1970's Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came.
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The transition back to the big screen wasn't just a paycheck for Ameche. It was a total reinvention.
Why Mortimer Duke Was a Shock to the System
If you look at Don Ameche’s filmography before 1983, he was the ultimate "nice guy." He was dapper, debonair, and romantic. He was the guy who invented the telephone or sang to Alice Faye. Seeing him play Mortimer Duke—a man so racist and classist that he bets a single dollar on destroying a man's life—was a massive pivot.
Mortimer is the "evil" Duke. While Randolph (Bellamy) is arguably just as complicit, Mortimer is the one who drops the slurs and the overt vitriol. There’s a famous story from the set about the "F-bomb" scene.
Ameche was a gentleman of the old school. He didn't swear in his personal life. He actually hated the idea of using profanity on camera. When it came time to film the scene where Mortimer loses his cool (and his fortune), he told the crew he would only do it once. One take. He asked everyone not to laugh so he wouldn't have to repeat the line. He nailed it, and then he apologized to the crew for the language.
That’s the kind of guy we’re talking about. A man who could play a monster on screen but was fundamentally a class act off it.
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The Nature vs. Nurture Bet
The whole plot of the film hinges on the Duke brothers' argument. Is a person's success determined by their genes (Mortimer’s stance) or their environment (Randolph’s stance)? It’s a classic philosophical debate wrapped in an R-rated comedy.
- Mortimer’s View: Success is in the blood. You can’t turn a "street person" into a gentleman.
- The Reality: Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) proves him wrong almost instantly, mastering the commodities market with terrifying speed.
Ameche played Mortimer with a rigid, icy certainty. He didn't need to shout to be threatening. He just had to look at you like you were a piece of dirt on his bespoke suit. It’s that performance that makes the ending—where the Dukes are reduced to screaming on the floor of the New York Board of Trade—so incredibly satisfying.
From Commodities to the Oscars
The success of the movie was huge. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1983. But for Ameche, it was a literal life-saver for his career.
Without Don Ameche Trading Places, we never get Cocoon.
Director Ron Howard saw Ameche’s sharp, energetic performance as Mortimer and realized the actor still had plenty of "juice" left. Two years later, Ameche was cast as Art Selwyn in Cocoon. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for that role. At 77, he was finally a winner. He even did a breakdance in the movie to prove he wasn't the "old man" everyone thought he was.
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He went from being "presumed dead" to an Oscar winner in about 36 months. That doesn't happen in Hollywood. Not usually.
The Lasting Legacy of the Dukes
You can’t talk about the Dukes without mentioning their "resurrection" in Coming to America. Landis and Murphy brought them back for a cameo as homeless men. Prince Akeem hands them a paper bag full of cash, and Mortimer looks at Randolph and says, "Randolph... we're back!"
It’s a perfect meta-moment. It tied the Landis-verse together and gave the audience one last look at the most iconic villains of the 80s.
What You Can Learn from Ameche’s Comeback
If there’s a takeaway from the Don Ameche story, it’s that "relevance" is a moving target. He didn't change who he was; he just waited for the right project to showcase his evolution.
Watch for these specific details next time you view the film:
- The Wardrobe: The Duke brothers are always dressed in styles that were technically twenty years out of date even in 1983, emphasizing their "old money" isolation.
- The Eye Contact: Note how Ameche rarely looks at Dan Aykroyd’s character once he’s "fallen." To Mortimer, a person without money literally ceases to exist.
- The Ending: The sheer physical exhaustion Ameche portrays during the trading floor scene is a masterclass in "losing it."
If you’re a film buff or just someone who loves a good comeback story, go back and watch his performance. Don’t just look at the jokes. Look at the way he holds a cigar or the way he delivers a line about "breeding." He wasn't just acting; he was reclaiming his place in cinema history.
For those looking to dive deeper into the technical side of his 1980s run, checking out his work in David Mamet's Things Change (1988) is a great next step. It shows a completely different, quieter side of the man who once convinced the world he had died, only to return as the greatest villain of the Reagan era.