Charles Grodin first captured public attention by playing less than sympathetic characters in such '70s movies as "The Heartbreak Kid," "King Kong" and "Heaven Can Wait," so he might seem an unlikely candidate for everybody's favorite harried husband and father in the '90s.
But that's what has happened with the success of last year's "Beethoven" - or, as David Letterman referred to it when introducing Grodin on his TV program last week, "The `Beethoven the Dog' movie." The family comedy, about an unsuspecting suburban family finding its life turned upside-down by a huge, slobbering St. Bernard, was a surprise box office smash.Naturally, a sequel was inevitable - so, here comes the cleverly titled "Beethoven's 2nd," opening in theaters across the country on Friday, Dec. 17.
Though Grodin has made some 30 movies, "Beethoven's 2nd" is his first sequel. The reason, he says, is obvious. "They've never done a sequel to a picture I've been in before. I've just never been in a movie that's led to a sequel."
During a telephone interview from his Connecticut home, Grodin was affable and conversational, much the same way he comes across on the screen and in his two books, "It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here," a hilarious collection of anecdotes about his show business wanderings, and "How I Get Through Life," his musings about staying sane in an insane world.
Never one to sit idle between acting jobs, Grodin has another book scheduled for publication next year, his first children's book just hit the bookstores, and he has long been an established playwright and screenwriter.
But "Beethoven" was Grodin's first blockbuster, and he admits that Hollywood's pursuit of success has touched him, and even made some changes in his professional life. Well, a couple of changes, anyway. "I make a lot more money, and I'm more in demand. That's really it. Those are the two changes - better opportunities.
"It's all about being in a commercial movie. Others I've made have been, maybe, very good movies - but it's all about being commercial."
"Beethoven's 2nd" is Grodin's third film this year, after a supporting role in the hit comedy "Dave," and the underrated "Heart and Souls," which did a nosedive at the box office. In true underdog fashion, Grodin seems to become most animated when talking about "Heart and Souls." "I think it's the best movie I've ever made that didn't do any business."
As for the success of "Beethoven," Grodin said he was surprised but perhaps shouldn't have been, given Ivan Reitman's track record for cranking out hits. (Reitman produced both "Beethovens," directed "Dave" and has such monster hits as the "Ghostbusters" films, "Kindergarten Cop" and "Twins" under his belt). "He is the most successful comedy producer in motion picture history. So, I guess I felt it would probably do well. But the fact that (`Beethoven') took in $80 million in Europe, for example - why a movie like this would be that successful over there. . . .
"But there are things for children that appeal to children, and it's very hard for me to understand why children are so enamored of this. Certainly it's the most successful movie with a dog at the center of it."
Grodin says he enjoyed making both "Beethovens" and he has no complaints about working with dogs and children. "I'm just of a mind not to complain and not to feel that way. They pay me a lot of money to do this, and I'm grateful to do this, and I'm not going to complain about this. A lot of people do complain, they act like they're irreplaceable, like they're the only people who could possibly do what they do. Maybe there was one Einstein - but for the rest of us. . . ."
Though he is not a dogowner, Grodin, unlike his "Beethoven" character, has nothing against them. But he confesses that he has not succumbed to his 6-year-old son's requests for one, either. "I like dogs, but I like my house a little more than I like dogs. My son has been wanting one, but we have some friends that have two large dogs and they're always knocking him over, so he's starting to have second thoughts about it. Maybe he's got a little bit of Charles Grodin in him."
Grodin says he loves show business, but stops short of the cliche - show business is not his life. "You can really be very, very good and not make a living in this business, and that's very unusual in most professions, I think. An awful lot of what I do - my books and plays - nobody asks me to write them. Well, actually, Ivan asked me to write a sceenplay for a movie - but it's the first time. Generally speaking, I do a lot on my own.
"My happiness doesn't seem to be based on how successful I am in show business but rather how successful I am in life. It's what's going on personally that determines my happiness."
Grodin's philosophy about life, he says, came simply by living. "I lost my dad when I was a teenager, and after that everything seemed kind of like child's play to me. More recently, my first wife died of terminal brain cancer. These things help you put your life in perspective.
"I have a fairly good perspective. There's a difference between bad news and minor irritation. That's what my second book, `How I Get Through Life,' is about. Don't sweat the small stuff.
"I have a new book next year, called `We're Ready For You, Mr. Grodin,' about doing talk shows and movies, behind the scenes stuff. My favorite line from that one is, `You can't be constantly surprised by things that happen constantly.' "
The movie he wrote at Reitman's request is called "The Secret Life of Men." "It's about three guys in their 40s and it tracks their lives over a 2-year period, what happens to them in the process and the circumstances that force them to grow up. I'll be in it, and Ivan will produce, and he may direct. But first he's doing a new picture with DeVito and Schwarzenegger. (Mine) will be a lot more serious - a serious comedy."
Grodin says he finds that he's in the best emotional shape when he's working. "I'm very focused and concentrated on what I do. I guess you'd say I'm disciplined, although it doesn't require discipline for me. What I learned early on was that the hardest thing was doing nothing."
One thing he has no desire to do, however, is direct a movie. "I have no desire to direct. I don't need it for ego reasons, and I like it when somebody else is in charge."
Meanwhile, Grodin has already shot another film that is being readied for release next summer, "A Summer Story," a sequel to the 1983 Jean Shepherd hit, "A Christmas Story." Grodin and Mary Steenburgen will take over the roles played by Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon in the first film, with Kieran Culkin (Macaulay's younger brother) taking Peter Billingsley's role. Shepherd again wrote the screenplay and narrated, while Bob Clark is back as director.
Grodin said he decided to take the project after watching "A Christmas Story," finding that it grew on him with repeat viewings. "Over the years it became more popular. They gave me a cassette to watch, and my son started looking at it and I thought, `Yeah, this is charming and it's a bit of Americana and it's really lovely.' "
Before that film is released, audiences will also see Grodin in the Martin Short comedy "Clifford," scheduled for January.
With all this current film success, will Grodin be doing any more acting on or off Broadway? "No, I don't like to work at night. I like being at home with my family."
And has being in a hit film made him more recognizable in public these days? "I probably would be if I went out. But I don't go out much."