Ford proved a congenial visitor, tour guide says

Skagway's Buckwheat Donahue is good at keeping a secret and equally good at getting tongue-tied too.

Skagway’s Buckwheat Donahue is good at keeping a secret and equally good at getting tongue-tied too.

“I knew Harrison Ford was coming for about four weeks ... it was hard keeping it under my hat but I pulled it off because nobody here had a clue,” said Donahue of the Hollywood star’s overnight visit to the Alaskan community.

When he met Ford at the Skagway Airport Monday evening - charged with chaperoning the Hollywood legend, his partner, actress Calista Flockhart and her adopted son Liam around Skagway - Donahue got caught up in the moment, sort of.

“I blew it, I can’t believe it,” the director of the Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

“I’ve talked to (Ford) five or six times before he got to Skagway and I’m standing out there in the tarmac when the window to his plane opens and Harrison Ford asks, ‘are you Buckwheat?’ and I say ‘yes, and who are you?’

“I’m standing there star-struck like a complete idiot, asking Harrison Ford who he was.”

But the awkward beginning gave way to an enjoyable time showing Ford and company the sights of Skagway.

On Monday evening, the trio dined at the Stowaway Cafe and spent the night at the Whitehouse Bed and Breakfast.

“I’d say he’s a pretty damned nice fellow and so was Calista, both were very congenial and easy going,” said Donahue, adding the famous tourists did not shy away from the attention they garnered as word of their presence spread around town.

“They signed an awful lot of autographs and allowed people to take pictures ... I asked them if they wanted to avoid (the attention) but Harrison said, ‘that’s OK, this goes with the territory ... the public, they’ve put us where we are,’ so they had a good attitude about it,” Donahue said.

After speaking to fans and posing for pictures, Ford, Flockhart and Liam joined Donahue for a hike around town and to Yakatania Point.

Fielding questions about his encounter with the Hollywood star, Donahue laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.

“I can’t believe you’re asking me what my favourite Harrison Ford movie is,” said Donahue before obliging.

“Well, I love the Star Wars trilogy, I even liked him as the street racer in American Graffiti ... I didn’t like Air Force One, I thought that was a really dumb movie but I did like the first couple of Indiana Jones movies, they were fun.”

Donahue also mused about his good fortune meeting and greeting visiting movie stars. Four years ago, Skagway was used as a location to shoot The Big White, a black comedy starring Robin Williams and Holly Hunter.

“I’ve entertained Holly Hunter and Robin Williams and all the guys from The Big White but that was a different scenario, they were here for almost 30 days (filming),” recalled Donahue.

“But Harrison Ford, he’s really big, bigger than Holly Hunter or Robin Williams, he was just getting mobbed ... I’ve been lucky because the few encounters I have had with Hollywood types, they’ve all been extremely kind people.”

So does all this hobnobbing with celebrities increase Donahue’s Skagway street credibility?

“I have more friends in Skagway than I thought because there were probably 50 or 60 (telephone) messages from people who’ve never called me before, wanting to get together with Harrison and most of the men were calling about Calista,” he said.

The visit to Skagway by Ford, Flockhart and Liam marked a halfway juncture of their trip up the Alaska coast, which will continue through south central Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula.