Robert Redford's Good Samaritan Goes Bad

Posted Thursday, January 2, 2003 at 4:44 PM Central

by John Couture

Robert Redford left a convenience store in Orem, Utah near his Sundance resort on Saturday and dropped his credit card. In what's bound to become the basis of a running Internet joke lampooning the famous Mastercard priceless commercials, the would-be good Samaritan who found the credit card got more than he bargained for.

Of course, it was his fault.

The man called the resort explaining that he found the actor's credit card. The resort offered the man a reward of free ski passes and dinner for two if he'd bring the credit card to the resort. The man came back with his own offer of merchandise signed by Redford. When the employee rebuffed the man's rude request, the man hung up declaring that Redford would never see his credit card again.

The local police intervened and called the man about the missing card. He told police that he no longer had the card, but they traced the call.

There is a silver lining to the story. The report on the city's web site claims that "the man was not charged, on account of his sudden change of heart to gladly give the card to the officers when they arrived at his home."