actor Darren McGavin has died

http://www.darrenmcgavin.net/ ^ | February 25, 2006

[lunarbicep]

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Darren McGavin at approximately 7:10 A.M. Pacific time today, Saturday 25, 2006. Darren was just three months short of his 84th birthday. While we suspect none of us can imagine a world without the beloved, feisty little red-head, it is time to reflect, give thanks for his life and hold in reverence his memory. Darren is gone, but in many respects he will always be with us: as Carl Kolchak, fighting authority and battling monsters; the grumpy Old Man sending curses over Lake Michigan; as David Ross, the outsider, Grey Holden, captain of the Enterprise, the irascible detective Mike Hammer or any number of memorable guest star appearances, most notably as Joe Bascome on GUNSMOKE and as the washed-up old actor from "Distant Signals."

Please take a moment in your sadness to reflect upon all the ways Darren touched your lives, say a prayer and raise a glass to toast a career which spanned over fifty years and affected us all in ways too numerous to count.

[Maximus of Texas]

Mr. McGavin's coffin:



Thank you, Mr. McGavin for giving us a character to remember in A Christmas Story and for Friday nights at home as a kid watching Night Stalker. I hope you now have your Major Award.

[conservativebabe]

Bet heaven had a leg lamp waiting just for him!

RIP

[day10]

Outstanding actor. Was also great (and uncredited) in one of my very favorite movies, The Natural, which even looney bin Robert Redford couldn't ruin.

[50sDad]

That revived Nightstalker broke my heart. The charm of the original was Kolchack's "everyman" personal pitted against the occult and odd. They turned the idea into a cheapened X-files...actually more in the mold (and I emphasize the word "mold") of that dank, dark "Millennium", with nary a laugh or smile in sight. If anything, "Supernatural" carries the flavor of the old "Nightstalker" much more true to form. I smile when I recall Simon Oakland's shouting counterpoint to Kolchack's blind belief. A true classic!

[50sDad]

Man, don't you know about the "No Deposit, No Return" curse? Two of the lead actors in that movie are DEAD, man!

[50sDad]

"Mrs. Pollifax, Spy!" is another good McG movie.

[RetiredArmy]

He was a pretty good actor. But, I hope this doesn't mean we have to watch that Christmas story again 15 times this week.

[50sDad]

I enjoyed him with ol' Rock in "The Martian Chronicles".

"Don't you trust him!"

[50sDad]

Last night, one of the tiny little UHF channels in my area played "Wargames"! The computers witht the big flashing panels and tape reels are a laugh, but parts of it are still chilling!

[Trillian]

How sad :(

To this day we can't look at the word fragile without laughing and thinking of A Christmas Story. Prayers for his family..

[FryingPan101]

Dennis Weaver

[Chanticleer]

Dennis Weaver. Creepy.

[Charles Martel]

BTW, if you like the Shepherd works, probably my favorite short story of his is "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories."

I'm partial to Ludlow Kissell and the Dago Bomb That Struck Back, myself. I sure wish we could've seen McGavin in a movie based on that one.

[Charles Martel]

I heard that Melinda Dillon and Peter Billingsley did not know that they were going to cut the head off of the duck. Supposedly that is one reason the scene is so effective. She looks absolutely shocked when it happens. Does anybody know if this is true?

IIRC, that is mentioned in the "director's commentary" on the DVD.

[Charles Martel]

"Grey Holden, captain of the Enterprise"

***

Huh?

The steamer in NBC's Riverboat was named "Enterprise".

[wardaddy]

RIP to a fine memory from my wonderful childhood.

Godspeed and thanks sir!

[wardaddy]

[Richard Kimball]

Kissel shuffled forward, punk in hand, and made several futile passes at the fuse, the magnificent bomb emaining aloof and cool throughout. With each pass the crowd retreated, and then, with the inevitability of Greek drama, in the muttering silence the telltale hiss sounded forth clear and unmistakable. The fuse was lit!"

Immediately the assemblage rolled back in a mighty wave, turned and waited while Kissel continued to attempt to light the fuse, totally unaware that time was growing short. Someone called out:

"Kissel! Hey Kissel, for God's sake, it's lit!"

Kissel raised his head questioningly and said:

"What's lit?"

The ominous hiss continued ...

.

That is a great story. There's nothing quite like drunks playing with fireworks.

[Nihil Obstat]

They did make a movie about that and some of his other stories. It was on PBS in the early 80's. Matt Dillon played the young Jean Shepherd. Great show.

"The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084022/

[Guenevere]

Darren McGavin, Don Knotts, and ...the Original 'Fester'...

...all threee....how sad