Darren McGavin Has Passed Away - Page 2 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

cooltvshows · 02-26-2006, 03:42 PM

Some folks who have only recently begun trading old TV shows or who are younger than a certain age range may not even remember Darren McGavin except possibly for his role in A Christmas Story from 1983. He became known as the King of TV Movies in the 1970s, when the ABC TV Movie of the Week spawned many imitations and the TV movie reached its zenith. (Since the 1990s, the TV movie has largely disappeared, with the major networks producing only a tiny fraction of the TV movies they once did. From 1970 to roughly 1990, TV fans could count on seeing at least 2 or 3 different TV movies every week...many of them superbly written and brilliantly acted, like Short Walk To Daylight, or High Ice or Money To Burn or Deliver Us From Evil or City Beneath The Sea or Earth II or The Alpha Caper or The Stranger Within.)

Darren McGavin's fame rests on his superb performances in many of those 70s TV movies. Sometimes it seems like McGavin was in half of them. Kolchak The Night Stalker became justifiably famous...but remember that Kolchak the series actually started out as two extremely popular TV movies, both aired on the ABC TV Movie of the Week. The Night Stalker was at that time the highest-rated TV Movie ever broadcast, written by Richard Matheson, the author of classic screenplays like The Incredible Shrinking Man and the adaptation of Jules Verne's Master of the World (a very fine adaptation, which collapsed both of Verne's novels Master of the World and Robur the Conquerer into a single screenplay.) McGavin only ever had 2 TV series of his own: the very early 1950s series Mike Hammer and the short-lived Kolchak the Night Stalker.

Many outstanding screenwriters and directors who later became hugely famous and successful, like Richard Donner, started out doing TV movies. McGavin never stopped doing TV movies and TV series guest star roles. He didn't ever break out into the big screen in a big way. As a result, he never got an academy award and never got any special honors as far as I know (did he ever even win an Emmy?), but he was a superb actor, and his incredible body of work remains immensely impressive. TV movies like The Challenge remain classics, even 35 years after they were made. Darren McGavin's great performances in TV movies like The Challenge and The Death Of Me Yet and Tribes and Something Evil and The Night Strangler were a huge part of the reason why those TV movies are still so much fun to watch so many years after they were made.

Sharop · 02-26-2006, 07:19 PM

I've only seen him in "A Christmas Story", but really liked him in that. Remember how fascinated he was with that leg lamp? "It's a major prize, a major prize! Isn't it beautiful? I know just the place for it! Right in the middle of our front room window!"

KristenJ · 02-26-2006, 07:28 PM

gosh this is so sad!

Jonathan · 02-26-2006, 08:32 PM

I loved him in A Christmas Story.

Rest In Peace.

Mrs. John Ritter · 02-26-2006, 09:50 PM

Wow. That is so sad. I loved him on A Christmas Story. I can't believe he died. He will be missed.

R.I.P
Darren McGavin

*Pleasant Tomorrow* · 02-26-2006, 10:29 PM

RIP

02-26-2006, 03:42 PM	#16
cooltvshows Banned Banned!! Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 41	King of the 70s TV movie Some folks who have only recently begun trading old TV shows or who are younger than a certain age range may not even remember Darren McGavin except possibly for his role in A Christmas Story from 1983. He became known as the King of TV Movies in the 1970s, when the ABC TV Movie of the Week spawned many imitations and the TV movie reached its zenith. (Since the 1990s, the TV movie has largely disappeared, with the major networks producing only a tiny fraction of the TV movies they once did. From 1970 to roughly 1990, TV fans could count on seeing at least 2 or 3 different TV movies every week...many of them superbly written and brilliantly acted, like Short Walk To Daylight, or High Ice or Money To Burn or Deliver Us From Evil or City Beneath The Sea or Earth II or The Alpha Caper or The Stranger Within.) Darren McGavin's fame rests on his superb performances in many of those 70s TV movies. Sometimes it seems like McGavin was in half of them. Kolchak The Night Stalker became justifiably famous...but remember that Kolchak the series actually started out as two extremely popular TV movies, both aired on the ABC TV Movie of the Week. The Night Stalker was at that time the highest-rated TV Movie ever broadcast, written by Richard Matheson, the author of classic screenplays like The Incredible Shrinking Man and the adaptation of Jules Verne's Master of the World (a very fine adaptation, which collapsed both of Verne's novels Master of the World and Robur the Conquerer into a single screenplay.) McGavin only ever had 2 TV series of his own: the very early 1950s series Mike Hammer and the short-lived Kolchak the Night Stalker. Many outstanding screenwriters and directors who later became hugely famous and successful, like Richard Donner, started out doing TV movies. McGavin never stopped doing TV movies and TV series guest star roles. He didn't ever break out into the big screen in a big way. As a result, he never got an academy award and never got any special honors as far as I know (did he ever even win an Emmy?), but he was a superb actor, and his incredible body of work remains immensely impressive. TV movies like The Challenge remain classics, even 35 years after they were made. Darren McGavin's great performances in TV movies like The Challenge and The Death Of Me Yet and Tribes and Something Evil and The Night Strangler were a huge part of the reason why those TV movies are still so much fun to watch so many years after they were made.

02-26-2006, 07:19 PM	#17
Sharop Andy Gibb aged 12 Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 03, 2004 Location: Courthouse Square, Hill Valley, beside the clocktower, 10:04 p.m., November 12th 1955 Posts: 3,912	I've only seen him in "A Christmas Story", but really liked him in that. Remember how fascinated he was with that leg lamp? "It's a major prize, a major prize! Isn't it beautiful? I know just the place for it! Right in the middle of our front room window!"
	__________________ http://rainbowlight.proboards102.com My new astral projection forums Doc: Don't worry! As long as you hit that wire with the connecting hook at precisely 88 miles per hour, the instant the lightning strikes the tower, everything will be fine!

02-26-2006, 07:28 PM	#18
KristenJ Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 04, 2005 Posts: 203	gosh this is so sad!
	__________________ I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are-even if they're bad-to change. They kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses -Pay It Forward

02-26-2006, 09:50 PM	#20
Mrs. John Ritter John is my true love Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 30, 2005 Location: Being Held by the wonderful John Ritter Posts: 439	Wow. That is so sad. I loved him on A Christmas Story. I can't believe he died. He will be missed. R.I.P Darren McGavin
	__________________ Johnathan the love that I have for you is so strong, and it continues to grow everyday. You are my angel. I miss you so much my darling. You will always be in my heart. John S. Ritter September 17, 1948-September 11, 2003 I love you. :loveu

02-26-2006, 10:29 PM	#21
Pleasant Tomorrow Member Forum Addict Join Date: Feb 19, 2003 Location: New York Posts: 69,525	RIP
	__________________ my name is ashlee Welcome! Everything is fine.

02-26-2006, 08:32 PM	#19
Jonathan ***** Senior Member** Join Date: Aug 28, 2004 Posts: 2,304	I loved him in A Christmas Story. Rest In Peace.