September 13, 2010

RIP Kevin McCarthy

Last night, had read via Google that actor Kevin McCarthy had passed away.

Although best known for starring in the first (and best) Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I've always preferred his performance in "Long Live Walter Jameson", a particularly effective first season episode of The Twilight Zone. (Which was written not by Rod Serling, but by Charles Beaumont - if you ever have a chance, hunt down a copy of the anthology The Howling Man - you'll thank me for it later. Like Rod Serling and Richard Matheson, Beaumont established the overall tone of the show).

But via the magic of You Tube, here's "Long Live Walter Jameson". Watch before it's pulled. See Kevin McCarthy in a lesser-known (but still incredibly great) performance.







1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for a nice tribute. I got to know Kevin in his last few years when I interviewed him for the BODY SNATCHERS volume you featured, and he was as lively (in his nineties) and congenial as he was talented. By coincidence, my book RICHARD MATHESON ON SCREEN (http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4216-4) is tentatively due out in early October. You may want to check it out.