R.I.P. Darren McGavin

boss429 · 02-25-06, 07:52 PM

Updated February 25, 2006

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.

www.darrenmcgavin.net

BassDude · 02-25-06, 08:11 PM

"Not a finger!"

Bummer... 1st Barney, now this....

EdTheRipper · 02-25-06, 09:32 PM

R.i.p.

darkflounder · 02-25-06, 09:34 PM

Two of my favorite actors growing up die on the same day.

Think tonight calls for a double feature of The Incredible Mr Limpet and a few episodes of Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

cultshock · 02-25-06, 10:58 PM

The Night Stalker was one of my favourite shows when I was a kid.

RIP Darren, and Don too.

AGuyNamedMike · 02-25-06, 11:11 PM

I actually have tears in my eyes, this is like the loss of an old friend. Good-bye.

Rogue588 · 02-25-06, 11:34 PM

Buford T Pusser · 02-26-06, 01:35 AM

Sorry for our loss.

kahuna415 · 02-26-06, 02:26 AM

One of my favorite, scary shows was the Night Stalker and who could forget A Christmas Story. A sad day indeed.

Cameron · 02-26-06, 05:21 AM

Wow....so close together.

No Deposit, No Return...

ItsGreekToMe · 02-26-06, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue588

"With as much dignity as he could muster, the Old Man gathered up the sad remains of his shattered Major Award. Later that night, alone in the backyard, he buried it next to the garage. Now I could never be sure, but I thought that I heard the sound of "Taps" being played. Gently."

Two of my all-time favorite actors have passed on the same day. A sad day, indeed.

sracer · 02-26-06, 08:30 AM

I knew nothing about Darren McGavin other than his work in films and TV. And I like it that way. Whether it is fact or fiction, I'll remember him as a "class act".

Thanks for the countless nights I had to sleep with a little nightstand light on (Night Stalker). Thanks for the uncontrollable laughing fits (A Christmas Story). Thanks for that surprise endings (Alfred Hitchcock Presents). Thanks for all of those supporting characters over the years whose names escape me, but whose absence would be noticed. Thanks for the memories.

zekeburger1979 · 02-26-06, 10:26 AM

"R-O-K?"

"R-O-C-K!"

R.I.P. Brian Madison.

ItsGreekToMe · 02-26-06, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zekeburger1979

"R-O-K?"

"R-O-C-K!"

R.I.P. Brian Madison.

bhk · 02-26-06, 12:27 PM

RIP.

"Ooh look, it's fra-Gi-lay"

TheNightFlier · 02-26-06, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItsGreekToMe

Guess you've never seen Billy Madison.

"He looks like a pink nightmare."
Think I'll go watch A Christmas Story now.

Spanky BananaPants · 02-27-06, 01:34 PM

Weird, I just watched Billy Madison on Saturday, the day he died.

He will be missed.

Vibiana · 02-27-06, 01:47 PM

I have "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler" in my video collection. His scary movies were a highlight of my childhood TV memories. May he rest in peace.

VinVega · 02-27-06, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhk

RIP.

"Ooh look, it's fra-Gi-lay"

"I think is says fragile."

That is a regular line my my household.

Sorry to see the old man go.

Kudama · 02-27-06, 02:42 PM

Nightstalker is one of my top five TV shows ever made (actually top 2-tied with The Prisoner). The guy was pretty spry up ‘til the end. Kudos for being one of the best for so long. Kolchak would have never been such a great show without him. The scripts were good and all, but he completely ruled that show.

Another good one by him is the cop in Blood and Concrete. “Let’s take ride…STOOOPID!!!”

I feel like an old man with all these “old friends” dropping like flies.

02-25-06, 07:52 PM	#1
boss429 Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: B-more, Murdaland Posts: 249	R.I.P. Darren McGavin Updated February 25, 2006 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. www.darrenmcgavin.net

02-25-06, 08:11 PM	#2
BassDude DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Phoenix AZ - West Side Posts: 2,236	"Not a finger!" Bummer... 1st Barney, now this.... __________________ Lisa: Let's post it on the internet! Bart: No...we need to reach people whose opinions REALLY matter. The Addiction Last edited by BassDude; 02-25-06 at 08:18 PM.

02-25-06, 09:32 PM	#3
EdTheRipper DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 5,389	R.i.p. __________________ The only time you should care about a woman's age is if she is too young for you and I am not robbing the cradle. If anything I am robbing the grave.

02-25-06, 09:34 PM	#4
darkflounder DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 3,157	Two of my favorite actors growing up die on the same day. Think tonight calls for a double feature of The Incredible Mr Limpet and a few episodes of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. __________________ http://www.mst3kdvdcovers.com If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.

02-25-06, 10:58 PM	#5
cultshock DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: ~here there be serpents~ Posts: 6,954	The Night Stalker was one of my favourite shows when I was a kid. RIP Darren, and Don too. __________________ "Cultshock... may your corpse be turned into a side show act for the curious and twisted." -Gandhi (banned DVDTalk member, not the Mahatma). I'm not sure, but I think he was hitting on me.

02-25-06, 11:11 PM	#6
AGuyNamedMike DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska! Posts: 13,161	I actually have tears in my eyes, this is like the loss of an old friend. Good-bye. __________________ “I'M YOU FROM THE FUTURE! I'VE COME BACK IN TIME TO WARN YOU OF THE DANGERS OF MYSPACE!” - HollaDaddy

02-25-06, 11:34 PM	#7
Rogue588 DVD Talk Reviewer Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: WAS looking for My Own Private Stuckeyville, but stuck in Liberty City (while missing Vice City) Posts: 15,082	__________________ Marshall Mann: "What exactly is your beef with humanity?" Mary Shannon: "I have no beef with humanity. It's the people I can't stand." "I'm not a fan of facts. Facts can change all the time, but my opinion will never change." - Stephen Colbert \| owned \| desired \| ditchin' \| listen Wednesday 10p \|

02-26-06, 01:35 AM	#8
Buford T Pusser DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Lighten up, Francis! (Funland) Posts: 26,145	Sorry for our loss. __________________ it really bufords my pusser. (wow, that sounds dirty!)- cultshock

02-26-06, 02:26 AM	#9
kahuna415 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Seattle Posts: 425	One of my favorite, scary shows was the Night Stalker and who could forget A Christmas Story. A sad day indeed. __________________ Well, I gotta tell ya - I'd be very careful who I talk to about this. Because the person who wrote this is dangerous. And one day they could just snap. And then this button-down, Oxford-cloth psycho, stalking from office to office with an Armalite AR-180 carbine gas-operated semi-automatic, pumping round after round into colleagues and coworkers. This could be someone you've known for years. Someone very close to you. Seattle 2005 January DVDTalk/Otter Meet kahuna415@yahoo.com 5 line max signatures allowed

02-26-06, 05:21 AM	#10
Cameron DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Oct 2000 Posts: 12,305	Wow....so close together. No Deposit, No Return... __________________ You wanted a Sig. You got a Sig. The Hottest Sig in The World...Music Video I directed for Quiet Company <---Let me know what you think. <-Now Playing on MTV.CA dvd aficionado Official Fox Film Noir Thread All New Official Twilight Zone Thread HD-DVD Supporter

02-26-06, 08:30 AM	#12
sracer DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Prescott Valley, AZ Posts: 7,675	I knew nothing about Darren McGavin other than his work in films and TV. And I like it that way. Whether it is fact or fiction, I'll remember him as a "class act". Thanks for the countless nights I had to sleep with a little nightstand light on (Night Stalker). Thanks for the uncontrollable laughing fits (A Christmas Story). Thanks for that surprise endings (Alfred Hitchcock Presents). Thanks for all of those supporting characters over the years whose names escape me, but whose absence would be noticed. Thanks for the memories. __________________ tomPerconti - Honored to be trixie's one-and-only-forever guy! "let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God... If the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted;" - Noah Webster Zune card:WillysJeepMan \| PSN:WillysJeepMan

02-26-06, 10:26 AM	#13
zekeburger1979 DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Muskegon, MI Posts: 3,480	"R-O-K?" "R-O-C-K!" R.I.P. Brian Madison. __________________ No Good movie is ever long enough, no bad movie is ever short enough.--- Roger Ebert I believe that a movie is not good (or bad) because of what it is about, but because of how it is about it. ---Roger Ebert Wii Code : 5149 4962 8453 6545 Tiger Woods 2010 Online Name (Wii): ZacharyTF

02-26-06, 12:27 PM	#15
bhk DVD Talk Legend Join Date: May 1999 Location: Right of Atilla The Hun Posts: 19,749	RIP. "Ooh look, it's fra-Gi-lay" __________________ "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you." Hussein Massawi, the former leader of Hezbollah

02-27-06, 01:34 PM	#17
Spanky BananaPants DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 1,151	Weird, I just watched Billy Madison on Saturday, the day he died. He will be missed.

02-27-06, 01:47 PM	#18
Vibiana DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the land of ex-Bando-chasing lezzbos Posts: 7,265	I have "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler" in my video collection. His scary movies were a highlight of my childhood TV memories. May he rest in peace. __________________ Otter saved my LIFE. Only here can I receive the sage advice, timeless wisdom, and virtual blanket parties necessary to keep my neurotic inclinations in some kind of check. Were it not for this place, I'm sure that I would have entered some public place teeming with playful little children and happy families (perhaps even a few puppies) and strafed it with a machine gun long ago.

02-27-06, 02:42 PM	#20
Kudama Banned Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: The Illustrious State of Fugue Posts: 6,257	Nightstalker is one of my top five TV shows ever made (actually top 2-tied with The Prisoner). The guy was pretty spry up ‘til the end. Kudos for being one of the best for so long. Kolchak would have never been such a great show without him. The scripts were good and all, but he completely ruled that show. Another good one by him is the cop in Blood and Concrete. “Let’s take ride…STOOOPID!!!” I feel like an old man with all these “old friends” dropping like flies.