Kevin McCarthy, 1914-2010

Above, in Stranger on Horseback, directed by Jacques Tourneur, 1954. In part because everybody else was gonna run with a shot from the end of the '56 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, am I wrong? And anyway, Stranger is an interesting film. In this shot, McCarthy's character is teasing his target-practicing girlfriend Nancy Gates. He seems amiable enough here, but turns out to be less than heroic, particularly when pitted against lead Joel McCrea. McCarthy ought to have been in more Westerns.

Everybody's ostensibly-little-known fact about McCarthy is that he was Mary McCarthy's brother, which, among other things, briefly made him Edmund Wilson's brother-in-law. I feel there's little I can tell the Some Came Running readership about McCarthy that they don't already know. For a certain movie lover, McCarthy is one of those guys, one of those faces, one of those presences, that's almost axiomatic of cinema. A law unto himself. 

I wish I still had my paperback of the Kurt Vonnegut play Happy Birthday, Wanda June. Vonnegut's introduction details the author's involvement in the New York production of the show, in which McCarthy played the lead role of rangy big-game hunting lunatic Harold Ryan. Of course Vonnegut adored the famously gruff McCarthy, and related with clear delight McCarthy's capper for a conversation in which he and Vonnegut talk about the fake/real closeness that everybody involved in a show gets caught up in, and how when the run ends everybody professes eternal love and promises to stay in touch: "But they don't."

Here's something you might not have known about the man: He was huge. Enormous. Intimidatingly large. I'm not a petite fellow myself, and I felt dwarfed whenever I saw him. When did I see him? At Chiller Theater Expos, of course, when they were in Secaucus, and he had what I recall was a pretty regular spot at the autograph tables. Didn't always look happy to be there. And had a frequent beard in the manner of Keenan Wynn in the waning days of his career, the style I call "Old Ornery Character Actor Who Doesn't Give A Damn About Maintaining An Image Any More And To Hell With You If You Don't Like It." And of course I liked that. But he always struck me as kind of irritated, which is why I never approached him. And again: huge. 

Anyway, I loved him, and I bet you did too. And I'm utterly chuffed that he lived to be nearly one hundred goddamn grumpy years old, and rather terribly sad that he's dead.

UPDATE: My friend Joseph Failla, who did take advantage of the ops Chiller afforded him to speak to the man, sent me some insights: "It seems almost as ironic as it is sad to read about the passing of Kevin McCarthy, since one of his best known roles was as a 2000 year old immortal on an early TWILIGHT ZONE episode, LONG LIVE WALTER JAMESON. His portrayal here of a man that does not age, who has grown weary of living but can not bring himself to take his own life is both extremely sympathetic and powerfully tragic. When I spoke with him at our favorite collector's show, I mentioned that this particular performance was one I was very fond of. He said a lot of people told him that, but appeared a little surprised why it should get so much attention. I reasoned that it's such a fantastic premise he was able to convey in the most human terms, one can easily understand Walter's predicament completely. I feel Kevin McCarthy may have had a little bit of Walter Jameson in him for real, as the time I first met him, I would never have guessed he was nearing 90, as he looked at least 20 years younger than he actually was.As far as his convention appearances go, I think he accepted his popularity at these events well enough. He seemed comfortable with his iconic recognition for INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS despite a large body of work that many of his fans might otherwise overlook. So much so, for our meeting I'd say, he was in good spirits and came across as a genuinely decent fellow who I wish I was able to have spent more time with. One question I had for him was, what exactly is the relationship of the '56 classic to the '78 follow up? Is it a remake or really more of a sequel? His cameo appearance in the latter film always confused me as there's a span of more than two decades between them. He didn't really give me a definite answer, implying it might be a little of both, which is how I prefer to think of them, adding a layer of mystery to each film that wouldn't have existed without him."

Joseph also sent along a copy of this autographed still, which is pretty funny: 

Comments

[lipranzer]

My first introduction to him was through Joe Dante's films, particularly his segment in the TWILIGHT ZONE movie and INNERSPACE. It was a pleasure to go back and watch him in the earlier movies, particularly BODY SNATCHERS. I wish I could have seen him as Truman, though. R.I.P.

[Dan Coyle]

Like ljpranzer, it was Dante's films that introduced me to his talent. Innnerspace featured him particularly delightful as the sort of villain James Bond used to smack around. I always appreciated Dante's continuous use of him, when I got older and found how how long he'd been around.

The last time I remember him in a non-Dante film was Robert Rodriguez's otherwise negligible 1950s exploitationer Roadracers. When David Arquette and his pal go to a screening of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Cut to Arquette and his friend freaking out in the theater, as they pan over to McCarthy, seated a few feet away, grinning, with a knowing look. Wonderful.

[Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.]

And I'm utterly chuffed that he lived to be nearly one hundred goddamn grumpy years old

Just like his Walter Jameson character in that classic TZ episode. Life imitates art!

[jbryant]

I actually met McCarthy in late April of this year at one of those Hollywood Collectors shows in Burbank. It was pretty sad; he mostly sat there in his wheelchair staring into space, but he did manage to respond to my greeting briefly before deferring to a woman who I believe may have been his daughter. I chatted with her for a minute about the ongoing unavailability of "Death of a Salesman" on home video (she thought it had something to do Arthur Miller's dislike of the production) and then I moved on to happier encounters with the likes Margaret O'Brien, Joe Turkel, Theresa Russell and Mike Connors.

So, kinda bittersweet, but glad I got to meet him.

[Pinback]

I knew of Body Snatchers, of course, but had never seen it, and knew him mostly as a journeyman actor who appeared in a lot of episodic TV in the late seventies. Then I saw Piranha, and even better, Dante's It's A Good Life, and realized what a wonderfully inventive comic performer he could be. From then on, I'd seek out anything he was in, and whatever the quality of the project, he was always a treat to watch.

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[carlye]

He's awesome in "Kansas City Bomber" as a shark-like boss.

[DUH]

For nerds of a certain age, McCarthy's performance as RJ Fletcher in Weird Al's _UHF_ is almost as iconic as his role in _Body Snatchers_. A funny and silly performance in a funny, silly movie.

So when I had the opportunity to talk with him a bit, about a dozen years ago, I was just amazed at the stories this guy had. He knew everybody in Hollywood in the 50s and, at least at that time, remembered tales about it all. Listening to him talk about the night of Montgomery Clift's accident was spell-binding. He seemed like a great guy who had an absolutely amazing life.

[rcareaga]

He was also terrific as Gregory Peck's slightly smarmy, morally conflicted colleague in Edward Dmytryk's 1965 thriller "Mirage."

[Stephanie]

He was good in "Mirage." I tend to think of him chiefly as Montgomery Clift's very close if somewhat oblivious friend. RIP.

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[Cadavra]

I was delighted when he appeared opposite his old friend Dick Miller in TRAIL OF THE SCREAMING FOREHEAD. The set was absolutely electric that day, and though it was only a brief cameo, he ad-libbed new dialogue in every take, causing an awful lot of crew members to desperately jam their fists in their mouths to keep from breaking up and ruining the shot. I occasionally had lunch with him and Jimmy Karen and he was always the charmer.