Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I was woken up today by a phone call from Harry accusing me of killing Kevin McCarthy. My last entry in the Behind the Scenes Picture of the Day was of McCarthy’s star-making role in the template-setting sci-fi film INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and now news hits of the passing of the great actor.
I think every generation starting with the kids who saw Invasion of the Body Snatchers in ’56 have a genuine soft spot for this man. That’s a testament to his work ethic and his continuing energy, even into his 70s and 80s. It’s not every actor that has impacted grandparents, parents and grandchildren the way McCarthy did.
For me, it was Joe Dante’s INNERSPACE and segment of the TWILIGHT ZONE movie and the Weird Al Yankovich film UHF that first introduced me to McCarthy. My impression of the man as a kid was the kinda scary mean bad guy with a crooked smile.
As I grew older I found the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the great 1978 remake which he also featured in, The Howling, Piranha (which I'll always remember for his crazed pronunciation of "Pir-an-yah!") and his Oscar-nominated turn in 1952’s Death of a Salesman.
The man was a powerhouse on Broadway (known for his one-man show Give ‘em Hell, Harry), TV (having appeared in everything from The Twilight Zone to Mission: Impossible and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) and movies. In fact, he was a founding member of The Actor’s Studio.
McCarthy was a tough guy. He was orphaned at the age of four when his parents were killed by the flu epidemic of 1918, but persevered and made a name for himself.
With over 200 roles on the big and small screen, McCarthy lived life to its fullest and we’re all the better for it. His contribution to the art of cinema will not be forgotten.
I’ll conclude with a few odds and ends, including some home video footage of young Marlon Brando and Karl Malden playing around with Kevin McCarthy’s kid and some photos from the making of Invasion of the Body Snatchers from the same fella, by the name of Scott, who sent the original shot used in the BtSPotD.
My thoughts are with Mr. McCarthy’s friends, family and fans. You will be missed, sir.
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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