Farewell To The Night Stalker
Actor Darren McGavin passed away of natural causes at a Los Angeles-area hospital yesterday. He was 83. McGavin is particularly famous to fans of occult-themed entertainment due to his role as Carl Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
McGavin as Kolchak
The 1970s cult show starred (and was produced by) McGavin as a newspaper reporter who investigates mysterious and unusual cases. His adversaries ranged from vampires to 19th century alchemists. His work on that series was a direct influence on shows like “The X-Files” (who paid tribute to McGavin by having him appear in an episode as a 50s-era paranormal investigator). Many modern shows that incorporate occult or paranormal elements owe at least a small debt to Kolchak.
In addition to McGavin’s work with “Kolchak: The Night Stalker”, he was probably most famous for his role as the father in the holiday classic “A Christmas Story”. For a full listing of his work you can find his IMDb profile, here. This humble blog raises a glass to the passing of a fine actor.
One response so far
Ye gods, I adored this show when I was young. Didn’t you ever suspect that the Frog brothers (Edgar and Allan) were his illegitimate sons?
Sarah G