Horrid Horror Movie Special Salute to Darren McGavin

Here's an update. I will not be doing One Eyed Monster after all. It's not because I'm lazy, but because it actually was a pretty good movie, and I found myself making jokes that were made in the film itself. Any movie that is as insane as this, and realizes not to take itself seriously, is worth the watch. Just make sure you are an adult, as it is a pretty raunchy movie.

With it being the Christmas Season, I decided to do something different, and not a review a horror movie, but highlight one of the actors that has helped define the industry with one of its most prolific characters. He not only portrayed one of the industries human horror hero icons, but inspired a hit show made by Chris Carter: "The X-Files." The sad thing is most young horror viewers today do not know about this man, which they should. With out further ado, I'd like to posthumously introduce William Lyle Richardson, better known as Darren McGavin. Those of you old enough may remember him by another name, too: Carl Kolchak.


After earning his Bachelors on Fine Arts for Drama from the Actors Studio in New School University, Mr. McGavin had near constant work throughout the 1950's through the 1970's, including playing tough talking Private Investigator Mike Hammer, a character created by writer Mickey Spillane. It wasn't until 1971 when he was cast as the reporter Carl Kolchak that would define him a as cult favorite actor among the horror circle. The Night Stalker was the highest rated television movie of 1972, followed by the sequel The Night Strangler in 1973.

With the success of these two movies, NBC picked up the contract to make a show based on the character of Kolchak, spawning the series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The show, due to censorship and budget issues, wasn't extremely violent, going for the cheesy end of horror. Mr. McGavin wanted to make the series more serious, but was unsuccessful. As it began its decent to complete camp, the series ended after only one season.

Mr. McGavin took more acting roles, including the father in The Christmas Story. In the 1990's, Chris Carter, partially inspired by the theme of "the unknown amongst us" that "The Night Stalker" was modeled from. The series became "The X-Files," and Mr. McGavin was set to guest star in three episodes. Due to his ailing health, he only appeared in two episodes. This would nor be the first time this happened. He was scheduled to appear in the Pilot episode of the remake of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," simply called "Night Stalker," but was too ill. Still wanting the torch to be passed on, he agreed to using a video sample of the original Kolchak to be digitally placed into one of the scenes.

In 1997, he appeared in another show made by Chris Carter: "Millennium." I want to talk about this episode, "Midnight of the Millennium," which I think is one of the most impressive roles I've seen Mr. McGavin take on. The premise of the series follows Frank Black (Lance Henricksen), an ex-FBI profiler who is taken into the enigmatic "Millennium Group" to help uncover the reason for the rise of unusual crimes. Frank has the uncanny, and disturbing, ability to get into the mind of the killers using empathy. By the second season, this leads to a rift being caused between him and his family.

This leads us to the Christmas episode, "Night of the Millennium." Frank's daughter, Jordan, draws a picture of an angel that looks exactly like the one Frank's mother drew before her death. This, added to his wife and child being separated from him, and trying to find the perfect gift for his daughter, leads Frank on a soul searching journey through his memories. At one point, he comes across a man who tells him this: "Tonight is the Night of the Millennium. At midnight, the souls of those about to die in the coming year will be seen going to mass."

Frank eventually goes to his old home, where his father (Mr. McGavin) lives. Frank make a b-line to his mother's old room, and sees that it's covered in pictures of angels. As he comes back to his father, he sees his father in tears. I may not be able to quote all of this, but what his father says is powerful, especially when taking his next actions into account. [Paraphrased]"She kissed me on the forehead before she went in that room, Frank. After she drew you that angel? We both knew what was going to happen, and she had... accepted it. She welcomed it, even. She told me that she would move that angel (points to the angel statue on the table) after she died. I've been waiting for forty years, and that angel still hasn't moved."

Before he leaves, Frank gives his father a picture of Jordan. Overwhelmed with joy, his father tells Frank to give the angel statue to Jordan, which causes this to happen:

Frank: But... it hasn't moved.
Mr. Black: Oh yes... yes it has. As far as I'm concerned, it has.

At the end of the episode, Frank and Jordan leave the church when the sound of a bell causes them to turn. Jordan asks Frank who one of the spirits she saw was. Frank turns, and sees his father, smiling at them. The next episode, you find out that Frank's father died on Christmas day.

While the episode seems sad, it is more than that. It showed Frank reuniting with his estranged father, and allowed him to say goodbye to both him and his mother. It was also one of the only episodes where Frank didn't have a murder to solve. It also showed that Mr. McGavin could play a kindhearted man who was down on his luck, willing to show vulnerability, and then acceptance. I keep going back to him saying the angel didn't move, then changing his mind after he sees Jordan. It's as if he realized that the statue didn't need to move, but his wife's soul did.

Mr. McGavin sadly passed away on February 25th, 2006 at the age of 83. But, he has left several things to remember him by, whether it's Kolchak, or the father from The Christmas Story. For me, it was his portrayal of Frank Black's father, a man whose life changes in one night for the worst, then changed again for a more joyous, reflective experience right before his character died. If this was his last role, it would've been a perfect sendoff to a good actor, and a good man. Thank you, Mr. McGavin, for giving us a variety of defining characters for a genre who rarely has good, well developed human characters.

For now, this is the Window Keeper, wishing you all a happy holidays, a happy new year, and to keep you're eyes to the sky. I'll see you next year with a true doozy.