Not even gays. Most would be surprised. Only because what you see on TV, a serious guy in a suit, unsmiling, isn’t how anyone thinks of gay males.
--actor Richard Deacon (Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show), on how aware the general public was of his sexual orientation.
I sure wasn’t. A great character actor.
ReplyDeleteMitchell, Deacon understood the first rule of comic acting: your character doesn't know he's in a comedy.
DeleteHi, Kirk!
ReplyDeleteHappy 100 in heaven to character actor Richard Deacon, who turned up in numerous films and TV series I watched in my youth. He was Lumpy Rutherford's dad on Leave It To Beaver, Mel Cooley on D.V.D. and Dr. Harvey Bassett in one of the best science fiction movies ever made, one that I went to see with my big brother at age 6 in 1956, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. I also saw him in Invaders From Mars (1953), Them! (1954), Blackboard Jungle (1955), This Island Earth (1955), Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy (1955) and many other films. Deacon always entertained me. He was funny. His characters made me smile and laugh. Mission accomplished.
I didn't know until now that Richard Deacon was a closeted gay. Had he come out during his career, I'm sure his impressive list of acting credits would have been much shorter. I was also unaware that Deacon was a gourmet chef who wrote a series of cookbooks and hosted a Canadian TV series on microwave oven cooking.
Thanks for remembering a talented actor who played a big part in my formative years. Once again, happy 100th birthday to Richard Deacon, wherever you are. Have a super weekend, good buddy Kirk!
Shady, here's some background on the quote. Entertainment journalist Boze Hadleigh has made a career out of interviewing LGBTQ celebrities, usually with the understanding that the interviews won't be published until after their deaths (Deacon died in 1984; the interview first saw the light of day in 1996.) You may be interested in knowing that Hadleigh was after a much bigger fish: Paul Lynde. Deacon was a friend of Lynde's and got Hadleigh in to see him. Lynde died two years before Deacon. Hadleigh interviewed both men at the end of the 1970s.
DeleteAs for Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy--the duo's "pick a pick" routine is a highlight--it marks the rare occasion where Deacon appears on screen without his glasses.
Well well. I never knew or much noticed him beyond his omnipresence in so many tv shows. I remember Leave it to Beaver, well after it was first broadcast I hasten to add. I wonder how the show would stack up now.
ReplyDeleteWell, Andrew, Leave It to Beaver remains popular in reruns. As to how it stacks up, the 1950s juvenile slang ("gosh" "gee whiz") and a kind of surface conservatism (the mother doing housework in pearls, the father changing into a sweater but continuing to wear a tie long after he's come home from work) no doubt dates it some, but I think the show's overall premise remains sound and I can't off-hand think of any episodes that were beyond belief.
DeleteGod knows there's no shortage of Eddie Haskell-types in real life. In fact, there's one in Florida who wants to shut down Disney World.
Simpler times.
ReplyDeleteThat's why all the shows were in black-and-white, Debra.
DeleteA quick count on Wikipedia showed about 82 films.
ReplyDeleteMike, that just shows you how much in demand these familiar-looking but non-household name actors can be. I originally wanted to do an "Under the Radar" post, but given what was available on YouTube, I would have had to show an entire Dick Van Dyke Show episode just to highlight a few minutes of Richard Deacon.
DeleteSomething about that picture--I love it!
ReplyDeleteJM, I'd like to know who drew the picture on the punching bag (Boddy Sorrel doesn't count; he was fictional.)
DeleteCall me weird but I'd like a balloon with my face on it too.
ReplyDeleteJenny, it's not quite a balloon but a relative of a balloon: a punching bag. I don't think you want your face on that.
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