Kevin McCarthy was born on 15 February 1914 in Seattle, Washington. But at the age of 4, he moved to Minnesota after his parents died in the flu pandemic of 1918.
He starred in a lot of psychotronic films. But he is most remembered for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). And then, he starred in the best scene in the film’s remake.
He starred in The Twilight Zone episode “Long Live Walter Jameson.” He played an apparently respectable guy with a disturbing secret. And he makes the episode supremely creepy with his performance. But it shows that he could have had a very boring career as a stock leading man. By the early 1970s, he was a classic “distinguished gentleman.” You can see it a lot in his TV work. I’m kind of surprised he wasn’t offered something like Knots Landing or Falcon Crest. But McCarthy was a serious actor and that may have been his choice.
Kevin McCarthy was a favorite of Joe Dante. Mostly, he performed small roles like General Ankrum in “Mant” in Matinee. “Would you let that fit you in a pump?!” He plays a bigger part in the generally disappointing Innerspace. But he had a big role in Piranha.
With that in mind, let’s watch Piranha. You can watch it equally well as a standard monster movie or as a parody. If you are very clever, you can watch it as both!
Kevin McCarthy via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.
