"I have absolutely no regrets about my acting career. Sometimes, I have doubts, but in balance I think it was certainly worthwhile for me to have temporarily left the real world and become an actor. I'm very proud of my work, because I did the best I could possibly do at the time. I always wanted to make one movie with a good acting role for me, but I never did. When I see actors today like William Hurt or Eric Roberts, I think they're such a gift to cinema. I wish I had the chance to do what they do. I knew that I could and many people have agreed with me, but it didn't work out that way. I still have great faith in the film business. The movies seem to be getting better all the time. Whatever direction the industry takes, I wish I were still a part of it. But I'm not going to get into the satin shirts and take a pill. I've made peace with my life."
--"B" film actor Kerwin Mathews
[From a 1987 interview, via IMDb.com.]
It was in the the very early 1960s, in the darkness of the John Danz Theatre in Bellevue, Wash., that WWP first cast eyes on Kerwin Mathews: handsome, blondish, virile – the sort of "guy's guy" a guy wants to hang around with. [Keep in mind, WWP was only 7 at the time; go figure why it took so long to figure out the gay thing … but we digress].
The movie was "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," a rather ridiculous but nevertheless engaging swashbuckler, the very kind of film the impossibly handsome Mathews would be called to act in time and time again, probably to the detriment of his career advancement. But in endless repeats at the Danz [which the young WWP watched again and again], and in the other cineplexes of the day, Kerwin Mathews persisted and became a Saturday matinee idol like no other -- occasionally great, more than often just unusually good, and nearly always better than his material.
Mathews had his start in the memorable early days of live television in the 1950s, but he staked out his acting claim by appearing afterward in those pirate movies -- long before Johnny Depp ever dared to offer an argh [or for that matter, would be born]. Of course, there were innumerable other clunkers and B-list movies along the way and especially later in his career. [Anyone remember "Jack the Giant Killer" or "Pirates of Blood River"? Thought not.] His last film appearance was in 1978 in the forgotten and forgettable "Prince of Blood."
The lack of limelight success seems not to have daunted Mathews. And from that, we take note. When pausing to wonder whether "it's all been worth it" or "have we done the right thing," we will choose hereafter to recall this rather unremarkable career, but remember more the importance, and the inspiration, of "keeping keeping on."
Kerwin Mathews died last week, at the age of 81. He is survived by his partner of 46 years, Tom Nicoll, and their two cats.
[Official Kerwin Mathews website, here.]
This week (July 17, 2007) another man who led a quiet but interesting life died. Seattle art gallery owner Gordon Woodside was 80 when he died after a short illness. He was legendary for his independent mind and devotion to the artists he represented. One gallery owner, The Seattle P-I reported, "couldn't "remember him having a single tactful moment." If he thought a potential buyer didn't really appreciate or understand an artist,he wouldn't sell the work to that person.
Woodside is survived by a brother and his partner of fifty-six years, Donald Teichman.
I'd love to hear President Bush explain how their relationship endangered western civilization.
Posted by: Lin | Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 06:35 PM