Friday, September 26, 2014

Never to be Forgotten:
Don Keefer 1916-2014

Don Keefer, whose best known role may be as the man Billy Mumy turned into a jack-in-the-box in the truly creepy Twilight Zone episode entitled It's a Good Life (written by Rod Serling from a Jerome Bixby short story), died ealier this month at the age of 98.

I am ashamed to say on his birthday of August 18th this year, I didn't recognize his picture as his most famous credit was given as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which he had a role as Fireman. He had 170 credits in 50 years, from 1947 to 1997 and the genre roles include Lois & Clark, Creepshow, Time Express, The Incredible Hulk, Sleeper, Star Trek, Bewitched, The Munsters, My Favorite Martian, 'Way Out and roles on three Twilight Zone episodes, the other two being much smaller. He lived the Oh That Guy lifestyle the hard way, almost everything as a guest role on TV, though he was a regular on a 1961 comedy entitled Angel, a show which rings absolutely no bells for me and ran a total of 16 episodes. On the other hand, there are a bunch of shows that brought him back to play different characters multiple times, including ten different roles on Gunsmoke. This is an excellent sign of a guy who learned his lines, hit his marks and treated the cast and crew with respect. I always have to smile when I see a credit list like this on imdb.com. His last role was in Liar Liar as Beggar at Courthouse, which is a scene I remember. (Liar Liar is one of those films with a fantasy element that I don't quite count as genre. Sue me.)

Best wishes to the family and friends of Don Keefer, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

1 comment:

  1. Truly Creepy is an apt description of that episode. Gave me nightmares for years! Yes, I WAS an impressionable child but It's a Good Life was unbelievably frightening on many levels. I'm a huge fan of Bill Mumy also, excellent in all the TZs, great in Lost in Space and not too shabby singing Fish Heads with Barnes and Barnes! Something's in the bag...Mommy?! Warms me heart that you revere Rod Serling and his creation!

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