Kevin McCarthy brought a useful seriousness to science fiction and horror: when he panicked, we believed the danger. His brief return in Invasion of the Body Snatchers makes a strong case for an actor too often confined to supporting parts.
Fi1m perspective
Kevin McCarthy throws himself across a windscreen in Philip Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), shouting that they are coming. The appearance depends on panic, and he supplies enough to make a brief encounter feel dangerous. We found him frightening because the warning comes with such physical desperation. Knowing that he led the 1956 film gives the moment another purpose, but the force of it is there in the man against the glass. Kaufman's acknowledgement of the earlier film does more than invite recognition.
Before that association with science fiction, McCarthy played Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman (1951), after playing the part on stage in London. He then led Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) as Dr Miles Bennell. The move from family drama to science fiction required no reduction in seriousness; that conviction is what we value in his genre work. His frequent casting as doctors, judges, generals and executives helps explain his usefulness. These were men whose authority was meant to reassure, which made his capacity for urgency especially effective.
His subsequent career settled largely into character parts, with Joe Dante a recurring collaborator. In Dante's Innerspace (1987), McCarthy plays the antagonist Victor Eugene Scrimshaw, a notable example of the director's repeated use of him in authoritative or antagonistic supporting roles. Those appearances deserve attention, though we should not pretend that smaller opportunities were necessarily better ones. Remembering only the familiar supporting player leaves out the dramatic actor who had carried leading roles.
The 1978 appearance shows how well he could use limited time. A cameo of this sort can become a pause for the audience to congratulate itself on recognising a face. McCarthy makes the interruption feel like an emergency, so Kaufman's film need not stop to honour its predecessor. It is a small part, and we would not ask it to prove everything about him. Start with the 1956 film if you want to see McCarthy given more room.
Biography
Kevin McCarthy was an American actor. Born in Seattle, Washington, on 15 February 1914, he died on 11 September 2010.
His first credited film role was as Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman (1951), for which he received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He is best known for portraying Dr. Miles J. Bennell in the science fiction film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). McCarthy appeared as Dr. Frank Simmons in the Columbo episode 'Requiem for a Falling Star' (1973). He also had roles in films including Gremlins (1984) and Innerspace (1987), and worked extensively in television and on stage.
