The Old Man Takes His Leave

Every year, during the holidays, I pop in my battered video cassette of "A Christmas Story."

Once a year, I remember just how incredibly funny, and moving, and sweet Darren McGavin is as "The Old Man," Ralphie's beleagured and bemused father.

McGavin never achieved a high-profile in Hollywood and, from a glance at his website, that appears to be because he was a passionate fan of theatre. The simplicity of his homepage, and its touching emphasis on his 34 year marriage to his wife, makes me think that McGavin was the kind of man I would have loved to have had a beer with.

He appears in "Hot Lead and Cold Feet" with Don Knotts. Rent it this weekend and pay your respects to two blue-collar actors who represent a dying breed.