Feb. 28, 2006
 
Actor Dennis Weaver, 81, Dies at His Colorado Energy-Saving ‘Earthship’
 
By David M. Kinchen
Editor, Huntington News Network
 
Hinton, WV (HNN) – In my previous story about the deaths of Don Knotts and Darren McGavin, I said it was a sad weekend for serious film and television fans. Now that I’ve learned – on Monday, Feb. 27, 2006 -- of the death of Dennis Weaver on Friday, Feb. 25, 2006 at his home in Colorado, it’s even sadder.
 
I never had the pleasure of meeting Knotts and McGavin, but I did meet Weaver about 20 years ago at the L.A. Convention Center. The actor who made the role of Chester in “Gunsmoke” famous and went on to even greater fame as Sam McCloud in the 1970-77 “McCloud” TV series died at age 81. Joplin, MO native Weaver died of complications from cancer at his home in Ridgway, in southwestern Colorado, his publicist Julian Myers said.
 
At the end of seven hit seasons, drawling “Mis-ter Dil-lon,” Weaver tried other series roles, announcing his retirement as the slow-witted deputy. He returned to "Gunsmoke" on a limited basis for two more years. The role brought him an Emmy in the 1958-59 season.
 
He starred in the family series “Gentle Ben” from 1966-68, but really hit his stride with a series roughly based on the 1968 Clint Eastwood movie “Coogan’s Bluff.” In the Eastwood vehicle, a rowdy Arizona deputy sheriff arrives in the Big Apple to extradite a man wanted in the Grand Canyon State. The film was directed by Don Siegel, who went on to direct Eastwood in “Dirty Harry” and other films and influenced the actor to become a director himself. The "McCloud" series, which ran from 1970-1977, brought a New Mexico lawman to the mean streets of New York City.
 
At our brief encounter, I told Weaver how much I admired his performance in the 1971 TV movie “Duel” as a driver menaced by a mysterious 18-wheeler as he drives across the California desert. He said he was impressed with the youthful Steven Spielberg who directed “Duel,” and who later went on to fame and fortune a few years later with “Jaws” and many other films. “Duel” was released theatrically in 1983 and is a cult favorite.
 
Among his other movies: "Touch of Evil," "Ten Wanted Men," "Gentle Giant," "Seven Angry Men," "Dragnet," "Way ... Way Out" and "The Bridges at Toko-Ri." From 1973 to 1975, he served as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
 
An active humanitarian and environmentalist -- He served as president of Love Is Feeding Everyone (LIFE), which fed 150,000 needy people a week in Los Angeles County – he put his garbage where his mouth was when he and his wife Gerry built his solar-powered Colorado home, "Earthship," out of recycled tires and cans. According to the obit in the Los Angeles Times, the thick walls helped keep the inside temperature even year around.
 
The Times: "When the garbage man comes," Jay Leno once quipped, "how does he know where the garbage begins and the house ends?"
 
Weaver responded: "If we get into the mindset of saving rather than wasting and utilizing other materials, we can save the Earth." “Weaver founded the Institute of Ecolonomics, which sought solutions to economic and environmental problems. He spoke at the United Nations and Congress, as well as to college students and school children about fighting pollution and starvation,” according to the obituary in the L.A. Times.
 
Like Knotts and McGavin, Weaver, born June 4, 1924, was a trained actor, studying at the Actors Studio in New York after his service with the U.S. Navy in World War II. He was also an athlete during his studies at the University of Oklahoma after the war.
 
Before making the move to Hollywood, Weaver appeared in “A Streetcar Named Desire” opposite Shelley Winters and was in the national company of “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth, according to the L.A. Times obit.
 
Speaking of obits, in my piece on Darren McGavin, I put his short-lived “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.” Iconic TV series n the wrong year: The series ran one year: 1974-5. I also used the wrong spelling of Bert Remsen’s first name, calling him “Burt” (I must have been thinking of Burt Young in “Rocky”). Bert Remsen (1925-1999) was the brother of my good friend Guy Remsen, an Encino, CA. actor who provided me with details of McGavin’s life.