We classic TV fans all have a few actors that bring a smile to our face when they show up in a guest appearance.
That’s how I feel when I see John McGiver, in one of his typecast roles as a prickly executive in a well-tailored suit. If his name popped up in a word association test, the most frequent response might be “stuffy.” With his round head and bald pate, he looks like an adult version of Charlie Brown, if Charlie Brown had grown up to be a dyspeptic accountant.
It’s a persona that worked in dramas and westerns, but proved most memorable in many of our favorite sitcoms.
Studio One in Hollywood (1955)
John McGiver made his television debut (at the age of 42) in an episode of this anthology series entitled “Dominique.” He is billed as “Customs Inspector Darrell” – and if you’ve ever encountered a customs inspector you know this was likely good casting.
The Lucy Show (1962)
We’re used to seeing Lucy as the incompetent office worker berated by a bellowing boss like Mr. Mooney. But “Lucy Is a Kangaroo For a Day” predates Gale Gordon’s arrival on The Lucy Show, and with McGiver as her boss offers an interesting variation on those familiar scenes. Lucy takes a part-time job as a secretary, and struggles with such modern technology as an intercom system and an electric typewriter. Of course Lucille Ball pulled maximum comedic mileage out of every prop she touched, and the escalating exasperation in McGiver’s reactions make their scenes even funnier.
The Patty Duke Show (1963)
Every year around this time I get reacquainted with McGiver at his supercilious best in “The Christmas Present,” one of six episodes in which he plays Martin Lane’s boss, New York Chronicle publisher J.R. Castle. Here he threatens to ruin Christmas for the Lanes by firing Martin’s brother, Kenneth, also played by William Schallert. Schallert’s attempt at a dual role only enhances one’s appreciation for Patty Duke’s virtuosity, and how naturally she pulls it off.
The Beverly Hillbillies (1964)
It’s hard to imagine a more stark contrast than that between John McGiver in one of his stuffed shirt roles, and a fiery loose cannon like Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies. And that’s why “Granny Vs. the Weather Bureau” works so well. The episode pits the sophisticated meteorological technology analyzed by government head Justin Addison (McGiver) against Granny’s weather-predicting beetles:
Justin: Madam, you have my assurance there will be no precipitation tonight.
Granny: Maybe not, but there's gonna be a whole slew of rain.
Many Happy Returns (1964)
Series stardom at last, albeit not for very long. McGiver is top-billed in this sitcom as Walter Burnley, manager of the complaint department at Krockmeyer’s Department Store.
Despite a role that would seem to ideally fit his persona, and a supporting cast that included Mark Goddard and the always-welcome Elinor Donahue, the series was canceled after 26 episodes that are not likely to ever surface on DVD.
The Dick Van Dyke Show (1965)
This was one of the toughest “Top TV Moments” lists to pare down to ten credits, because doing so meant leaving out equally memorable McGiver appearances in The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, The Wild, Wild West, Gidget, The Man From UNCLE and other classic shows. But choosing my single favorite McGiver performance was easy – this is it.
In See Rob Write, Write Rob Write,” he plays Ollie Wheelwright, head of the children’s book publisher Giggle Books. After Rob and Laura both try writing a children’s book, they bring their stories to Ollie for a professional opinion. It’s not often that a guest star gets all the best lines amidst this amazing cast, but McGiver gets more laughs in one scene than some shows manage in a season.
I Dream of Jeannie (1966)
Tony wants to get a loan at the bank to buy a sailboat, but loan officer John McGiver turns him down – at least until Jeannie adds a few more zeros to her Master’s bank account. After that, the bank can’t do enough for one of its most valued customers.
The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971)
As I wrote about McGiver in my blog about this series, The Jimmy Stewart Show had one saving grace besides its top-billed star: “John McGiver livens things up whenever he appears as Howard’s professorial colleague, Dr. Luther Quince. It’s a stretch to imagine the two characters as friends outside a scripted world – Quince drives a Rolls Royce and fancies himself a connoisseur of life’s more sophisticated pleasures, while Howard plays the accordion and rides a bicycle to his classes. But McGiver is the only actor in the show playing at Stewart’s level, and several episodes are saved by their scenes together.”
Ellery Queen (1975)
McGiver’s final bow came alongside Eve Arden and Betty White in “The Adventure of Miss Aggie’s Farewell Performance.” The episode aired in 1975, the year he passed away at the far too young age of 61.