I just learned that Robert Culp has passed away. A dang good actor, he was a big part of many of the TV shows I grew up on. His biggest success was I guess I Spy, but I never much watched that show.
I first noticed Robert Culp on The Outer Limits. He stars in a bravura performance in the story "Demon With A Glass Hand", an adaptation of a Harlan Ellison story. It's a tale that makes the most of its limited setting to create some really fantastic atmosphere.
But the Robert Culp role that most affected me was his turn in "The Architects of Fear". In this story Culp plays a scientist who gets chosen to become something quite different. All to prod the general population to take action in their own seeming best interests. It's a complicated story of sacrifice, courage, terror, and confusion. The message ain't necessarily a simple one, but its effect on me was palpable. I won't say more for fear of spoiling a great story.
If you want to check out, here's a link to get you started. Here's another.
The story left a mark on me for sure. Without question it's the scariest thing I ever saw on television. Robert Culp's ability to display his humanity is a big part of what makes this superior story work.
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Rip, I'm afraid the two links didn't come through in the post.
ReplyDeleteThey were working for me, and they still do. I don't know what the problem could be. But here's the address for the Youtube link, and hopefully you can make that work. If not, just go to Youtube and type in "Architects of Fear"; that's what I did originally.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJwwIR0vXsw
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