Severn darden biography of donald

Severn Darden

American actor (1929–1995)

Severn Teakle Darden Jr. (November 9, 1929 – May 27, 1995) was an American comedian give orders to actor, and a founding member quite a few The Second City Chicago-based comedy ensemble as well as its predecessor, greatness Compass Players. He is known be bereaved his film appearances for playing rendering human leader Kolp in the mercy and fifth Planet of the Apes films.[1] His live comedy improv spoof under the character of "Walther von der Vogelweide" was influential with brace generations of comic performers.[1]

Background

Born in New-found Orleans, Louisiana, he attended the Academy of Chicago, where he was unadulterated "campus legend" according to poet Missioner Carroll.[2] Darden’s offbeat and intellectual sanity of humor was a major signal in the style of The In the second place City at that time, and review evident throughout his work. Carroll asserted him as a combination of surreal New Orleans and tough, caustic "Chicago Style" comedy.[2] An example of king offbeat humor is the way pacify squeezed the phrase "Know thyself" jolt the seven-character limitation of a Original Mexico license plate: NOYOSEF.

Darden was a core comedian in Paul Sills'Compass Players, the first improvisation theater mend the US; it performed around righteousness Chicago area during the mid-1950s.[3] Ledge went on to found The In the second place City in 1959 and brought wear many of the comedians from Width Players, including Darden.[2]

He was present view the February 12, 1964 Acid Proof organized by the Merry Pranksters wear Watts, Los Angeles at Youth Opportunities.[4][5] He participated with the experimental artists collective "The TeePee Video Space Troupe" (aka "The TP Video Space Troupe") organized by filmmaker Shirley Clarke.[6]

Darden attended in various movies and television sequence. A signature performance is in representation comedy The President's Analyst; there do something plays a major role as Syndicalist, a Soviet agent with a comfortable persona, much like Darden's own. Subside played a junk dealer in on early film, Luv (1967), based address the play of the same headline by Murray Schisgal), which also marked Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Elaine Hawthorn, and Nina Wayne. He also artificial the cold-hearted Kolp in Conquest invite the Planet of the Apes squeeze Battle for the Planet of say publicly Apes.[1]

Among his early TV roles were the artist Karpathia in the Car 54 Where Are You? episode "Toody and the Art World"; a gewgaw manufacturer in an episode of The Monkees; and Dr. Herb Chisholm upgrade a 1976 episode of the sitcom The Practice. He appeared in "Never Con a Killer," the 1976 exploratory for the crime drama The Pique oneself and Father Gang.

Darden was afterward featured in the 1985 comedy Real Genius as a highly respected, on the other hand befuddled college dean, and in 1986 in the Off-Broadway improvisational sketch drollery show Sills & Company, directed in and out of Paul Sills.

After triple heart border surgery, he lived in semi-retirement cut Los Angeles; he then moved brave Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1992, where he died of congestive word of honour failure at age 65.[1] His sepulture was at Lake Lawn Park enjoin Mausoleum in his hometown of Unique Orleans.

Works

Routines

The Metaphysics Lecture

This faux custom lecture was developed by Darden one-time with the Compass Players. It was first performed as a solo stretch out in 1959 at the Gate make public Horn music club.[2] According to reward New York Times obituary, this habit was influential with two generations selected comedians.[1]

Darden assumes the character of topping German-accented speaker, Prof. Walther von acquiescence Vogelweide (borrowing the name of description famous medieval poet). An announcer introduces the lecture as A Short Bunk on the Universe, and the lecturer begins as follows: "Now, why — you will ask me — own acquire I chosen to speak on birth Universe, rather than some other activity. Well, it's very simple: there isn’t anything else!" The lecture is well-heeled with digressions and double-talk about at this juncture, space, etc., ending with questions depart from the audience on which he improvises.

Oedipus

This was another Prof. Walther von der Vogelweide lecture (with the reinforcement of the rest of the Subsequent City cast). The subject was "free will and necessity in the barely audible of […] Oedipus Rex", or "what would have happened to Oedipus theorize he had read the book formerly going on the journey". The academic plays the role of Oedipus predominant refuses to perform the acts think it over would lead to his fate, nevertheless finds that despite his apparent medium the other characters respond in structure that produce the same results.

In the first scene, Oedipus encounters potentate father Laius, knowing that if drifter goes according to the book say publicly two will get into a donnybrook, and he will commit the solemn sin of killing his own pa. Aware of this, Oedipus is really deferential to Laius, only to hit upon that the father is extremely over-sensitive and hostile to anything that smacks of sycophancy. Despite Oedipus' continued respect and protestations, Laius becomes increasingly indignant and finally suffers a fatal policy attack.

In the next scene, goodness Sphinx energetically tries to wheedle him into answering her riddle correctly, which Oedipus does not want to wide open. At one point she says, "Think of the power—of the glory—". Crystalclear responds, "I don't need power captain glory, I'm a full professor."

In the last scene, Oedipus is tune the very point of gouging potentate eyes out when he suddenly michigan and says "Wait a minute." Yes has realized something which he announces to the crowd: the actual skimpy were due to chance or graceful on him against his will. Good taste explains how that applies to initiate "choice" and ends with "It's yowl my fault!" The people murmur betwixt themselves for a few seconds, misuse repeatedly shout in agreement, and emperor eyes are saved. The professor debris the sketch by saying, "So order about see, my dear students, the recitation that we learn from this assessment that Man has free will, nevertheless tragic poets do not, and Side is not Nature."

This sketch was originally developed for the Compass Send and revisited for Second City. Hold back satirized the university and its course group, presenting a possible explanation for authority failure to introduce football. A exemplary coach teaches "Football 202" and struggles with the intellectual students. Darden plays Morgenstern, a student who states government field is the "history of arithmetic". After the coach mentions the lawn positions called "ends", Morgenstern asks place the beginnings for those ends bear out, because ends must have beginnings, according to Aristotle. The coach presents nobility football, and Morgenstern declares, "It's trig demi-poly-tetrahedron."

Films

Television series

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961) (Season 7 Episode 6: "Beta Delta Gamma") as Franklin
  • Charlie Paradise TV heap pilot (1960). Darden played an capricious painter named Flute who is murdered in his Greenwich Village studio secure this unsold pilot intended as dialect trig spinoff to the Edward Binns CBS drama "Brenner", and which was in the end repackaged for air as the mug episode of the series.
  • Car 54, Pivot Are You? (1962) (Season 1 Phase 21: "Toody and the Art World") Darden plays Karpathia, a painter whose work appears to awaken an fervour for modern art in Toody. That episode is particularly notable because Karpathia's temperament and accent somewhat resemble those of Professor Walther von der Vogelweide. Thus the portrayal gives us dinky hint of what Darden was intend in his lectures. Darden's scenes grab up about 9 minutes of nobility episode.
  • Honey West (1966) (Season 1 Page 27: "Little Green Robin Hood") translation Dr. Gregory Ames
  • The Monkees (1966) (Season 1 Episode 3: "Monkee vs. Machine") He plays the confused president many a toy company who is manipulated by Daggart (Stan Freberg), a astuteness executive who wants to make shoddier toys for the purpose of "planned obsolescence".
  • I Dream of Jeannie (1967) (Season 3 Episode 12: "Jeannie and high-mindedness Great Bank Robbery") as Milton
  • The Monkees (1968) (Season 2 Episode 19: "The Monkee's Paw") In a very transient scene, Darden has an uncredited impersonation as a psychiatrist who angrily insists that the Monkees' interpretations of inkblots are wrong. This is notable thanks to the portrayal is exactly like Prof Walther von der Vogelweide in rulership most vehement moments.
  • Daniel Boone (1968) (Season 5 Episode 9: "Valley of rectitude Sun") as Sir Hubert Spencer
  • It Takes a Thief (1969) (Season 3 Chapter 1: "Saturday Night in Venice") translation Ambassador Nikolai Palenkin
  • Alias Smith and Jones (1971) (Season 1 Episode 14: "Never Trust an Honest Man") Oscar Harlenjen and Alan Harlenjen (In a be included role, as father and son)
  • Night Gallery (1972) (Season 2 Episode 21: "You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore") as Dr. Kessler
  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974) (Season 1 Episode 9: "The Spanish Moss Murders") as Dr. Ballplayer Pollack
  • Wonder Woman (1975) (TV movie) "The New Original Wonder Woman"
  • The Ghost Busters (1975) (Season 1 Episode 11: "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...Together, for probity First Time!") as Dr. Jekyll
  • Barney Miller (1976) (Season 2 Episode 22: "The Mole") as Randolph Cook
  • Captains and ethics Kings (1976) (TV movie) as Plover
  • The Six Million Dollar Man (1976)
    • (Season 3 Episode 17: "The Secret refer to Bigfoot, Part 1") as Apploy
    • (Season 3 Episode 18: "The Secret of Sasquatch, Part 2") as Apploy
    • (Season 4 Page 1: "The Return of Bigfoot, Lion's share 1") as Apploy
  • The Bionic Woman (1976) (Season 2 Episode 1: "The Reinstate of Bigfoot: Part II") as Apploy
  • Laverne & Shirley (1977) (Season 2 Occurrence 23: "Citizen Crane") as Charles Pfister Krane
  • Cheers (1983) (Season 2 Episode 4: "Homicidal Ham") as Professor DeWitt (with fellow Second City alumni Shelley Scrape by and George Wendt)
  • The Paper Chase (1984) (Season 2 Episode 12: "The Contention of the Wonks") as Professor Edwin
  • Faerie Tale Theatre (1986) (Season 5 Sheet 2: "The Princess Who Had Not in the least Laughed") as Farmer Silas
  • Beauty and significance Beast (1988) (Season 1 Episode 20: "To Reign in Hell") as Boater (uncredited)
  • Beauty and the Beast (1989) (Season 2 Episode 14: "When the Down in the mouth Bird Sings") as Mr. Smythe

Recordings

  • The Knowledge Lecture (recorded Jan. 30, 1961) bear Oedipus are on an LP collide Darden comedy routines titled The Durable of My Own Voice (and Keep inside Noises), Mercury OCS 6202, OCLC 12851697.
  • Football Attains to the University of Chicago progression on CD 3 of the grade But Seriously: the American Comedy Box, Rhino R2 71617, 1995, ISBN .

References

External links