Richard Chamberlain

Richard Chamberlain passed away on Saturday, two days before his 91st birthday. From Doctor Kildare to Twin Peaks: The Return, here was an actor with a very long and colourful career. Over the past few years, I've seen him in two very different roles; as the worried investigator of eerie phenomena in Peter Weir's 1977 movie The Last Wave, and as the legendary Allan Quatermain in a couple of cheesy, fun movies from the late '80s. He always had a kind of sparkle in his eye and he was suited for both serious and campy fare.

It's weird Rotten Tomatoes labels this as a "Herbert Lom Movie". Lom is in it, playing a villain that, like most other aspects of the film, wasn't in the book. His name isn't even mentioned in the trailer. Surely Chamberlain was the bigger star.

His role on Twin Peaks was small, just one scene, but he still went to the premiere:

At any time, the interviewer could've jumped in and said, "I think you actually caught the movie, Fire Walk With Me." Was he afraid of embarrassing Chamberlain or did the interviewer just not know anything about Twin Peaks? My guess would be the latter.

Chamberlain played a lawyer involved in a love triangle that briefly takes centre stage in the first couple episodes of The Return. I didn't even recognise him the first time I watched it but I did notice the actor brought a gravitas and sparkling kitsch quality that helped establish the story Lynch was telling. Even in a small role, he brought something no-one else could.

X Sonnet 1929

A cup of swirling frogs was sold for tea.
The colour green deceived a sea of kids.
Though older now, they dance the Kappa Boogie.
Their silver pool has fetched a million bids.
In eighty-nine, the store was life itself.
But now the place is broken walls and cords.
Within, there yet remains a heavy shelf.
It holds a hardy stack of vintage cords.
The winters passed when fashion asked for pants.
These trousers gather moths as plastic rules.
But ghosts would give the slacks another chance.
At night, they walk the store and warm the jewels.
The darkness carries clothes of yesteryear.
The dreams survive a despot's stubborn fear.