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Barnard Hughes starred in shows such as "Doc", "Mr. Merlin" and "The Cavanaughs", and the movie "The Lost Boys". Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0400464/ (May be subject to copyright) |
That was the premise of “Mr. Merlin”, a show that starred Barnard Hughes.
It was his birthday today and, once I saw his name, not only did “Mr. Merlin” come to mind, but a show where he played the cantankerous patriarch of an Irish-American family, and a movie where he knew much more about vampires then he let on.
Barnard Hughes had quite a career, and much of it was in the ‘80s.
What’s up?
My earliest memory of Barnard Hughes was in a sitcom called “Doc”, where he played a general practitioner who dealt with strange patients and his own, even stranger family.
My earliest memory of Barnard Hughes was in a sitcom called “Doc”, where he played a general practitioner who dealt with strange patients and his own, even stranger family.
“Doc” is at the outer fringes of my memory. All I can really recall is the opening credits with Barnard Hughes walking through the streets.
The show ran two seasons from August of 1975 to October of 1976, for a total of 29 episodes.
Magic man
The next time I saw Barnard Hughes was at my friend and neighbour Mike’s place in 1981. He and his brother were watching a show called “Mr. Merlin”. All I could think was, “That’s the guy who played that doctor.”
The next time I saw Barnard Hughes was at my friend and neighbour Mike’s place in 1981. He and his brother were watching a show called “Mr. Merlin”. All I could think was, “That’s the guy who played that doctor.”
The show intrigued me, so I tuned in to “Mr. Merlin” the next week it was on Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial. Hughes played Max Merlin, a mechanic, who is actually the immortal wizard from King Arthur’s Court living in modern-day San Francisco. When I tuned in, he had an apprentice named Zac, played by Clark Brandon.
“Mr. Merlin” had been in the “TV Guide” fall preview, but I did not read the description. It took me seeing part of an episode to tune in, and I really liked it.
I finally found out why Zac was Mr. Merlin’s apprentice through Wikipedia. Merlin hired Zac to work at his garage. When Zac pulls a crowbar from a bucket of cement, the crowbar is actually Arthur’s sword Excalibur. Merlin must then reveal himself to Zac and make him an apprentice.
The other characters I recall are Leo, Zac’s best friend, played by Jonathan Prince, and Alexandria, played by Elaine Joyce. She is Merlin’s magical liaison with an unseen council, who insisted Merlin have an apprentice or lose his powers and immortality. I knew Elaine Joyce best from game shows, such as “Match Game”.
There is one episode I remember in particular. Zac finds this magic puzzle, kind of like the Rubik’s Cube, but you take it apart and put it back together. He and Leo want to use it as a money maker, because only people with magical powers can solve it. When Merlin finds out, he puts Zac and Leo's plan to a stop by actually solving the puzzle.
I really liked the show.
However, it lasted just one season from 1981 to 1982, for a total of 22 episodes.
Barnard Hughes would be back though, in another sitcom, which was much less fantasy and much more blue collar.
When Irish eyes are smiling
“The Cavanaughs” was a sitcom I stumbled on by accident one night on CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial during Grade 12. Barnard Hughes stars as Pop Cavanaugh, a blue collar Irish Catholic living in Boston with his son Chuck, played by Peter Michael Goetz and his daughter Kit, played brilliantly by Christine Ebersole.
“The Cavanaughs” was a sitcom I stumbled on by accident one night on CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial during Grade 12. Barnard Hughes stars as Pop Cavanaugh, a blue collar Irish Catholic living in Boston with his son Chuck, played by Peter Michael Goetz and his daughter Kit, played brilliantly by Christine Ebersole.
The show was funny, primarily because of the chemistry and conflict between Pop and his children. It debuted in December of 1986 and its first season ran to March of 1987. It went on an extended break, returning August of 1988 and running until July of 1989. It lasted two seasons for a total of 26 episodes. I also recall Art Carney playing Pop’s brother.
I cannot recall any particular scenes, but I do remember talking about the show with my dear friend David Perlich in our high school guidance counsellor’s office, where we hung out regularly.
Vampires everywhere
In the summer of 1987, I was done high school and getting ready to go off to university. One night in late July or early August, I went to this movie “The Lost Boys” that remains one of my favourites. Michael Emerson, played by Jason Patric, and his younger brother Sam, played by Corey Haim, move with their mother Lucy, played by Dianne Wiest, to their grandfather’s place in Santa Carla, California.
In the summer of 1987, I was done high school and getting ready to go off to university. One night in late July or early August, I went to this movie “The Lost Boys” that remains one of my favourites. Michael Emerson, played by Jason Patric, and his younger brother Sam, played by Corey Haim, move with their mother Lucy, played by Dianne Wiest, to their grandfather’s place in Santa Carla, California.
Grandpa is played by Barnard Hughes. He is eccentric and seems to do strange and non-sensical things, such as building a fence with wooden posts that come to a point. The family didn’t need that fence.
Soon, we discover the town is full of vampires who have Lucy and her boys in their sights. In the end, the head vampire, played brilliantly by Edward Herrmann, is closing in. During the climatic chase, one of those fences posts is plunged through his chest. A wooden stake through the heart kills a vampire.
With smoke and relief all around, grandpa remarks he loves the town except for all those vampires around.
Barnard Hughes was brilliant as grandpa.
The rest of the decade
Barnard Hughes was quite prolific through the ‘80s in screen and film.
Barnard Hughes was quite prolific through the ‘80s in screen and film.
He was in movies such as “First Monday in October”, in 1981, which starred Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh as battling Supreme Court justices; “Tron”, in 1982, as a computer programmer on the outside and a video game character on the inside; and “Best Friends”, also in 1982, opposite Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn;
Hughes was in a number of TV movies as well as episodes of “Tales from the Darkside”; “Hotel”; “The Love Boat”; “American Playhouse”; “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd”; and more.
The years before
Barnard Hughes got his start playing Bob Cratchit in a 1947 TV movie version of “A Christmas Carol”, and went from there.
Barnard Hughes got his start playing Bob Cratchit in a 1947 TV movie version of “A Christmas Carol”, and went from there.
He was on television in the soap operas “The Guiding Light” and “As The World Turns”; TV movies; and series such as “Route 66”; “Car 54, Where Are You?”; “Naked City”; “The Defenders”; “For the People”; “Dark Shadows”; “Cannon”; “Love Story”; three episodes of “All in the Family” as a Catholic priest who battled with Archie Bunker; “The Wide World of Mystery”; “Hawaii Five-O”; three episodes of “The Bob Newhart Show”, as Bob’s father; and more.
Hughes was also in one episode of “Lou Grant”, where he won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in Drama or Comedy Series for his portrayal of a senile judge.
He was in movies as well, such as “Midnight Cowboy”; “Cold Turkey”, where an entire town tries to quit smoking; “Oh, God!” opposite George Burns and John Denver; and more.
The years after
Barnard Hughes kept on acting for decades.
Barnard Hughes kept on acting for decades.
He appeared in movies such as “Doc Hollywood”; “Lincoln”; “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit”; “The Odd Couple II”, where he was the old man who gave a ride to Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon; “Cradle Will Rock”; “The Fantasticks”; and more.
His last role was in 2004 in the video “The Lost Boys: The Lost Scenes”.
Hughes also appeared on TV in 52 episodes of “Blossom” as the title character’s maternal grandfather; “The Marshal”; “Homicide: Life on the Street”; and “Deadline”, in 2000, which was his last television appearance.
Barnard Hughes died in 2006 five days short of his 91st birthday.
Parting thoughts
Whenever I think of Barnard Hughes, I cannot help but think “Grumpy old man”, because he seemed at his best playing that role in “Mr. Merlin”, “The Cavanaughs”, and “The Lost Boys”.
Whenever I think of Barnard Hughes, I cannot help but think “Grumpy old man”, because he seemed at his best playing that role in “Mr. Merlin”, “The Cavanaughs”, and “The Lost Boys”.
Yet, he also brought a sensitivity and understanding to the roles he played.
He was a great actor who, like fine win, seemed to get better with age.
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