Patrick McGoohan: The Prisoner and the Scarecrow Passes Away

This seems to be the week for the passing of childhood heroes for monster kids and those of us raised on the fantastic in cinema and television. In a previous post I mentioned the death of northern California’s Creature Features host Bob Wilkins, and now news is being circulated that Patrick McGoohan has died. McGoohan had a long career in television and film, perhaps best known by the contemporary general public for his role in Braveheart, but known by fans of the fantastic for his role in the 1960s television series The Prisoner. To this I would add the often neglected role of Dr. Christopher Syn in Walt Disney’s The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963). This program aired in three parts and told the interesting story of a vicar with a costumed alter ego, the Scarecrow, who fights the British in the 18th century. McGoohan’s portrayal of the Scarecrow is an interesting one, combining elements in a role that almost a prefigures a combination of The Dark Knight’s Batman and the Joker.

scarecrow1 McGoohan made a deep impression on me as a consumer of the fantastic in the 1970s, and his contribution to cinema and television will be missed.