Tag: Clue

In Memoriam: Tim Curry (1946-2026)

By: Jesse Striewski

2026 has been a brutal year for celebrities passing. From Home Alone mom Catherine O’Hara in January, to action superstar Chuck Norris two months later, to country music icon Dolly Parton, and now, beloved actor Tim Curry, there’s been no shortage of saying “goodbye” to the many faces we grew up with.

I tried my best to recall what my initial introduction to Curry would’ve been, and if I had to guess it would likely be either 1983’s Clue or 1985’s Legend, each strong possibilities that I caught on cable as a kid, and without a doubt two of his most memorable roles (I’d wager the more likely scenario would’ve been Legend, as films such as it and The Neverending Story were high on my radar at the time).

But one thing I’m sure of, I was there alongside my family (as so many others were in those days) when Stephen King’s IT first aired as a two-part miniseries back in November of 1990. Curry menaced the screen as the clown Pennywise, and created a lasting character that still thrives until this day. (Sorry but the later versions of this still don’t hold a candle to the original in my book.)

By that point, it truly seemed as though Curry was actually everywhere you looked in cinema. When 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York came out, I can distinctly remember being there watching, as it was one of the first post-hospital films I saw while still in a wheelchair shortly after the car accident I was in earlier that year. Curry’s role as the hotel concierge helped provide some much-needed laughs at an otherwise darker time in my life.

Then of course there was his film debut, 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show, something that no doubt resonated with me as an outcast during adolescence. Again, I have somewhat sentimental memories attached to this, watching it on Halloween one year alongside my very first ever, “real” girlfriend.

I can also recall going to see 1995’s Congo and 2001’s Scary Movie 2 on the big screen, two more films that in hindsight, Curry helped steal the show tremendously, the former of which may very well have been all but forgettable if not for his appearance in it. In more recent times, I found myself reading and reviewing his memoir Vagabond and getting to know and appreciate him on a much deeper level. (I did not recall him having a brief music career at one point either prior to reading.)

Of course, these are all simply my memories of him alone, and hardly even scratches the surface on Curry’s decades-long career.

Grieving for someone you may not have known on a personal level can be a foreign concept to some. But when that person played a very real role in your formative years – as I think this very tribute to Tim Curry just confirmed he very well did for me personally – then it’s easy to mourn as though we did know them in some small sort of way. I’m just one of many who will miss him dearly, and if you’ve read this far, I can only assume that you are as well. Farewell Mr. Curry.

In Memoriam: Howard Hesseman (1940-2022)

By: Jesse Striewski

I wasn’t around in the ’70s, so my first impression of actor Howard Hesseman did not come from the hit TV show WKRP in Cincinnati as it had for many before, but instead the ’80s high school sitcom Head of the Class. As a kid at the time with four older brothers and sisters, all mostly high school aged by then, it was easy for me to fall in love with the show and relate to its characters, who I was able to equate to my older siblings. And it was just as easy for me to picture Hesseman’s portrayal of Charlie Moore as someone who could have just as easily been a teacher of mine as well.

Originally a native of Oregon, he rose to prominence in the ’60s as a member of the improv comedy troupe The Committee, as well as an underground DJ for a San Francisco-based radio station, a job that would no doubt help shape his eventual iconic role as Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP. By 1968, he landed acting gigs in his first film Petulia, and first TV show, a memorable appearance on the hit police show Dragnet.

Throughout the ’70s, he continued to make notable appearances on such classic shows as Sanford and Son, Laverne and Shirley, and The Bob Newhart show, before eventually landing the career-changing role on WKRP in 1978, a job that would keep him occupied until 1982. By the ’80s he was appearing in such big name films such as Clue (1985) and, one of my personal favorite films of all time, 1984’s This is Spinal Tap.

Hesseman also appeared in what would eventually become my favorite Police Academy film (something I would even relay to series producer Paul Maslansky when I spoke to him last year for Rewind It Magazine), 1985’s Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, before landing the Head of the Class role the following year in 1986 (which would last until 1990).

When I also spoke to actress and Head of the Class co-star Khrystyne Haje last year for Rewind It Magazine, she had nothing but praise when it came to her time working with Hesseman, stating; “I always admired Howard’s work, and he became just such a mentor to us all. He’s not only a gifted actor, but he’s also a great comedic actor, and was a great example to me as well. He was really invested in the character he played, and it was an honor to get to work with him.”

Hesseman continued acting well into his 70s, both revisiting his role as Dr. Johnny Fever again on The New WKRP in Cincinnati in the early ’90s, and replicating it via several appearances on That ’70s Show in 2001. His last television appearance was on a 2017 episode of the ABC comedy Fresh off the Boat. He passed away just two days ago on January 29 due to complications from colon surgery. He left behind a wife of 33 years, Caroline Ducrocq, and a void in the entertainment world like few others. He will be missed dearly by many for years to come.