Would Dennis Patrick approve of his memorial service at Theatre West, where 10 years earlier he had performed in The Frogs, and where yesterday the food was plentiful, the champagne flowed, video tributes celebrated his professional and private life, colleagues and fans flocked to pay their respects, and his closest friends hailed his wicked wit, intelligence, professionalism and talent? I can't imagine that he wouldn't. It was, in a word, lovely.
I've been asked by a few who were unable to attend to walk them through it. Theatre West seemed a perfect choice-- an intimate theater that was nearly filled with friends and admirers. His infectious smile and those twinkling eyes graced the cover of the booklet handed out at the door. In the small lobby, a guest book was on one side, and on the other two large photo boards boasted of his professional and personal life-- Dennis during various times in his life, alone or socializing, some of his travels, and his much-loved poodle. An MPI box with Jason McGuire on the cover also stood nearby. Rosemary, his companion in recent years who planned the memorial, greeted guests before they headed into the theater. Inside, there was a duet with piano and violin. A large screen was to the left of the deep stage, and on the right was a podium adorned with a young Dennis in ancient garb, a framed black and white gorgeous photograph, and a large bronze bust on a stand. John Karlen, KLS, and Sy Tomashoff were in attendance. There were many other familiar faces-- character actors that we've seen numerous times over the years. I felt fortunate to enjoy the company (and support!) of ProfStokes and victoriawinters.
The event was underway at about 12:25, with guests continuing to arrive throughout. A friend of Dennis' officiated, and Jim Pierson took the stage to introduce a video he said he had been put together with a short deadline, but you had to marvel at the beautiful job he did. It began as Dennis Patrick Harrison flashed in black and white while "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" played. A marvelous interview from Dennis' Dallas days played with video clips interspersed from his long and illustrious career. These included a space show perhaps from the 50s (?) that was amusing to watch with Dennis in a jumpsuit performing amid cheesy special effects. We saw him as Keeno in Lost In Space when he greeted part of the Robinson family and Dr. Smith. There was also Dennis in a Western playing opposite a gorgeous actress dressed as a saloon girl, his appearance in a legal series as he's grilled by an attorney on a tennis court, an adorable scene from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis with Dennis coaching a pair of singing policemen, and appearances on Rockford Files and Kojak, and the films Joe and The Air Up There. And there were 2 scenes from DS-- one as Jason in the foyer with a bruised Willie, and another with them in the Blue Whale as Jason accuses his buddy of grave robbing. The interview was excellent as he spoke of his views on live television, Hollywood vs. New York, his roles as the villain (including an interesting comment about how villains are formulaically robbed of a decent death scene), the importance of knowing your lines, and how he saw himself as a comedian first and foremost. He recited a hysterical limerick about Lela Swift and a part of her anatomy after jokingly asking for assurance that it wasn't going to be repeated. Ha!
Individuals began to pay tribute-- everyone praising him as a dear friend, role model, consummate storyteller, brilliant talent. An old friend that directed him in a Danish version of Hamlet spoke of how their working together turned into a lifelong friendship. Another longtime friend repeated one of his stories-- a very funny joke about the Pope, a chauffeur, and the cop that pulled them over. A friend's granddaughter (one of a large family, all of whom spoke) recited a poem she had written for him. Several of the speakers seemed quite frail, but it didn't stop them from paying respects to their friend. After the scheduled speakers were finished, others were invited to do the same. At first the response was slow, but soon one person after another began to take the microphone and speak spontaneously. Actress Betty Garrett recited her bawdy limerick that was Dennis' favorite. Another friend, who works as a standup comedian, joked about the wisdom of letting Dennis think you agreed with him during any political discussions. A fellow actor said the only thing Dennis couldn't master was dancing ("Dancing was his waterloo") but that didn't stop him from giving it his best shot when the role called for it. It was mentioned often that he had missed his beloved wife, Barbara Cason, and comic actor Marvin Kaplan spoke of how he lovingly supported her career. The unifying thread was that he was much loved, impacted many lives, and will be very missed.
The 2nd half of the video tribute was a series of photos shown as "Danny Boy" played. We saw his life in pictures, including a photo of him as a young boy and his daughters as young girls. It ended with the dates 1918 to 2002, and the tragedy of the loss of this wonderful man weighed heavily on everyone. Then a representative of the theater announced that the Theatre West tradition was to end with a standing ovation. And so we gave him a rousing sendoff that I'm sure could be heard clear in heaven.
