Dr. Guthrie: Actor John Lassel Annoys Me

[David]

I'm watching the 1967 Laura storyline. Does anyone else find Dr. Guthrie annoying?
I love the storyline and Diana Millay as Laura, but that guy is a bad actor with a nasal voice!

[MagnusTrask]

Well, yes.  He seems to be a remnant of stiffer, more conservative times, a 50s guy basically, with the suit and horn rims, more like a used car dealer or advertising executive than a daring ghost confronter.

[Gothick]

He did initially annoy me, but over time he grew on me. 

I have to say I'm so glad the great, incomparable Thayer David was cast as Professor Stokes.  For me, Stokes is THE iconic occultist detective.

G.

[michael c]

like some of the other early characters Guthrie did have a whiff of the late 1950s. or at least the early 60s. a suit and crew cut type. and worlds away from characters like Jeb and Bruno of just four years later.


I liked him. he made a great adversary for Laura and their cat-and-mouse scenes are some of my favorites. perhaps in a perfect world Mrs. Roger Collins would have gone toe-to-toe with a certain lady doctor from windcliff sanitarium. a fictitious match up that has always intrigued my imagination with possibilities.

but since that was not to be Dr. Guthrie was more than serviceable. like Bill Malloy an early but quite memorable character for me and a distinctive part of a favorite storyline.

[michael c]

incidentally he must have been a rather busy character actor of the period. I caught him in a few episodes of 'Peyton Place' as a divorce attorney for Betty Anderson(Barbara Parkins).

[Gothick]

I love the idea of a Julia vs. Laura showdown.

IMO one of the best scenes 1897 Laura had was the memorable episode where Magda shows up to "help out" at Laura's cottage. 

Grayson and Diana knew one another socially for years before DS and I thought they played off one another so memorably in their brief, but pungent moments together.

G.

[michael c]

indeed this is starting to get a bit off topic but there was a particular scene where Magda reads Laura's tarot cards that was quite delicious.

[David]

Laura VS Julia would be orgazmic!

[Joeytrom]

I liked Dr. Guthrie and thought he should have remained on the show.  From his first appearance, he appears in just about every episode until his last.  Thats a lot of work for a temporary character!

[KMR]

Dr. Guthrie came across as very representative of "mid-1960s American reality" and thus was quite a contrast from the rest of DS.  I didn't dislike the character; he just seemed a bit out-of-place in the DS universe.

[The Doctor and K9]

I'm watching the 1967 Laura storyline. Does anyone else find Dr. Guthrie annoying?
I love the storyline and Diana Millay as Laura, but that guy is a bad actor with a nasal voice!

I've seen him in other things and found him to be a decent actor, not brilliant, but not bad at all. I think the lack of rehearsal and multiple takes hurt him on DS. Some people can take that grind and some can'tl

[Janet the Wicked]

incidentally he must have been a rather busy character actor of the period. I caught him in a few episodes of 'Peyton Place' as a divorce attorney for Betty Anderson(Barbara Parkins).

He's been on Perry Mason too. I like him.