James Whitmore, stage, screen and TV actor, has passed away at age 87.

I am always somewhat disconcerted when I pay tribute to those such as James Whitmore; invariably, their careers spanned far beyond the limits of my narrow world view.

I’m no movie buff, and heaven knows that live theater is far outside my sphere. I’m Joe Sixpack, remote in hand, who remembers old black and white episodes of Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, and other such shows that were a staple. And that’s how I remember James Whitmore.

I looked up his filmography, and realized that I’ve missed most of his acting performances. Should that disqualify me from commenting on his passing? Far from it, as I see it; he was an actor whose performances were memorable, even on the small TV screens of my youth.

Thanks, James, for the least of your performances. Those were the ones I saw through the limited lens of teevee.

-k-