Gavin MacLeod makes a sharp remark sound companionable, then listens properly to the reply. We value him most in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where his warmth and timing help an unusually good ensemble stay funny.
Fi1m perspective
Gavin MacLeod is listening, and that is part of the joke. As Murray Slaughter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), he has the warmth to make a wisecracking news writer someone worth spending time with. He also lets the other actors affect him, so their lines change the conversation rather than merely filling the gaps between his own. We rate him most highly here, where being alert to someone else is as useful as being funny yourself.
He had not always been cast for warmth. He was often cast as heavies and villains, though Operation Petticoat (1959) gave him an early comedy part as Yeoman Ernest Hunkle. A regular role as Seaman Joseph ‘Happy’ Haines in McHale's Navy (1962) preceded Murray and the later move towards reassuring authority figures. The warmer parts suited an actor whose wisecracks could be sharp without making him disagreeable.
The newsroom gives that warmth something to work against. With Ted Knight, MacLeod makes differences of temperament clear without needing every exchange to become a contest for attention; alongside Mary Tyler Moore, he belongs to a comedy that gets considerable pleasure from patience. We laughed before the punchlines in The Mary Tyler Moore Show: MacLeod and Knight made the differences between the people speaking clear before the script supplied the joke. Some of the broader jokes have aged, but his attentive playing helps keep the conversations alive. The writing is sharp, and he is good at making it sound like something said in response to another person.
The Love Boat (1977) put him in charge as Captain Merrill Stubing, with Bernie Kopell among his co-stars. His steady, smiling authority suited the light anthology format. Its formulaic storytelling gives us less to recommend than the newsroom comedy, although the casting makes good use of his ability to put people at ease. Start with Murray and the newsroom, where he has good lines and colleagues worth listening to.
Biography
Gavin MacLeod was an American actor. Born Allan George See in Mount Kisco, New York, he trained at Ithaca College and began his career with stage work, including a Broadway role in A Hatful of Rain (1956), before moving into film and television.
He appeared in supporting roles in films such as Operation Petticoat (1959) and The Sand Pebbles (1966), and had a regular part as Joseph "Happy" Haines on the sitcom McHale's Navy (1962–1966). MacLeod gained wider recognition as Murray Slaughter, the news writer on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977). He later starred as Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat (1977–1986).
