How sad John S Ragin's death has gone by without notice. He died on 14th April 2013.
shareIf Klugman was the star, Ragin was the anchor of this show. RIP from a Dr. Astin fan.
"I know of a haunted cave near here. We'll wait there..."
This totally passed me by.
So "Asten", "Monahan" and "Quincy" all died within 13 months of each other.
I know they all lived to a good age but it's still sad to see these legends go.
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Legends, yes...they ruled. The actors who played Danny, Sam and Sgt. Brill (?)are still with us.
This show showed how HARD WORK and DETERMINATION pays off. And by regular looking guys not skinny models and GQ clones playing "cops" like today's glittery fake shows.
"I know of a haunted cave near here. We'll wait there..."
I think that this was the first 'mystery' show I ever watched, at least the first 'modern' one. I loved Ellery Queen also. My Mom brought us up reading Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys, Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen. This show made it possible for the forensic shows I've loved over the last couple of decades: Crossing Jordan, Bones, and NCIS's Ducky (my second favorite ME, after Quincy).
shareUpon re-watching the entire series for the first time in 20 years, I've reached the same conclusion. John Ragin is really the outstanding actor of the series for me - pitch-perfect performance every single time. I find myself waiting for him to show up in each episode.
He was able to really bring across a million different emotions in his acting, while remaining true to the character. I've just watched Even Odds (a rare stand-out turn), in which he's concurrently angry, guilty, anxious and in control but clearly deeply emotional under the surface. He quietly becomes the 'leader' in the episode that everyone looks to, is utterly convincing in his clinical and forensic brilliance and pretty much solves the crime single-handed (but without screaming and yelling once!).
I've also written about Double Death before, but to watch him in the scene when Quincy is attacking him is fascinating; he's personally devastated by what Quincy is saying to him, but he battles to keep his emotions in control in front of Sam, and remain professional. When Quincy hits a nerve by confirming all his self-doubt, you can see him physically deflate as the scene progresses. That he can bring all that across in a 100 second scene with a handful of lines is brilliant, as it's purely body language.
On a shallower level though, his role in Death By Good Intentions is rather fun. Quincy spends 3 solid days unable to determine the cause of death, Astin wanders in and finds it out after 20 seconds. But again, it's convincingly acted, and it's a rare actor who could do that, and then play the bureaucratic buffoon within the same 45 minutes.
It's a shame that there weren't many more episodes where he took center-stage.
His Astin internalized everything, in contrast to Quincy, but Ragin's acting bought across everything that you needed to know about the character and situation without relying on histrionics. Without his anchoring presence, and the clear chemistry with Klugman (and the rest of the cast), Quincy wouldn't have been half the show it was, in my view.
Great post. Thank you.
shareExcellent post. I am myself currently working my way through the entire series for the first time in many, many years, and watched the 'Double Death' episode only a couple of nights ago.
Your summary is right on the money. John S Ragin's portrayal of Dr Asten was for the most part understated and subtle, and I agree completely with you about the skill he showed during the verbal beating Asten took from Quincy during 'Double Death.' I really felt for the character of Asten in this episode. Ragin was able over the years to portray a three dimensional human being, from the mostly two dimensional material he was given. No small feat.
Garry Walberg passed away from chronic pulmonary disease on March 26, 2012 at age 90 in Northridge, California. In addition to playing Lt. Frank Monahan, Walberg had previously worked with Jack Klugman in "The Odd Couple" as Oscar's poker buddy "Speed".
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Ragin's character of Dr. Asten was the best on the show and he should have received WAY more screen time and storylines. He put Klugman to shame!
shareI was a Wardrobe Assistant on several episodes of season 4 of Quincy. My responsibility was the wardrobe worn by all the male actors, both regulars and guests, except for Jack Klugman. He had his own wardrobe man. John Ragin was a consummate professional and one of the nicest actors I ever worked with. I would always put the wardrobe for each cast member in their dressing rooms. John was the only one who wanted me to bring two suits to his dressing room. He wanted to be able to choose his attire for each episode. Since he was the only actor who had this request I would joke with him a little about it. During Christmas break that season I sent a card to each of the cast members, but I sent John TWO cards so that he could decide which one he preferred. When production resumed after the break John told me that he got a big kick out my sending two Christmas cards to him. A very wonderful man.
shareGreat anecdote about John S. Ragin there. I wanted to ask you, did the actors get to wear their own wristwatches, or were those provided as part of the wardrobe?
"I have a beaujolais I'm very proud of."
Watches and any other jewelry were the responsibility of the Prop Department, at least on Quincy. So if he wore a watch I have no idea if it was his own or not. I would assume that Props provided it.
shareLoved that Ragin anecdote! He always comes across as a classy and elegant man.
Speaking of wardrobe, I've often wondered if the turquoise-stone ring worn by Garry Walberg was a well-travelled Universal studios prop, as I've seen an identical ring worn in an episode of The Rockford Files. I'm pretty sure I've seen it in other Universal television productions though turquoise was a popular stone in the 1970s.
Thanks. With that, I am now quite sure the watches were from props, at least Quincy's/Klugman's, as I have seen that Mr. Klugman wore a Rolex GMT Master in non-TV-scene photos circa the late 70's to early 80's and a bit later. He only wore what looks like that watch near the end of the series.
"Ah, señor, those are voodoo drums!"