Peter Graves, an open-minded man, RIP

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Writers on True/Slant and elsewhere have lauded and eulogized actor Peter Graves, who died on Sunday, at age 83. They spoke mainly of Mission: Impossible, and scores of films and television shows, including his work on Biography.

The only thing I can add is that Graves took extensive risk to his career to host and narrate the first national documentary about the bigfoot/sasquatch phenomenon, The Mysterious Monsters, in 1975, which freaked me out more than any show I can remember from childhood (it was made as a movie, but I saw it later, on TV). The NY Times has removed the reference to this documentary from Graves’ obit, for some reason. The reference was there in the first on-line obit, but not now (it might not fit conceptually into a single paragraph about film or TV credits, given its film-to-TV nature).

Not only did Graves take this risk at the height of his career, pre-Airplane, he also played it straight, or, at times, even questioned why science was so skeptical of evidence of cryptids (the scene between Graves and an anthropologist, in which Graves repeatedly asks why the scientist rejects any evidence, was visibly acted, but Graves still played advocate, for the sake of argument).

Mission: Impossible ended before I ever saw an episode. While watching the documentary, however, I recognized Graves as a major actor, i.e., a mainstream person who I wouldn’t expect to talk about hairy “monsters,” but he basically said, “Here’s something weird but interesting and I’m not laughing at it.” He set an example of curiosity and open-mindedness, even if he was acting, not a bad thing for a journalist-in-the-making to see on TV. 

This open-mindedness must have been true about him, at least to some degree. As the Times reports, Graves nearly freaked out when he read his part for Airplane. What must he have thought when he read the script for The Mysterious Monsters? Why did he decide to do it, if he didn’t feel a real sense of curiosity? 

So, here’s to you, Peter Graves. You told me, “This may be the most startling film you’ll ever see,” and at the time I whole-heartedly agreed: