Patrick Troughton’s Last Day
21 years ago this March, Patrick Troughton, the Second Doctor, died whilst appearing the Magnum Opus Con II science fiction convention in Columbus, Georgia.
Someone videotaped Troughton as he hung out with fans and then answered questions at a panel at that con the day before he died—March 27, 1987. (It’s split over 5 parts):
For those of us who never had the experience of meeting Patrick Troughton, watching this is at once exhilerating and saddening: exhilerating, because we get to watch Troughton doing all the sorts of things many of us have seen other actors do at cons: hang out with fans (he even gets out a recorder and plays a little to their delight), deal with inane and nerdy questions, spin yarns and awkwardly (and delightfully) fill up an hour of programming. It’s fascinating to watch because Troughton is very much playing the second Doctor in a way (although unlike other cons he isn’t dressing in costume) but signs of the shy, self-effacing actor show through too.
And yet…you watch it knowing the next morning he’ll be gone. It’s chilling hearing him talk about watching The Dominators the next day. It’s haunting and very sad and yet worth watching because Troughton is as wonderful ‘in person’ as he is on television and that’s precisely why it’s so tragic.
Posted by Graeme on Wednesday, January 23 at 10:57 pm
2 Comments...
the links no longer work.
any chance of a repost of the convention footage?
Thanks
Posted by gad on 02/21 at 03:05 AM
While the videos no longer work, I was there at MOC con and witnessed the announcement when it was made that he died. I was ten years old at the time. I didn’t get to see him at all because I was hanging out elsewhere, but I did see the announcement that he did, in fact, die. And a lot of people cried. They had to announce it, because everyone thought it was a rumor and no one thought it was true.
Posted by Martina on 07/24 at 10:32 PM
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