Mary Beth Hurt Passes On

Mary Beth Hurt, who appeared in such films as Interiors (1978) and The World According to Garp (1982), died on March 28, 2026, at the age of 79. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2015.

Mary Beth Hurt was born Mary Beth Supinger on September 26, 1946, in Marshalltown, Iowa. As a child she was babysat by future film star Jean Seberg, who lived only a street over from her family. She graduated from Marshalltown High School and then enrolled in the University of Iowa to study drama. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, she continued post-graduate work at New York University's Tisch School. She met and married actor William Hurt during this period. They divorced in 1982. 

Mary Beth Hurt moved to Ealing, West London, where she became part of the theatre troupe The Questors. She made her Broadway debut in 1974 in Love for Love. In the Seventies, she appeared on Broadway in the productions The Rules of the Game, The Member of the Wedding, Trelawny of the "Wells",  Secret Service, and The Cherry Orchard. She made her television debut in the TV movie Ann in Blue in 1974. She guest starred on the shows Kojak, Great Performances, and Visions. She appeared in the mini-series 3 By Cheever. She made her movie debut in 1978 in Interiors. She appeared in the films Head Over Heels (1979) and A Change of Seasons (1980).

In the Eighties, Mary Beth Hurt appeared on Broadway in Twyla Tharp Dance, Crimes of the Heart, The Misanthrope, Benefactors, and The Secret Rapture. She appeared in the movies The World According to Garp (1982), D.A.R.Y.L. (1985), Compromising Positions (1985), Parents (1989), and Slaves of New York (1989). She was a regular on the shows Tattingers and Working It Out. She guest starred on Thirtysomething.

In the Nineties, she appeared on Broadway in A Delicate Balance. On television, she guest starred on Saturday Night Live, Monty, and The Beat. She appeared in the mini-series The Wild West. She appeared in the movies. She appeared in the movies Defenseless (1991), Light Sleeper (1992), My Boyfriend's Back (1993), The Age of Innocence (1993), Shimmer (1993), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Affliction (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Autumn in New York (2000), and The Family Man (2000).

In the Naughts, Mary Beth Hurt appeared in Top Girls. She appeared in the movies Red Dragon (2002), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Perception (2005), The Dead Girl (2006), Lady in the Water (2006), The Walker (2006), Untraceable (2008), and Lebanon, Pa. (2010). She guest starred on the TV shows Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order. In the Teens, she appeared on Broadway in The House of Blue Leaves. She appeared in the movies Young Adult (2011), The Volunteer (2013), and Change in the Air (2018).

Mary Beth Hurt was extremely talented and very versatile, able to play a wide variety of roles. She displayed that talent in her film debut as Joey in Interiors, who is uncertain as to her career and takes her family's troubles to heart. Helen Holm in The World According to Garp is a strong, independent, and  brilliant English professor who provides some stability to her husband Garp's life. In The Age of Innocence, she played the somewhat passive Regina Beautfort, the wife of Julius Beautfort. Throughout her career she played a wide variety of roles, from a Massachusetts housewife with a dark secret to a doctor to judges, and she did all of them well. 

Patrick Muldoon Passes On

Patrick Muldoon, who played Richard Hart on the night time soap opera Melrose Place and was a regular on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives, died on April 19, 2026, at the age of 57. The cause was a heart attack.

Patrick Muldoon was born on September 27, 1968. He went to Loyola High School in Los Angeles and then the University of Southern California. His major was English and communications, and he graduated in 1991. He played football in both high school and college. He did some modelling.

Patrick Muldoon was discovered by a talent agent, who got him a guest appearance on the sitcom Who's the Boss? in 1990. It was in 1992 that he began his run as Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives. In 1995, he was cast in the recurring role of Richard Hart on Melrose Place. He guest starred on the shows Saved by the Bell and Silk Stalkings. He also appeared in several TV movies. He appeared in the movies Rage and Honor II (1993), Starship Troopers (1997), Wicked (1998), The Second Arrival (1998), Stigmata (1999), Red Team (1999), and Chain of Command (2000).

In the Naughts, he appeared in the movies Blackwoods (2001), Bad Karma (2001), Whacked! (2002), Heart of America (2002), Military Intelligence and You! (2006), Broken Angel (2008), Japan (2009), The Steam Experiment (2009), and Repo (2010). He also appeared in several television movies.

In 2011, he returned to Days of Our Lives as Austin Reed. He appeared on the TV series The Bay and several more TV movies. He appeared in the movies Last Will (2011), Born to Ride (2011), Spiders 3D (2013), The Dog Who Saved Easter (2014), Patient Killer (2014), Christmas in Palm Springs (2014), Badge of Honor (2015), The Dog Who Saved Summer (2015), Robo-Dog (2015), The Wicked Within (2015), Little Dead Rotting Hood (2016), Fishes 'n' Loaves: Heaven Sent (2016), A Horse's Tail (2016), Robo-Dog: Airborne (2017), American Satan (2017), Saving Christmas (2017), A Dog & Pony Show (2016), Runnin' from My Roots (2018), Alpha Wolf (2018), Bernie the Dolphin (2018), My Adventures with Santa (2019), Bernie the Dolphin 2 (2019), The Comeback Trail (2020), and Timecrafters: The Treasure of Pirate's Cove (2020).

In the 2020s, he guest starred on the TV show Second Chances and appeared in the TV movie Double Scoop. He appeared in the movies Vanquish (2021), Magic in Mount Holly (2021), Deadlock (2021), Dakota (2022), The Junkyard Dogs (2022), Marlowe (2022), Kids Can (2023), The Quest for Tom Sawyer's Gold (2023), Pray for Me: Key To Freedom (2023), Murder at Hollow Creek (2024), and The Corner (2025).

"Wild Thing" by The Troggs

It was sixty years ago today that The Troggs hit no. 1 on the Billboard  Hot 100 with "Wild Thing." The song would become the band's signature tune, and would have a lasting impact on rock music. It is a prime example of proto-punk and I think a good argument could be made that it is outright punk. It would be covered by artists from The Jimi Hendrix Experience to The Runaways to Cheap Trick to X. 

Given the song is the signature song of The Troggs, it may surprise many that it was not written for them. The first band to record the song was The Wild Ones, who recorded it in 1965. The Wild Ones was the house band of the New York City nightclub Arthur, which was owned by socialite Sybil Christopher, who was the wife of Wild Ones lead singer Jordan Christopher. Sybil Christopher asked songwriter Chip Taylor to write a song for the band. Chip Taylor composed the song in only a few minutes. Their version of "Wild Thing" was released on November 1, 1965, but failed to chart. 

Precisely who suggested that The Troggs record "Wild Thing" is a matter of dispute. Larry Page who was The Troggs' manager at the time, always claimed that he was the one who suggested that they record "Wild Thing." Reg Presley claimed that Larry Page wanted them to record a cover of a Lovin' Spoonful tune instead. Regardless of whoever came up with the idea of The Troggs recording "Wild Thing," it turned out to be a great idea. "Wild Thing" not only reached no. 1 in the United States, but peaked at no. 2 in The Troggs' native Britain. It reached no.1 in Australia and no. 2 in Canada. Strangely enough, the song was released on two different labels in the United States due to a distribution dispute. It was released on both Fontana and Atco Records. A settlement would eventually be reached so that Fontana would have exclusive distribution rights to all Troggs records. 

A promotional clip for "Wild Thing" was filmed at the Odenplan Metro station in Stockholm, Sweden.