When I was a lad, you were the live-action Billy Batson, Captain Marvel's gracious host, on Filmation's Saturday morning hit, Shazam!
Even when you weren't turning into Jackson Bostwick or John Davey, you held a superlative command as a young man who (along with Les Tremayne's Mentor and, on those special, crossover occasions, JoAnna Cameron's Isis) fixed problems and stomped wrongs. In other words, you were an excellent role model.
Shazam! wasn't your only claim to fame. You were seen on Brian Keith's The Little People (for twenty-four episodes), The Brady Bunch, Room 222, The Flying Nun, Marcus Welby M.D., Comic Book Men and Archer, plus The Davy Jones Special (where you got to sing); and in the movies, Run, Simon, Run (led by Burt Reynolds & Inger Stevens), Myra Breckinridge (headlined by Raquel Welch), the Russ Meyers/Roger Ebert satire, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (where you encounter Zachary Levi's marvelous Captain), in addition to having made an indelible impression on the 1970s, teen-mag scene.
You became a part of our lives, a part of our hearts, Mr. Gray: a spiritual brother with a staunch, pervading code. I, for one, remain in your debt for that. Thanks for showing me--for showing us all--how to get through the everyday grind, for as you demonstrated time and again, kindness and respect possess the power to overcome any doubt, any woe, any fear. 🗱
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