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Tim Matheson is a face you know, even his voiceover work has followed him. The actor has published his memoirs detailing his very long career in Hollywood.

In recent years, Matheson has co-starred as Vernon “Doc” Mullins on Netflix’s popular series Virgin River, and as he turns 77 in a few weeks, he’ll always seem like that wisecracking young actor who rose to fame as Otter in Animal House (1978). As he relates in his book, he was a working actor as a kid, helping his single-parent mom support the family.

Matheson points out his lack of serious acting success as a kid, which probably saved his later career. Child actors from the early 1960s had trouble transitioning to more mature roles. Matheson did attain a small level of success, as fleeting as it was at the time: the voice of Jonny Quest, the animated Hanna/Barbera series, that ran for one season. Jonny Quest, has made tens of millions of dollars in sixty years of syndication and home video, but no one knew at the time that animated characters would become such a valuable asset. Matheson said he was paid all of $135 per episode for his work.

Matheson, who was born Timothy Lewis Matthieson, had his name misspelled in an acting credit, so he adapted the easier spelling.

Matheson appeared in several episodes of Leave it to Beaver and My Three Sons, and many other live action and animated television series. A few film roles came his way, along with joining the TV series The Virginian and Bonanza. He appeared on both of those series in their later seasons, and jokes that he killed those series, since they were approaching their end, as TV Westerns in general were on their way out. He relates how he gave an interview to TV Guides saying that Westerns were dead, while he was working on Bonanza. Star/producer/writer Michael Landon read it and gave Matheson a serious chewing out. Bonanza was soon cancelled, but Landon immediately had a hit with Little House on the Prairie. While Landon hired most everyone from Bonanza to work on the new series, Matheson was not included. Lesson learned.

Matheson co-starred with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda in Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), portraying the couple’s oldest child. Just as that character in the film was headed for the Marines, so was Matheson. In 1973, Matheson played one of the younger police officers gunning for Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry in Magnum Force.

Most people will want to read Animal House stories, but won’t realize that between Magnum Force and Animal House, Matheson worked in television and on stage, as his film career had dried up.

Animal House made a lot of stars, virtually overnight. Matheson was 30 years old when Animal House was filmed, yet he could pass for a college student. The “glow” from a big hit didn’t give Matheson the career bounce that lasted. Animal House kept his dance card remained full too, he said.

After turning 40, Matheson seemed to bump into the same actors when he went in for parts: Bruce Boxleitner, Gary Cole, Robert Urich, Treat Williams, Harry Hamlin, Stephen Collins and Corbin Bernsen. Good-looking, tall, stylish men who populated movie of the week, and TV series roles.

Matheson is pretty open about the highs and lows of his life and career. He talks about parts he was up for and didn’t get, career-changing roles, and near misses. He’s also lays open his problems with relationships, both with family and romantic partners.

A lot has happened to Tim Matheson in a seven-decade career. You’ll learn about his directing career, ownership of National Lampoon magazine, efforts to produce films, among other interesting adventures. The wisecracking frat boy demeanor, and the boyish looks probably cost him jobs, particularly in the middle part of his career. In later years, the frat boy transitioned to more serious roles, Vice President of the United States, and Dr. Vernon Mullins.

Matheson offers up a sweeping look at his life in an interesting and enjoyable read.

4/5