The Surprising Reason a ‘Psycho’ Actor Couldn’t Return for Its Sequel

The Big Picture

• Sam Loomis, played by John Gavin, is an important character in Psycho, serving as a link between different parts of the story.
• Gavin left acting behind for a career in politics, becoming the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
• While Gavin’s absence is felt in Psycho II, the sequel benefits from focusing on new characters and a clever premise.

1960’s Psycho is remembered for many things. It’s arguably director Alfred Hitchcock‘s best movie and is certainly his most famous. Along with Peeping Tom, which came out the same year, it’s regarded as the first slasher. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates is one of the creepiest villains in screen history; the American Film Institute places him as the second-best villain ever, just behind Hannibal Lecter. Then there’s that chilling shower scene with Janet Leigh and the twist of the finale. Lost in all of this is one of Psycho‘s best characters, Samuel Loomis. Played by John Gavin, Sam Loomis is one of the heroes of the film who takes Norman Bates down. When it finally came time to make Psycho II in 1983, Anthony Perkins was back, and so was Vera Miles as Lila Crane, but Gavin and his character were nowhere to be found. The actor had left his career behind for an admirable one in politics, and while his absence is felt in the sequel, it also forced the film to go in a new and shocking direction.

John Gavin Played the Boyfriend of Marion Crane in ‘Psycho’

Sam Loomis isn’t the character we remember most from Psycho, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t integral to the plot. The first third of Hitchcock’s film is not a horror movie, but a drama surrounding a theft. It begins with Marion Crane (Leigh) stealing money from her boss. It’s a tense scene, but one that happens all because of Sam. He is Marion’s boyfriend, and even though he wants to marry her, he is also a man in serious debt. Marion steals from her boss to use the money to pay off Sam’s debts and they can then get married. It’s while she is on the run that she makes the fateful decision to hide out at the Bates Motel.

Once Marion dies, stabbed to death in her motel room shower, shocking audiences who thought she was the heroine of the film, everything changes. We no longer care about the money she stole. The protagonists then become Sam Loomis and the sister of Marion, Lila Crane (Miles). It’s important to have Loomis as part of the rest of the film because he serves as a link from one part of the story to another. When Sam and Lila go to the Bates Motel to investigate, the plot requires two heroes so that they can trick Norman. One scene in the final act, for example, has Sam keeping Norman busy in his motel office, distracting him while Lila searches the large house Norman lives in for answers, and his mysterious mother. When Norman discovers what’s going on, running out of the motel, we soon thereafter discover the horrifying truth that Norman’s mother is long dead, and he has created her personality inside his mind. Before he can kill Vera, Loomis restrains Norman, saving the life of his deceased girlfriend’s sister.

John Gavin Left Acting To Become the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico

23 years after Psycho came a sequel, one that at the time had to feel completely unnecessary, especially with the death of Alfred Hitchcock in 1980. Though Psycho isn’t an original Hitchcock creation (it was based on a novel of the same name written by Robert Bloch) he was the master who made it so memorable. For Psycho II, Richard Franklin was tapped to direct. Now, while Franklin was capable, having just come off of the underrated thriller Road Games starring Jamie Lee Curtis (daughter of Janet Leigh), he was no Hitchcock. What Psycho II had going for it was not just the return of Anthony Perkins, but its intriguing screenplay, written by Tom Holland, who would soon after direct Fright Night and Child’s Play. While Perkins and Vera Miles were back, John Gavin didn’t return. It’s not because he had passed on, for Gavin lived a long life, dying in 2018 at the age of 86. John Gavin had actually left acting behind by 1983, with his last roles coming in 1981 for the TV series Fantasy Island. Gavin gave it all up for a higher calling into politics.

That calling began first with roles in the Screen Actors Guild. In 1965, he was elected to the Board of Directors, then served as 3rd and 1st Vice-President. In 1971, Gavin became the SAG President. During this time, he testified before the Federal Trade Commission and even met with President Richard Nixon about excessive TV reruns. His term ended in 1973, and a decade after he became SAG President, another former actor, and SAG President, and now new U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, appointed Gavin as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.

‘Psycho II’ Is Actually Better for Not Having John Gavin Back as Sam Loomis

With Gavin now very busy with his life in politics, he was not available to return for Psycho II. Though Gavin as Sam Loomis was an important part of Psycho, his character wasn’t exactly needed for the sequel. Yes, he had ties to Norman Bates, as the man had killed Sam’s girlfriend, but Psycho II got around that by focusing on Marion Crane’s sister, Lila. Her connection, through blood and a lifetime, made her more of a sympathetic character. Still, Tom Holland found a way to include Loomis, as it’s revealed that Lila and Sam married and had a child after the events of Psycho before he eventually passed away. John Gavin’s photo can be seen in one shot during Psycho II.

Even if Gavin had been available, having him in Psycho II may not have been the best choice. With Vera Miles already back, including Gavin as well would have played into nostalgia too much. Psycho II is not about that, but a film with its own clever premise that isn’t interested in repeating the past. Here, Norman Bates has been released and, after decades of therapy, is now sane again. Someone begins playing pranks on Norman, and we wonder if he is losing his mind all over again, but the twist reveals that Lila Crane, and her daughter with Sam, Mary (Meg Tilly), have been messing with Norman, trying to get him to crack so they can have him put back in the psychiatric hospital. It works, but all too well, in a way that will change their lives forever. The unexpected success of Psycho II resulted in two more sequels, neither of which lived up to the original nor the first sequel of the franchise.

Psycho is available to rent on Amazon.

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