Blackie Seymour

Blackie Seymour, 72, of Worcester, died of heart failure, arrhythmia and kidney failure April 30, 2011 at his home.

He leaves his devoted wife and leading lady of nearly 17 years, Alicia Liss Dioletis Seymour; a beloved daughter, Elena Seymour of Fredericksburg, VA; and a strong, colossal supporting cast of friends.

Blackie was born Everett Clayton Seymour Jr. on Nov. 17, 1938, in Worcester, the son of Everett C. Seymour and Ruth (Lundblad) Seymour. He attended Commerce High School and graduated from the Loew's-Poli Elm Street Theatre, Royal Theatre, Family Theatre and several other Worcester movie houses, where he enjoyed countless matinees and double features with his father.

Blackie lived his passion for the movies and serials of the 1930s and 1940s, becoming a film librarian, archivist and preservationist. He wrote hundreds of articles on classic movies and the people who made them for Classic Images, Films of the Golden Age and other vintage-movie publications. He wrote, acted in and directed "The Return of the Copperhead," a re-creation of the serials of the 1940s, which was filmed locally in the 1980s. Blackie was acknowledged and respected as an expert on all things Universal and Republic by several of those studios' actors, directors and technicians whom he had befriended since the 1950s.

For more than 50 years on Sunday nights, Blackie hosted a show of a serial chapter followed by a movie for a group of friends and family. Although reluctant to go more than two miles from his home, he touched the lives of many people around the world and was beloved for his saber-like wit, raised eyebrow and devilish charm.

"Even a man who is pure at heart

And says his prayers by night,

May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms

And the autumn moon is bright."

Calling hours at the Athy Memorial Home, 111 Lancaster St., Worcester are Wednesday, May 4, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be Thursday, May 5, at Noon in the funeral home. Following burial at Rural Cemetery in Worcester, everyone is invited back to his home for a reception and his favorite movie.

Donations may be made to the American Diabetes Assn., 330 Congress St., Ste 501, Boston, 02210 or to the American Kidney Fund, 6110 Executive Blvd., Ste. 1010, Rockville, MD 20852.