Actor Tim Matheson is an open book | The treatment

Actor Tim Matheson is perhaps best known for his role as Eric “Otter” Stratton in the 1978 comedy National Lampoon’s Animal House, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. His decades-long career took him from working with Lucille Ball to singing JohnnyQuest in the 1964 animated series to the role of the villain Fletching and (of course) the drama series’ portrayal of Vice President John Hoynes The West Wing. The latter role earned him two Emmy nominations. Matheson also enjoyed considerable success as a television director.

In his new memoirs Damn Glad to Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Trenches of Hollywood, Matheson tells many excellent stories from his time spent with Hollywood legends. He tells The treatment what he learned from working with Lucille Ball, how the comedian saved Richard Pryor animal house, and what Chevy Chase told him when they shared the screen Fletching.

Tim Matheson and Elvis Mitchell at KCRW. Photo credit: Rebecca Mooney/KCRW