When Martin and Lewis broke up, McGavin played the role originally earmarked for Dean Martin in "The Delicate Delinquent", Jerry Lewis's first solo film. McGavin was also known for his role as Sam Parkhill in the miniseries adaptation of "The Martian Chronicles". He appeared as a fill-in regular in "The Name of the Game" in an episode entitled "Goodbye Harry" and was featured as a reporter in one of the Gene Barry segments. McGavin returned to theater in 1964, starring in a regional production of "A Thousand Clowns", in which his teenage son, York, also appeared. In 1964 McGavin appeared as Mark Troxel on "The Virginian" in the episode "The Intruders." In 1968, he starred as David Ross on the short-lived detective series "The Outsider".