Dr. Bob's minions tire away endlessly to help the good Doctor in the name of science,
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A look at John Carradine by Melanie
This month I would like to talk about someone that would have celebrated his 110th Birthday this month, John Carradine, who was born February 5, 1906. I first noticed John Carradine in the films House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein, as that incarnation of Count Dracula. Though Carradine was not the Dracula I had grown to love, he still managed a very sophisticated, calm, yet menacing vampire.
Later I discovered how many movies John Carradine had really done, on IMDB he has over 300 performances in movies and television. John Carradine some of his earliest works includes very small uncredited roles in such classics as Bride of Frankenstein, The Black Cat, and The Invisible Man. These roles I did not even notice for many years.
As I was watching some westerns I found he was probably best known for his roles in those films, as he was in so many in the 1940’s. Though he still had many roles in the horror genera, which is where I know him best. Besides Count Dracula, he also appeared in The Invisible Man's Revenge and in an impressive role in The Mummy's Ghost. In The Mummy's Ghost he plays Yousef Bey the new High Priest incharge of Karnak, the mummy. Aside from the original Mummy, played by the legend Boris Karloff, I think Carradine played the best Egyptian High Priests in these types of films.
He also appeared in the movie The Monster Club, a very interesting anthology movie. Carradine played a writer who meets a vampire played by Vincent Price, these two make up the wrap around story for this horror movie. Though I remember I enjoyed this movie in its entirety, the wrap around really stole the show for me.
Though Carradine was active until his death in 1988, the last film of Carradine’s I saw was the movie House of the Long Shadows. I know many people who do not overly enjoy this very odd film, but with the likes of John Carradine, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing this film was a true treat. The movie is about a writer who goes to a remote Welsh manor, once there he has some very unusual things happen to him. Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine are the unusual things, I don’t want to spoil the story for those who have not seen it as there are several unexpected twists in this movie. Though it may not be to everyone’s taste, I still remember my grandma screaming at me by the time the movie ended for some of the unexpected twists the movie took, I still highly recommend watching it if you can find a copy.
John Carradine died in 1988, though his legacy lives on, as the father of 3 noteworthy actors, David, Keith and Robert Carradine. Though John Carradine never became a house hold name his body of work lives on.
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