John Carradine: The Films [Hardcover]

Tom Weaver (Author), Gregory William Mank (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786406070 | ISBN-13: 978-0786406074 | Publication Date: May 1999

Over more than six decades and 200 films, supreme movie villain John Carradine defined the job of the character actor, running the gamut from preacher Casey of The Grapes of Wrath to his classic Count Dracula of House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. But for every Prisoner of Shark Island or Jesse James, Carradine-who also did great work on Broadway and the classical theater (he produced, directed and starred in Hamlet)-hammed it up in scores of "B" and "C" horror and exploitation films, developing the while quite a reputation for scandal. Through it all, though, he remained a survivor and a true professional. This is the first ever work devoted exclusively to the films of John Carradine. In addition to the comprehensive filmography, there is a biography of Carradine (contributed by Gregory Mank), commentary on the man by indie film director Fred Olen Ray (who helmed many latter-day Carradine movies), and an interesting piece by director Joe Dante, who writes about Carradine's involvement in Dante's 1981 werewolf movie The Howling.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Carradine finally has a book that does justice to his incredible film career"-Leonard Maltin; "insanely, comprehensive...chronicles every movie in the great actor's long spotted career. Highly recommended" -- Starlog

About the Author

Writer Tom Weaver lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and has been interviewing actors and directors since the early 1980s. He has contributed to numerous magazines, including Fangoria, Starlog, Cult Movies and Video Watchdog. He is also the author of Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks (1998), It Came from Weaver Five (1996), They Fought in the Creature Features (1995) and Attack of the Monster Movie Makers (1994).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786406070
• ISBN-13: 978-0786406074
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,445,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When're you coming home, Johnny?, November 1, 1999

By 

Barbara "Digger's Domain" (Cheyenne, WY, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Carradine: The Films (Hardcover)

Great book by two great writers. I just checked out reviews for all the rest of Greg Mank's books - 5 stars all the way. Guess other people besides me consider him an excellent writer. McFarland must be happy with this guy! As for Weaver, there are too few of his books now available. Get on the stick, McFarland!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, August 1, 2000

By 

James Nemeth (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Carradine: The Films (Hardcover)

John Carradine's career spanned six decades and films thatranged from acclaimed classics (The Grapes of Wrath) to undisputedstinkers (can anyone say anything positive about Billy The Kid Vs. Dracula?). In John Carradine: The Films, author Tom Weaver deftly documents each and every film of the multi-talented actor. Complete cast and credits listings, synopsis and author commentarty for each film are included, as are remembrances from various co-stars, directors, Carradine's sons and even Carradine himself.

Weaver's commentaries on the films spices up the usual dryness found in many "Films Of" books, due to their rather strict cast/crew/summary formula. An opinionated reviewer/critic, Weaver doesn't pull his punches in offering up his takes on Carradine's films. Whether or not you agree with his views, it's nice to hear definite opinions for a change in a book like this, instead of the oft-times "take-no-controversial-stand" approach which, while certainly objective, doesn't always make for the most fascinating or interesting reading.

And for regular readers of the author, not to fear...the classic puns are here in good abundance, and will not fail to make one groan and shake one's head on occasion.

Rounding out this tribute to the "thin" Dracula are recollections of Carradine from directors Joe Dante and Fred Olen Ray, and a mini-biography by Gregory Mank. Carradine's flamboyance, lust for life, and love of Shakespeare, as well as his regrets and resignation to the many poor roles he either chose or was forced to accept in order to "feed the family" are just a few of the many sides to the actor that are captured by Mank.

In all, Tom Weaver has assembled an extraordinarily fine and fitting tribute to a too-long overlooked personage of classic horror history. Par for the course for the author, John Carradine: The Films is thoroughly researched, hugely informative, frequently amusing, and most importantly: simply a must-have book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Carradine, November 9, 1999

By 

Chris Workman ([e-mail]) (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Carradine: The Films (Hardcover)

Everyone recognizes his face, but few can name him. John Carradine was a memorable character actor who gave rich performances in big and small budget pictures. Finally, a book has been written about him that not only explores his life via anecdotes and interviews interspersed throughout, but his vein of work that stretched innumerable decades and genres. Author Tom Weaver has crafted a fun and lively chronological read, putting together little-known information and revealing asides to enhance our knowlegde of the work of an aspiring actor. Perhaps now, more people will seriously reappraise Carradine's work and give him the consideration he's due.