John Carradine

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.

Tom Weaver lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and has been interviewing moviemakers since the early 1980s. The New York Times called him one of the leading scholars in the horror field and USA Today has described him as the king of the monster hunters. Classic Images called him “the best interviewer we have today.” He is a frequent contributor to numerous film magazines and has been featured in the prestigious Best American Movie Writing. A frequent DVD audio commentator, he is the author of numerous reference and other nonfiction books about American popular culture.

Tom Weaver
Introductions by Joe Dante ; and Fred Olen Ray; ; Biography by Gregory William Mank; ; Research Consultants Jack Gourlay, ; Gregory William Mank, ; and Fred Olen Ray
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 408
Bibliographic Info: 117 photos, filmography, index
Copyright Date: 2008 [1999]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3778-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1164-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      ix
Introduction by Joe Dante      1

“The Sinister Gentleman” by Fred Olen Ray      5
A Biography by Gregory William Mank      11

John Carradine: The Films      55

Index      375

• “one of the leading scholars in the horror field”—New York Times
• “the king of the monster hunters”—USA Today; “one of our foremost fantasy film historians”— Sight & Sound
• “outstanding…terrifically extensive interviews…Weaver, the greatest interviewer ever in my opinion…remarkable detail, insight and very, very funny comments”—Classic Images; “well-done survey”—ARBA
• “this is the BEST book I’ve read in years…superb…fantastic”—Little Shoppe of Horrors
• “exhaustive”—Film Review
• “marvelous…invaluable…highly recommended”—Midnight Marquee
• “remains the definitive work…Weaver’s book is fantastic, a true labor of love…extensive research”—Standard
• “lavishly illustrated”—Video Watchdog
• “excellent…packed with information, interviews…and rare stills”—Psychotronic
• “beautifully researched…intelligently written, exhaustive reference book”—Shock Cinema
• “a fine and fitting tribute to a too-long overlooked personage of classic horror history…thoroughly researched, hugely informative, frequently amusing, and most importantly, simply a must-have book”—Horror-Wood
• “exhaustive detail…another nicely-produced volume from McFarland”—Interzone
• “a first-class book”—Fangoria
• “a sooperdooper bang-up job…tremendous…Weaver delves deep”—Cult Movies
• “thorough and thoroughly enjoyable account…excellent assemblage. Exhaustively researched…scholarly and anecdotal”—VideoScope
• “insanely, comprehensive…highly recommended…. Tom Weaver is the king of film historians”—Starlog
• “a marvelous piece of work…a magnificent tribute…invaluable”—Shivers
• “comprehensive…thorough…a detailed, superbly written analysis of each of Carradine’s films…superb production stills…absolutely essential reading”—Monsters from the Vault
• “well crafted essays…the most complete Carradine biography…fascinating…the illustrations are excellent”—Movie Collector’s World
• “a fine and fitting tribute to a too-long overlooked personage of classic horror history…thoroughly researched, hugely informative, frequently amusing, and most importantly: simply a must-have book”—Horror-Wood
• “John Carradine finally has a book that does justice to his incredible film career.”—Leonard Maltin.com.