A moment, if I may, to mark the passing of actor David Carradine. His Frankenstein credit comes as the patchwork racer with the grenade embedded in his hand in Paul Bartell’s delirious Death Race 2000, one of the most demented and entertaining films ever to come from the Roger Corman stable.
David father, of course, was John Carradine, the horror film icon who had his own Frankenstein credits, including the key bit part as the hunter who breaks up The Monster and the Hermit’s idyll in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). He also claimed to have been considered for The Monster's part in the original Universal film of 1931.
The Carradine family, many of John’s sons and grandchildren, made their careers in the arts. David credited his father for instilling in him a love for sculpting. No doubt the elder Carradine’s prolific acting career was also influential. David Carradine seemed proud of his B-Movie roots and he was always fascinating in all the character parts he played.
He will be remembered, no doubt, for Kung Fu and Kill Bill. I’ll remember him, fondly indeed, as the leatherclad Frankenstein prowling an American dystopia is a souped-up, green monster Corvette, scoring points by hitting pedestrians on the way to the finish line.
New York Times obituary.
