David Carradine guest starred in one of the weirdest days of my
professional life. I was writing for the shortlived and best-forgotten
Heroes magazine, whose editors had ordered me to drive out to Warner
Bros to interview Carradine on the set of Kung Fu: The Movie. This was
either 1985 or '86. I'd been writing professionally for just a few
months.
I think I was supposed to arrive at 9AM but rode in around 10 and found
the production on the Western backlot in complete chaos (way more so
than usual on movie sets). No one seemed to know where David was, so I
wandered the dirt roads of the faux Western town in search of Kwai
Chang Caine. I eventually found my interview sitting in the makeup
trailer, already in costume, just as his Eastern complexion was being
completed. As I switched on my tape recorder, he jumped out of the
makeup chair. "Follow me," he said, and I did - until my path was
blocked by the enormous belly of one of the TV movie's producers. I
tried to rejoin David but the producer stuck a giant beefy finger in my
face and threatened to toss me off the lot if I prevented his star from
getting to set on time. Forget that thus far I didn't have enough
usable interview material for my lead, let alone a full-blown story -
as far as he was concerned, it was all my fault his star was late.
(Later I learned they blamed the journalist or the craft services
people or anyone who they could yell out without fear that they'd hurt
the production by walking off the set. As angry as he was, this
producer would've blown David in Macy's window rather than have him
disappear for another hour with the crew standing around.)
I watched them shoot Carradine approaching a horse-drawn wagon some
five times - then there was a technical problem and David disappeared
through the crowd of extras. After another half hour of endlessly
wandering the same dusty streets in search, I ducked through the alley
betwixt the saloon and the livery stable - and found him.. Carradine
was in mid-leap as the unit photographer's camera clicked away. "No,
you missed it," David said. He jumped into the air, and as his feet
flew toward the camera, he shouted, "Now!" A split second later, the
camera clicked. "No, man," Carradine said, shaking his head, "shoot
when I say, 'Now.'" He jumped. "Now!" ...click... click. Frustrated,
Carradine jumped again. Again. Again. Again and again and again. The
click was either too late or too early. Finally Carradine grew tired of
torturing the man with the camera and I followed him toward his
trailer, switching my tape recorder on. His daughter opened the trailer
door just as he was starting to answer my next question. Carradine
turned to me and asked, "Hey, you got a match?" I fumbled through my
pockets. "Nope." The trailer door slammed in my face. (Later, I would
bring matches, contraband, handi-wipes - anything that anyone might
possibly need - to keep my interviewees talking.)
That's how it was all day long - Carradine would emerge from his smoke
filled trailer, I'd follow and get off a quick question, then he'd film
a shot and disappear before I could talk to him. (Meanwhile, the fat
producer was hounding me all the time to stay away.) I was desperate -
if I didn't get my interview, I'd never work for Heroes magazine ever
again. (Later, I discovered most of the time no one actually expects
you to come back with a celebrity interview - they were kinda like
suicide missions. That's why I ultimately specialized in writing about
visual effects, makeup effects, cinematography, editing; I'd write
about anything so long as there wasn't a movie star hanging around. I
recanted a bit when I began writing for Entertainment Weekly and the
late lamented Premiere; I found I actually enjoyed talking to actors -
but by then the stars, or at least their publicists, were chasing me.)
As the sun set and the crew went off to dinner (night shooting would
follow), Carradine invited me into his trailer. I guess I passed the
test. I had endured an entire day of TV production. He asked if I
wanted a rum and Coke. I said I'd never had one. "You'll like it," he
said as he passed me the glass. For the next hour, he answered all my
questions. About returning to the role of Caine: "This is going to be
the most successful TV movie in history." (It wasn't.) About his Mata
Hari film, starring his daughter: "I'll film some every few years so we
can watch her grow up on film." And about his eccentric father, one of
my heroes, John Carradine: "He was just the best dad in the world."
(Later, I would cherish this experience.)
There was a loud knock at the door and when we emerged, it was that fat
producer again, giving me the dirtiest look yet. "Don't yell - I'm
outta here," I told him in a tone of voice that prominently raised the
middle finger. I turned to Carradine, who was walking down the dusty
road toward . "Nice to meet you, David," I called.
His silhouette waved, then he shuffled into the fading light. Just for
that moment, actor and character merged and he became Caine.
Ciao, David.
Richard Del Belso wrote:
Great story, Sue.
My strongest memory of David Carradine stems from his starring role on
Broadway, in the mid sixties, in a show called THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE
SUN, by Peter Shaffer. it was a brilliant show, imaginatively staged,
later turned into a not-so-hot movie without Mr. Carradine. In the
show, the subject of which is Pizzaro's conquest of the Incas in Peru,
Mr Carradine played Atallualpa, the King of the Incas, to Christopher
Plummer's Pizzaro. Atallualpa's entrance was so spectacular, i never
forgot it. The Spaniards have swarmed off the stage, leaving just an
enormous golden sculpture of a sunbust as a backdrop. Slowly, the
"petals' of the sunburst swung open, turning into a vision of the sun,
with golden rays streaming from the center. And there, revealed
standing in the center, is the tall, lean, regal figure of a half-naked
Atallualpa. His head crowned with a gorgeous feathered headdress, his
arms folded across his naked chest, his body draped in golden coins
strung together on leather strips and chains...the very image of a
sun-god. i don't think anyone else could have looked more like the Inca
King than David Carradine.
he was very good in that show, and of course, continued to create
iconoc characters throughout his career. I think he will be sorely
missed.
Richard
Richard Del Belso
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 16:04:18 +0000
From: filmfantast...@msn.com
Subject: Re: [MOPO] RIP David Carradine
To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Hello all,
I was saddened to hear the news of David's passing. I thought I
would share this story with all of you. I know he had a weird crazy
sort of image, and that he often was, but he was also a very sweet guy.
I first met him when I was 11 years old. My Dad was his tax accountant.
David was doing a t.v. show at the time, "Shane" and he would come into
my Dad's office in full western attire. My Dad's office has alot of
celebrity clients and they would often have their appointments on
Sunday when the office was theortetically closed. I use to go with my
Dad to the office and play on the adding machines. I had to sit at a
back desk and be fairly quiet. So, I'd pretend I was a tax accountant
adding up all my deductions!! My Dad had alot of "Sunday" clients, but
David scared the heck of me. I remember thinking he was so weird and
this was the 60's when everything was weird, except my very
conservative household. The first year I met him, David came to the
office several times to get all the records in order to do his tax
return. As my Dad sat banging away on the adding machine, David would
sit in his chair twirling his guns (props from the show). Occassionally
he would jump out of the chair and shoot some phantom bad guy. So, that
scared me. One day he "mosied" on back to talk to me. He said something
like "how ya doin' little lady". I could barely speak. A few weeks
later, back in the office, still in his western costume (no
pun intended), he came back to see me and pulled something from his
pocket. It was "love beads" necklace and he put it around my neck,
tipped his hat and walked back to my Dad's desk. I still have that
necklace. Now I know how he got Barbara Hershey, who was quite a beauty
at the time and had a t.v show of her own on, "The Monroes".
I have seen him through the years. A couple of times at the
studios and several times at poster shows. I have a friend of mine who
was really good friends with him and travelled with him extensively
over the past 5 years to shows, etc. David came to my shop last year to
do a whole bunch of framing for an art show he was having here in
town. As my friend had already reminded him of who I was, he came in,
gave a hug and asked how my Dad was. I pulled the beaded necklace from
my pocket and he couldn't believe I still had it. I told him that he
was so crazy to me when I was a kid, but the necklace was just the
right touch for me to see him in a different light. I am so sad by the
method of death he chose. Last I saw him, he was so upbeat about the
upcoming art show and all the projects he had lined up. He must have
called his wife three times from my shop that day and always ended with
"love you". He was kind man, crazy still, but very kind.
Sue
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 10:32:00 -0500
From: brucehershen...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [MOPO] RIP David Carradine
To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
I bet he is trying to snatch the pebble from God's hand even as I write
this.
On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 9:31 AM, Sean Linkenback <slinkenb...@bellsouth.net>
wrote:
Just coming over the wires now, that he has been found
dead in Bangkok, apparently of suicide.
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