Today we're going to check out the Horror and Sci-Fi Movies of John Carradine from the Fifties. Of course, his work in the Forties would put this list to shame, but, I love the stuff from the Fifties the most because they're in my wheel house! Man, that's a great shot of John!
John's first horror movie in the Fifties was THE BLACK SLEEP in 1956 (he did a ton of westerns during his career). He stars with Lon Chaney, Basil Rathbone, Akim Tamiroff, Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson! I remember that Eegah!! always said this flick freaked him out when he saw it...
In 1957, John stars in THE UNEARTHLY as Dr. Conway, a real nut job, just look at him. Myron Healey, Allison Hayes, Sally Todd and Tor Johnson also star with John, which reminds me, a post that I want to do is all the scream queens I had a crush on, of which Sally Todd is one! Love her in FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER too...
John lands the role of the Egyptian Pharaoh, King Khufu, in THE STORY OF MANKIND, also from 1957. Wow, wish I had a pet tiger, but, I'm sure it'd freak out my kitties!!
In 1958, John has the role of Dr. Rayburn and Narrator in the Japanese abominable snowman movie, HALF HUMAN. Morris Ankrum also appears as Dr. Jordan.
If ever a poster could be sued for false advertising, THE COSMIC MAN from 1958 is that poster. Look at the green alien in the poster, then, look at John! Seriously,
what the Hell?!!
He has a small part in INVISIBLE INVADERS as Dr. Karol Noymann in 1959. He gets killed in a lab explosion about two minutes into the film and becomes an Invader!
Also in 1959, John signs up for Jerry Warren's INVASION OF THE ANIMAL PEOPLE with another beautiful girl in it, Barbara (THE FLESH EATERS) Wilson. John plays the Narrator here.
We'll end with THE INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD in 1959, another Jerry Warren production. This time John plays Professor Wyman, head of the diving bell expedition. Robert Clarke, Phyllis Coates and Sheila Noonan round out the cast in this unbelievable underwater adventure! Well, there you have it, John in all his Fifties glory, tune again Wednesday when Eegah!! calls the shots!!
THE COSMIC MAN poster wasn't guilty of anything that the rest of the '50s b-films hadn't already done before, or since! The best/worst would have to be the insane poster for WASP WOMAN! Now THAT one was a REAL "WTF!?"
ReplyDeleteHey Anon - Hope all is going good in your direction! Yeah, you're right about a number of misleading posters. One that always bugged me is TARGET EARTH, they show those long claws on the robots, awesome, but, when the robot shows itself in the movie, it has little tiny pinchers!!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Been crazy time here. Computer problems, health issues, plumbing hassles in da house, all getting fixed. I'm so pissed at how the "universe" tries to throw crap in my path, that I'm tearing out what's left of my hair! I'm taking a 24-hour break from household insanity, then back to the grind!
ReplyDeleteHope all's well with youse over dey! (Didn't the Ghoul say it like that?)
Speaking of misleading posters, check out the chick in the pink blouse on the right side of your page, in the BLOOD OF DRACULA lobby card...I say she's got cast iron bullets stuffed in her bra! As the late stand-up comic Kevin Meany might say, "Watch it, mister! You'll put your eye out with those things!" ;P