TOP 5
Early Days Productions: Films of John Carradine Last updated 09/02/2010
"Stagecoach" (1939) is a American Western film directed by John Ford, starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne in his breakthrough role. The screenplay, written by Dudley Nichols and Ben Hecht, is an adaptation of "The Stage to Lordsburg", a 1937 short story by Ernest Haycox. The film follows a group of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory. Although they were close friends, Ford had declined to use Wayne in any of his projects during the 1930s, telling him to wait until he was "ready" as an actor. In 1938 he gave Wayne a copy of the film's script by Nichols, asking him to recommend an actor to play the Ringo Kid. After having read it, Wayne suggested Lloyd Nolan for the part. The next day however, Ford announced to Wayne that he wanted him to play the role. Edited from Wikipedia.
"The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) is an American drama film directed by John Ford. It was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1940), written by John Steinbeck. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and the executive producer was Darryl F. Zanuck. The film tells the story of the Joads, an Oklahoma family, who, after losing their farm during the Great Depression in the 1930s, become migrant workers and end up in California. The motion picture details their arduous journey across the United States as they travel to California in search for work and opportunities for the family members. Edited from Wikipedia.
"Bluebeard" (1944) is a film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, starring John Carradine in the title role. After the film's release, it became a favorite of horror movie fans and still later, a cult classic. It would also be registered as a film in the public domain. In this interpretation of the famous French tale, a strangler of women eludes the police. This is quite easily Carradine's best starring role and was his own personal favorite of his films. Eugen Schüfftan was actually the director of photography but could not be credited on screen because he was not yet a member of the cinematographer's union. So he was credited as production designer, the job actually done by director Edgar G. Ulmer, while the camera operator Jockey Arthur Feindel was credited as director of photography. Edited from Wikipedia.
"House of Frankenstein" (1944) is an American monster horror film produced by Universal Studios as a sequel to "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" the previous year. This monster rally approach would continue in the following film, "House of Dracula", as well as the 1948 comedy "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein". House of Frankenstein marked the debut, as the monster, of Glenn Strange, a former cowboy who had been a minor supporting player in dozens low-budget Westerns over the preceding fifteen years. He reprised the role in House of Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and cemented the popular image of the monster as shambling, clumsy, and inarticulate. Boris Karloff, reportedly coached Strange on how to play the role. Edited from Wikipedia.
"Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939) is a historical Technicolor film based upon a 1936 novel of the same name.The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John Ford. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert portray settlers on the New York frontier during the American Revolution. The couple suffer British, Tory, and Indian attacks on their farm before the Revolution ends and peace is restored. The film—Ford's first colour feature— was nominated for two Academy Awards and became a major box office success, grossing over US$1 million in its first year. Revealing mistakes: When the Indians first attack the settlers during the land clearing, the first Indian to shoot at the fleeing settlers fires a musket shot and then falls down as though shot before anyone returns fire. Edited from Wikipedia.
