Want to know the best John Carradine movies? How about the worst John Carradine movies? Curious about John Carradine box office grosses or which John Carradine movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which John Carradine movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
John Carradine (1906-1988) was an American actor, one of the most prolific and famed character actors in Hollywood history. A member of Cecil B. DeMille’s stock company and later John Ford’s company, best known for his roles in horror films, Westerns, and Shakespearean theatre. His IMDb page shows 351 acting credits from 1930 to 1995. This page will rank some John Carradine movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings. To do well in our overall rankings a movie has to do well at the box office, get good reviews by critics, be liked by audiences and get some award recognition.
John Carradine Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year | Movie (Year) | Rating | S |
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Year | Movie (Year) | Rating | S |
1956 | Around the World in 80 Days (1956) AA Best Picture Win |
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1940 | The Grapes of Wrath (1940) AA Best Picture Nom |
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1956 | The Ten Commandments (1956) AA Best Picture Nom |
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1937 | Captains Courageous (1937) AA Best Picture Nom |
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1939 | Stagecoach (1939) AA Best Picture Nom |
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1938 | Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
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1941 | Blood and Sand (1941) | ||
1939 | Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) | ||
1935 | Les Misérables (1935) AA Best Picture Nom |
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1954 | Johnny Guitar (1954) | ||
1954 | Casanova's Big Night (1954) | ||
1941 | Man Hunt (1941) | ||
1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) | ||
1939 | Jesse James (1939) | ||
1972 | Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) | ||
1944 | The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) | ||
1954 | The Egyptian (1954) | ||
1937 | The Hurricane (1937) | ||
1955 | The Court Jester (1955) | ||
1938 | Submarine Patrol (1938) | ||
1937 | This Is My Affair (1937) | ||
1942 | Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942) | ||
1986 | Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) | ||
1940 | The Return of Frank James (1940) | ||
1945 | Fallen Angel (1945) | ||
1936 | The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) | ||
1936 | Dimples (1936) | ||
1976 | The Shootist (1976) | ||
1940 | Brigham Young (1940) | ||
1955 | The Kentuckian (1955) | ||
1938 | Four Men And a Prayer (1938) | ||
1941 | Western Union (1941) | ||
1937 | Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937) | ||
1936 | The Garden of Allah (1936) | ||
1937 | The Last Gangster (1937) | ||
1982 | The Secret of NIMH (1982) | ||
1937 | Love Under Fire (1937) | ||
1941 | Swamp Water (1941) | ||
1964 | Cheyenne Autumn (1964) | ||
1958 | The Last Hurrah (1958) | ||
1939 | Frontier Marshall (1939) | ||
1936 | Mary of Scotland (1936) | ||
1940 | Chad Hanna (1940) | ||
1945 | It's In The Bag! (1945) | ||
1939 | The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) | ||
1964 | The Patsy (1964) | ||
1937 | Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937) | ||
1936 | Winterset (1936) | ||
1957 | The True Story of Jesse James (1957) | ||
1945 | Captain Kidd (1945) | ||
1981 | The Howling (1981) | ||
1939 | Five Came Back (1939) | ||
1938 | Gateway (1938) | ||
1942 | Reunion in France (1942) | ||
1958 | The Proud Rebel (1958) | ||
1955 | Stranger on Horseback (1955) | ||
1960 | Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) | ||
1960 | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960) | ||
1947 | The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947) | ||
1939 | Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) | ||
1944 | House of Frankenstein (1944) | ||
1977 | The Sentinel (1977) | ||
1938 | Kidnapped (1938) | ||
1938 | Of Human Hearts (1938) | ||
1935 | Cardinal Richelieu (1935) | ||
1933 | This Day And Age (1933) | ||
1938 | I'll Give A Million (1938) | ||
1939 | The Three Musketeers (1939) | ||
1956 | The Black Sleep (1956) | ||
1966 | Munster, Go Home! (1966) | ||
1942 | Northwest Rangers (1942) | ||
1984 | The Ice Pirates (1984) | ||
1954 | Thunder Pass (1954) | ||
1971 | The Seven Minutes (1971) | ||
1972 | Richard (1972) Limited Release |
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1943 | Hitler's Madmen (1943) | ||
1983 | House of the Long Shadows (1983) | ||
1976 | The Last Tycoon (1976) | ||
1972 | Boxcar Bertha (1972) | ||
1976 | Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) | ||
1969 | The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) | ||
1970 | Myra Breckinridge (1970) | ||
1955 | Female Jungle (1955) | ||
1943 | The Ape Man (1943) | ||
1957 | The Story of Mankind (1957) | ||
1959 | The Oregon Trail (1959) | ||
1977 | The White Buffalo (1977) | ||
1981 | The Nesting (1981) | ||
1973 | Terror In The Wax Musuem (1973) | ||
1960 | Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) | ||
1977 | Satan's Cheerleaders (1977) | ||
1967 | Blood of Ghastly Horror (1967) | ||
1995 | Jack-O (1995) Limited Release |
John Carradine Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort John Carradine movies by his co-stars
- Sort John Carradine movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort John Carradine movies by yearly domestic box office rank.
- Sort John Carradine movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each John Carradine movie received.
- Sort John Carradine movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
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R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
2 | Around the World in 80 Days (1956) AA Best Picture Win |
Shirley MacLaine & David Niven |
35.50 | 695.5 | 695.50 | 2 | 70 | 08 / 05 | 99.7 | |
1 | The Grapes of Wrath (1940) AA Best Picture Nom |
Henry Fonda & Jane Darwell |
7.10 | 275.0 | 275.00 | 6 | 88 | 07 / 02 | 99.6 | |
4 | The Ten Commandments (1956) AA Best Picture Nom |
Charlton Heston & Yul Brynner |
72.00 | 1,412.0 | 3,423.10 | 1 | 85 | 07 / 01 | 99.4 | |
3 | Captains Courageous (1937) AA Best Picture Nom |
Spencer Tracy & Mickey Rooney |
6.80 | 279.9 | 519.60 | 9 | 85 | 04 / 01 | 99.2 | |
6 | Stagecoach (1939) AA Best Picture Nom |
John Wayne & Claire Trevor |
5.00 | 191.3 | 298.80 | 30 | 83 | 07 / 02 | 99.2 | |
5 | Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tyrone Power & Don Ameche |
12.00 | 479.1 | 479.10 | 1 | 75 | 06 / 01 | 98.6 | |
9 | Blood and Sand (1941) | Tyrone Power & Rita Hayworth |
5.60 | 217.3 | 217.30 | 18 | 77 | 02 / 01 | 97.3 | |
8 | Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) | Claudette Colbert & Henry Fonda |
8.80 | 338.8 | 338.80 | 7 | 74 | 02 / 00 | 96.6 | |
7 | Les Misérables (1935) AA Best Picture Nom |
Fredric March & Charles Laughton |
3.40 | 153.4 | 153.40 | 16 | 81 | 04 / 00 | 96.6 | |
11 | Johnny Guitar (1954) | Joan Crawford & Ernest Borgnine |
7.10 | 167.4 | 167.40 | 45 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 96.5 | |
13 | Casanova's Big Night (1954) | Bob Hope & Joan Fontaine |
8.60 | 200.9 | 200.90 | 32 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 96.2 | |
12 | Man Hunt (1941) | Walter Pidgeon & Roddy McDowall |
4.50 | 173.9 | 173.90 | 37 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 94.7 | |
14 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) | John Wayne & Lee Marvin |
10.10 | 145.8 | 287.50 | 22 | 84 | 01 / 00 | 94.6 | |
14 | Jesse James (1939) | Tyrone Power & Henry Fonda |
9.50 | 364.2 | 364.20 | 4 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 94.6 | |
16 | Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) | Woody Allen & Burt Reynolds |
25.80 | 163.3 | 163.30 | 13 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 94.3 | |
18 | The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) | Donald Crisp & Fredric March |
5.60 | 188.6 | 255.40 | 61 | 67 | 03 / 00 | 94.0 | |
16 | The Egyptian (1954) | Victor Mature & Jean Simmons |
12.90 | 301.3 | 301.30 | 17 | 65 | 01 / 00 | 93.9 | |
19 | The Hurricane (1937) | Thomas Mitchell & Dorothy Lamour |
4.40 | 182.4 | 182.40 | 30 | 69 | 01 / 00 | 93.7 | |
17 | The Court Jester (1955) | Danny Kaye & Angela Lansbury |
6.30 | 130.3 | 130.30 | 48 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 93.4 | |
21 | Submarine Patrol (1938) | Richard Greene | 3.80 | 151.7 | 151.70 | 43 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 92.5 | |
22 | This Is My Affair (1937) | Barbara Stanwyck & Robert Taylor |
4.00 | 165.8 | 219.90 | 45 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 91.9 | |
23 | Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942) | Tyrone Power & Gene Tierney |
4.60 | 169.9 | 169.90 | 55 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
23 | Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) | Nicolas Cage & Kathleen Turner |
41.40 | 120.2 | 120.20 | 20 | 78 | 03 / 00 | 90.8 | |
24 | The Return of Frank James (1940) | Henry Fonda & Gene Tierney |
3.70 | 143.0 | 143.00 | 37 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 90.6 | |
25 | Fallen Angel (1945) | Linda Darnell & Dana Andrews |
4.20 | 132.1 | 132.10 | 83 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 89.8 | |
26 | The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) | Warner Baxter & Directed by John Ford |
2.90 | 125.8 | 125.80 | 67 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 89.3 | |
28 | Dimples (1936) | Shirley Temple & Frank Morgan |
3.30 | 143.7 | 143.70 | 47 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 88.8 | |
27 | The Shootist (1976) | John Wayne & Ron Howard |
18.10 | 91.8 | 91.80 | 38 | 81 | 01 / 00 | 88.2 | |
29 | Brigham Young (1940) | Tyrone Power & Vincent Price |
4.30 | 165.0 | 165.00 | 27 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 86.8 | |
31 | The Kentuckian (1955) | Burt Lancaster & Walter Matthau |
7.40 | 154.0 | 154.00 | 38 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 85.1 | |
30 | Four Men And a Prayer (1938) | Loretta Young & David Niven |
3.50 | 139.7 | 139.70 | 51 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 85.0 | |
32 | Western Union (1941) | Barbara Stanwyck | 2.60 | 98.8 | 98.80 | 95 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 83.5 | |
34 | Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937) | Peter Lorre | 2.20 | 92.9 | 92.90 | 107 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 83.2 | |
34 | The Garden of Allah (1936) | Marlene Dietrich & Charles Boyer |
3.70 | 158.1 | 158.10 | 37 | 46 | 02 / 00 | 82.6 | |
36 | The Last Gangster (1937) | Edward G. Robinson & James Stewart |
2.80 | 116.1 | 116.10 | 87 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 82.6 | |
36 | The Secret of NIMH (1982) | Elizabeth Hartman & Derek Jacobi |
14.70 | 53.8 | 53.80 | 47 | 81 | 00 / 00 | 82.5 | |
38 | Love Under Fire (1937) | Don Ameche | 2.80 | 115.3 | 115.30 | 90 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 82.4 | |
37 | Swamp Water (1941) | Dana Andrews & Walter Brennan |
2.50 | 94.5 | 94.50 | 97 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 82.2 | |
39 | Cheyenne Autumn (1964) | James Stewart & Richard Widmark |
8.80 | 100.7 | 256.40 | 30 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 82.1 | |
40 | The Last Hurrah (1958) | Spencer Tracy & Jeffrey Hunter |
3.10 | 56.5 | 56.50 | 70 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 81.7 | |
41 | Frontier Marshall (1939) | Randolph Scott & Cesar Romero |
2.60 | 99.3 | 99.30 | 94 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 81.3 | |
43 | Mary of Scotland (1936) | Katharine Hepburn & Fredric March |
2.60 | 113.7 | 183.40 | 74 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 81.2 | |
45 | Chad Hanna (1940) | Henry Fonda & Dorothy Lamour |
3.60 | 137.5 | 137.50 | 39 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 80.5 | |
44 | It's In The Bag! (1945) | Don Ameche | 2.50 | 79.1 | 79.10 | 112 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 80.2 | |
45 | The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) | Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce |
1.20 | 47.0 | 47.00 | 163 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 80.2 | |
46 | The Patsy (1964) | Jerry Lewis & Peter Lorre |
7.10 | 81.9 | 81.90 | 42 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 79.1 | |
47 | Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937) | Peter Lorre & Victor McLaglen |
2.00 | 85.0 | 85.00 | 118 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 77.4 | |
47 | Winterset (1936) | Burgess Meredith | 1.60 | 67.1 | 98.00 | 118 | 66 | 02 / 00 | 76.5 | |
49 | The True Story of Jesse James (1957) | Robert Wagner & Jeffrey Hunter |
4.30 | 82.5 | 82.50 | 54 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 76.3 | |
51 | Captain Kidd (1945) | Charles Laughton & Randolph Scott |
2.80 | 88.5 | 88.50 | 98 | 59 | 01 / 00 | 76.1 | |
49 | The Howling (1981) | Dee Wallace & Patrick Macnee |
18.00 | 69.7 | 69.70 | 48 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 75.7 | |
52 | Five Came Back (1939) | Lucille Ball | 1.90 | 75.0 | 118.10 | 119 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 75.6 | |
53 | Gateway (1938) | Lyle Talbot & Don Ameche |
2.30 | 90.8 | 90.80 | 101 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 75.5 | |
54 | Reunion in France (1942) | John Wayne & Joan Crawford |
3.00 | 111.1 | 197.90 | 93 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 75.3 | |
56 | The Proud Rebel (1958) | Olivia de Havilland & Alan Ladd |
4.30 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 56 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 74.6 | |
55 | Stranger on Horseback (1955) | Joel McCrea | 2.10 | 44.0 | 44.00 | 135 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 73.8 | |
57 | Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) | Gordon Scott & Jock Mahoney |
2.60 | 40.3 | 40.30 | 88 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 73.7 | |
59 | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960) | Buster Keaton & Tony Randall |
5.60 | 87.0 | 122.80 | 51 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 71.8 | |
58 | The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947) | Angela Lansbury & George Sanders |
2.10 | 60.2 | 60.20 | 135 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 71.2 | |
60 | Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) | Peter Lorre | 1.90 | 71.9 | 71.90 | 123 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 66.3 | |
61 | House of Frankenstein (1944) | Boris Karloff | 1.30 | 45.2 | 45.20 | 134 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 65.2 | |
64 | The Sentinel (1977) | Ava Gardner & Jeff Goldblum |
10.90 | 52.8 | 52.80 | 55 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 65.1 | |
63 | Kidnapped (1938) | Warner Baxter | 1.10 | 43.9 | 43.90 | 161 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 64.7 | |
62 | Of Human Hearts (1938) | Charles Coburn | 0.90 | 36.7 | 36.70 | 171 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 64.6 | |
66 | Cardinal Richelieu (1935) | Maureen O'Sullivan & George Arliss |
1.20 | 54.5 | 54.50 | 115 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 62.4 | |
67 | This Day And Age (1933) | Directed by Cecil B. DeMille | 1.90 | 88.5 | 88.50 | 39 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 61.9 | |
65 | I'll Give A Million (1938) | Peter Lorre | 0.60 | 23.5 | 23.50 | 189 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 61.7 | |
68 | The Three Musketeers (1939) | Don Ameche | 1.80 | 70.6 | 70.60 | 125 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 60.1 | |
71 | The Black Sleep (1956) | Basil Rathbone & Bela Lugosi |
1.20 | 23.0 | 23.00 | 172 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 51.0 | |
69 | Munster, Go Home! (1966) | Yvonne De Carlo | 2.10 | 20.1 | 20.10 | 98 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 49.3 | |
71 | Northwest Rangers (1942) | James Craig | 0.90 | 33.2 | 33.20 | 186 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 45.1 | |
72 | The Ice Pirates (1984) | Robert Urich & Anjelica Huston |
14.30 | 45.7 | 45.70 | 65 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 43.2 | |
73 | Thunder Pass (1954) | Raymond Burr | 0.70 | 15.8 | 15.80 | 170 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 43.1 | |
73 | The Seven Minutes (1971) | Yvonne De Carlo & Tom Selleck |
2.60 | 17.0 | 17.00 | 98 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 43.1 | |
75 | Richard (1972) Limited Release |
Mickey Rooney | 0.50 | 2.9 | 2.90 | 158 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 41.8 | |
75 | Hitler's Madmen (1943) | Directed by Douglas Sirk | 0.30 | 10.8 | 10.80 | 180 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 41.1 | |
77 | House of the Long Shadows (1983) | Vincent Price | 0.10 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 154 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 40.5 | |
78 | The Last Tycoon (1976) | Robert DeNiro & Jack Nicholson |
3.50 | 17.7 | 17.70 | 95 | 53 | 01 / 00 | 28.6 | |
78 | Boxcar Bertha (1972) | David Carradine & Barbara Hershey |
3.30 | 21.1 | 21.10 | 79 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 28.5 | |
79 | Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) | Walter Pidgeon & Bruce Dern |
3.60 | 18.4 | 18.40 | 94 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 22.9 | |
80 | The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) | Robert Mitchum & George Kennedy |
2.40 | 18.4 | 18.40 | 89 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 20.4 | |
82 | Myra Breckinridge (1970) | Mae West | 8.50 | 59.0 | 59.00 | 39 | 36 | 00 / 00 | 18.9 | |
81 | Female Jungle (1955) | Anne Baxter | 0.60 | 13.3 | 13.30 | 186 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 17.8 | |
82 | The Ape Man (1943) | Bela Lugosi | 0.40 | 15.1 | 15.10 | 166 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 12.2 | |
84 | The Story of Mankind (1957) | Ronald Colman & Hedy Lamarr |
0.60 | 12.2 | 23.40 | 185 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 10.7 | |
85 | The Oregon Trail (1959) | Fred MacMurray | 1.10 | 19.8 | 19.80 | 141 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 8.1 | |
86 | The White Buffalo (1977) | Charles Bronson & Jack Warden |
4.10 | 19.6 | 19.60 | 92 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 7.1 | |
87 | The Nesting (1981) | Gloria Grahame | 0.90 | 3.5 | 3.50 | 141 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 3.9 | |
87 | Terror In The Wax Musuem (1973) | Elsa Lanchester | 1.40 | 8.4 | 8.40 | 143 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 3.7 | |
88 | Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) | 1.20 | 19.0 | 19.00 | 122 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 3.6 | ||
90 | Satan's Cheerleaders (1977) | Yvonne De Carlo & John Ireland |
0.10 | 0.7 | 0.70 | 153 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 1.3 | |
91 | Blood of Ghastly Horror (1967) | Tommy Kirk | 0.10 | 0.7 | 0.70 | 181 | 32 | 00 / 00 | 1.2 | |
93 | Jack-O (1995) Limited Release |
Cameron Mitchell | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 249 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 0.9 |
Check out Steve’s John Carradine YouTube Video
FEB 20, 2020 at 7.42 AM
Added Steve’s Lon Chaney Jr. You Tube Video To This Page. Our thoughts on Chaney’s movies and Steve video found below.
Nice selection…though I have not really seen many of his movies. My tally is 7….but I have always liked his performances. 4 are in the Top 5. Wolfman and Abbott & Costello Meet The Defiant Ones at High Noon. I like how that sentence matches up with your rankings. I have heard of many of these movies…so kudos for increasing my movie knowledge. Voted up and shared
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Reply
February 19, 2020 at 8:09 pm
That leads me to wonder what Big John thought about Randy and Archie who were said to be such “tight wads” that they shared a house for a time to economize on rent although both were well-off financially; and the Duke worked with the pair – Randy in Pittsburg and The Spoilers [both 1942]and an uncredited Al Leach in 1946’s Without Reservations.
So you are taking a break that will coincide with my own. That will test WH: can he survive without both of us? Certainly one feels that all it will take is for one of his other regulars like Dan or Flora to disappear too the same week as you and I do, and The Work Horse will call in sick! Anyway roll on Friday until we get your final video for now and Saturday when I depart for sunny climes.
***Bruce Bennett in 1931 was actually the first ever actor in the talkies to be signed to play Tarzan. However before shooting began, he broke his shoulder and Johnny Weissmuller of course got the part and as the cliché goes “the rest is history”. Therefore that accident may have historically robbed Bennett of the Big Time; but he lived to nearly 101 whereas sadly Johnny, who died at 79, went mad and was admitted to an asylum where he scared the other inmates by waking them in the middle of the night with his Tarzan yell. WE though ended up OK because we’ve got a Bruce who’s even better than Tarzan – though he seems to think he’s Rocky!
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February 19, 2020 at 8:05 pm
HI STEVE: Thanks for your response. With his ‘scoop’ about Ladd and Green Lantern, The Work Horse ‘trumped’ us both: me as the Great Laddie Fan; and you as this site’s expert on super heroes. Will we ever live it down? WH does contribute meaningfully sometimes to this site!!
There are conflicting reports on Ladd’s height. His official US Army record puts it at 5ft 8’. If that’s true Jace is still the taller however at 5ft 10’; though I’m sure that The Meg would rather be confronted by him than Laddie!
Talking about The Duke’s prejudices and hang-ups, one of his dislikes that was almost as strong as his annoyance with “unreal” Americans such as Cooper, was tightness with money on the part of anyone in the Wayne social company.
For example he couldn’t stand the supporting actor Bruce Bennett[*** see also Part 2]because the latter always dodged buying his round of drinks when socializing with fellow actors like Wayne. In private life Wayne was apparently a generous man, buying presents for all his neighbors at Christmas and distributing them on Christmas Eve.
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February 19, 2020 at 5:32 pm
Bob, that is interesting about Alan Ladd inspiring the comic book design for the Green Lantern, I wasn’t aware of that bit of trivia. It’s ironic that despite his lack of height Ladd was an action hero to millions around the world, and women swooned when he took his shirt off.
My theory is that it wasn’t obvious back then how short he really was (surely taller than Pacino or Hoffman), clever camera angles, standing on boxes, lifts in his shoes etc gave the impression he could handle any situation and he rarely looked up at his opponent. Jason Statham isn’t exactly tall either, was Ladd shorter than him I wonder?
Btw Bob, Flora, Bruce I think I’ll take a week off too next week, recharge my batteries. But there will be one more video on friday. I’ll still be popping in at the UMR.
Reply
February 19, 2020 at 4:33 pm
Interesting comprehensive and yet compact and easy-to-follow feedback from you as usual. I get the feeling that you enjoyed bringing together the Chaney material [especially the “chillers” ] every bit as much as I enjoyed viewing it. There’s something about those old posters and vintage stills/lobby cards that always grabs me.
Thanks too for the additional information about The Duke’s spat with Kirk. I was aware of some of what was said but not it all; Kirk’s combative response has never been in any account that I have seen. Certainly he wasn’t afraid to stand up for himself. Apparently when the ‘confrontation’ took place, John was one of a group of guests at Kirk’s home around the time Lust for Life was made and Kirk gave them a private showing of the film.
At some point The Duke got up a walked out, as I understand it, and seethed and cooled his heels in Kirk’s garden. When the movie was over Kirk Joined him and asked him what was bothering him; and that’s when the ‘fireworks’ occurred.
Sinatra had the same attitude as Big John when people didn’t conform to what Frankie considered were social norms; and he went ballistic when his agent told him that a movie about Sinatra’s life was being considered with Elton John in the lead. “THAT little weirdo’s NOT going to play ME!” he emphatically yelled at the poor agent. Sinatra was always a “shoot the messenger” kind of guy.
Changing the subject to another “real American” among movie stars the following is an extract from WH’s Alan Ladd page that I hadn’t picked up before to the best of my recollection though the page has been with us for some time. Were you¸ as possibly this site’s No 1 super/action hero fan, aware of the information contained therein?
ITEM 5: TRIVIA BRUCE’s ALAN LADD PAGE
“Alan Ladd was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of superhero Green Lantern/Alan Scott (created in 1940). Ladd was 27 years old at the point. The Green Lantern’s full name is Alan Ladd Wellington Scott.”
From the moment I first set eyes on Laddie I knew he wasn’t an ORDINARY screen tough guy/hero – HE would have sorted out The Meg before the first reel ended!! Anyway as I’m off on holiday for 9 days this Saturday I hope you have another video for us on Friday. Keep safe.
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