Thread: David Carradine 1936-2009 R.I.P

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I got the message after I got home from work.
Friend of mine. Wanted an obit for David Carradine. He sometimes cruises the site and was bugged nobody else has noted the passing up to now.
It bugs him even more the guy would be remembered for a sordid end to his life rather then what he put down during the rest of it.
Like saying Hemingway was ONLY a depressed guy who wandered on Idaho country roads, drank too much, and killed himself.
A persons life, in his opinion, should be judged by more then a mistake that ended it.
My pal is based in south east Asia, and their market and tastes are different...like The Ventures still being a hot act in Japan.
And in the email he sounded tired and sad. He kicked in a couple of reasons why he should be remembered and left the rest for me.
So here goes.
David Carradine was born in 1936...the first son of John Carradine..a guy who made a zillion horror movies in Hollywood and Italy. Check out dad in BLUEBEARD. Like dad, David was no stranger to drinking or drugs...and fought his share of addictions during his career. But also like dad, he was a work horse and made project after project. Every kind of film. Every kind of work.
You will remember him the most for the part of Bill in KILL BILL. Some of the rest of you with memories will go back to his series KUNG FU on t.v (the pilot and first season are worth finding.) If you have more time or money check out BOUND FOR GLORY...a decent bio on forgotten American genius Woody Gutherie.
But what worked the best was that face. In KiILL BILL, you have that wonderful scene where he is sitting across the table from Uma and you DON'T know how it will come out...there is a blank fatalistic look that you JUST CAN'T READ..and i wish to heck he could have been in a Sergio Leone film...
If you find it..check out his work in THE BAD SEED...a decent t.v. remake of the classic 50's horror flick, and THE LONG RIDERS, as close as I'm going to come to that dream-date Leone project.
Less known then even those is a series of videos he made doing martial arts...KUNG FU fostered a real love of the art for him...and the night before he died, he played a flute for the guests in the hotel where he was staying...it went over well..in the videos he is quiet and gentle and takes time working through the poses.
He was said to be complicated and private and generous to a fault..and by most accounts had found some peace in his life and a sense of accomplishment with his long career. A peace that comes from steady craftsmanship.
My pal says he more then any American could display a presence by just BEING in the scene and looking at the camera...a trick usually saved for Japanese or Chinese stars in his opinion.
He also had a very shy smile that would pass you by if you blinked.
Oh, and check out DEATHRACE 2000, his drive in movie with a pre-fame Sly Stallone...I think he'd get a kick out of that one being remembered and getting watched.
Happy viewing.

Thank you, uncletor, well said. David Carradine will be missed by his fans and friends. And yes, the old Kung Fu TV series is worth checking out. My friends and I never missed an episode.

RIP.

I guess the grasshopper finally got that pebble..... LOL Just kidding he will be missed>