David Carradine Headlines the Movie Poster
Considering I poked a bit of fun at the Kung Fu star for my inaugural “Slumming With” feature, I thought it best to even the score with a look at David Carradine on the marquee posters that his image graced. Looking at the artwork on movie posters would in many cases excite us enough to warrant checking them out either at the theater or the VHS tape once the 80’s were upon us. After years making low budget crank’em out fodder for the home video market, I remember being quite thrilled to see he was returning to the big time with what for today’s audiences is probably his most well known role, Bill, for Tarantino’s two part story with Uma Thurman on the warpath to Kill Bill/Carradine.
Once the Kill Bill craze subsided a bit, Carradine was back in action in an amazing number of low budget flicks of varying quality before his death in 2009.
Once David’s apprenticeship days were coming to close after nearly a decade of work in TV and films like The Violent Ones, Martin Scorsese cast him opposite Barbara Hershey in Boxcar Bertha for what would be his first lead role and would secure for him a lifetime association with Roger Corman productions.
“Luck! Hell, luck is bein’ a Vanderbilt or a Carnegie. “
Couldn’t wait to get my hands on this VHS tape in the early days of the machine rental with three movies for the weekend. “What’d you expect, another pretty face? “
Flirting with Oscar season in the critically acclaimed bio of Woody Guthrie. “This land is your land/This land is my land/From California to the New York Island/From the Redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters/This land was made for you and me “
“I wake up from a nightmare and find that real life is worse than the dream.”
Scoring top billing in a Walter Hill classic.“When this is all over, I’m goin’ to write a book; make myself more famous than I already am. “
Another teaming with Barbara Hershey sees David star and direct.
What’s not to love when Carradine greets Norris? “Welcome to my hacienda, Mr. McQuade. How nice of you to pay a social visit. “
Then came the video store fodder.
Tucked away here in the vault are a number of the above posters and others I’ve not featured. Martial arts and racing seem to be the dominant theme in many of Carradine’s flicks so with that in mind, here are a couple of 70’s one sheets with those subjects in mind that put David front and center. I’ve had these stored away since my teenage years so it’s about time I pulled them out to allow my number 1 and 2 sons to see what they’ll someday call their own. One of which (Circle of Iron) I have no idea what the hell is going on in though I love the cast while the other (Fast Charlie) I recall being a pretty good depression era motorcycle racing flick.
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Nice set of posters as always. It’s too bad The Warrior and the Sorceress wasn’t the actual sequel to The Sword and the Sorcerer, as that poster seems as if it would be.
And it’s a cheesy rip off of Yojimbo and by extension, A Fistful of Dollars to boot.
The Long Riders has to be my favourite David Carradine film I think!
That picture of him all beefed up and sexy on the cover of The Warrior and The Sorceress is so hillaroius. I so remmeber it on the shelves of the video store and more than likely rented it lol.
WTF is Sonny Boy! Must investigate that.
Another VHS rented one was Lone Wolf McQuade.
Is that Aldo Ray I spot in The Violent Ones. More investigating on the cards.
Ooo Barbara Hershey was mighty fine.
Our generation will always remember him as Caine in Kung-Fu but he did go out in some sort of style I guess, not sure I’d want that on my resume!!!!!! LOL
Excuse the bad spelling, pressed send before I checked it! 🙂
A little misleading that poster of Warrior! Long Riders one of the best westerns in the past 40 years. Wow that’s hard to believe it’s been that long. Love Lone Wolf. Check out this poster pic…. and Miss Carrera https://mikestakeonthemovies.com/2016/01/25/lone-wolf-mcquade-1983/
I have Sonny Boy here but haven’t watched it yet…. looks bizarre and yup that’s Aldo in there. Long live Caine.