David Carradine died. Younger folk will remember David Carradine as Bill in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill I and II. Upon reading the news of his death - my mind immediately drifted back his character Kwai Chang Caine in Kung Fu in the early to mid seventies. Kung Fu was the first time I ever saw David Carradine. You knew though that in end of the episode, the peace loving Shaolin priest Kwai Chang, was going to have to kick some dudes butt. Previous to Kung Fu, I had known only of David Carradine's father John from countless old movies. I just didn't know that John had raised a posse of his own. 
Another favorite role that David played was that of Cole Younger in The Long Riders (1980). David was joined by his real life brothers Robert and Kieth Carradine to play brothers Cole, Jim & Bob. Jesse and Frank James were played by brothers Stacy and James Keech. Randy and Dennis Quade were Ed & Clell Miller. Christopher and Nicolas Guest played played Charlie and Bob Ford. Ry Cooder did the soundtrack for this film. It was well written, well acted, and well...it's a great movie.It was sad to hear of David Carradine's death. Before Gina and I were married, she went to LasVegas with her brother Terry and his family back around 1988. While there they happened to meet David Carradine in an elevator. Terry took some video of David hamming it up with some Kung Fu moves for the camera. He kidded around with a very young Josh (Gina's nephew). I know very little about the guy and yet sad to hear of his passing.
4 comments:
I learned all that I know of the Ancient Arts from episodes of Kung Fu.......sad to hear of his death.
When I think of Kung Fu I think of compromise.
THe year was 1974 and Vicki and I were living in a farm house in the middle of nowhere.
ON Thursday nights THE WALTONS and KUNG FU came on at the same time so we compromised and watched each show on alternating weeks. Secretly I still think Caine could kicked the entire Walton Clan in their collective West Virginia Butts...
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I would really liked to have seen that. Goodnight John Boy!!!! - KA-POW - THUWAPPP - KARATE CHOP!!!!!
As for The Long Riders, don't forget the director, Walter Hill. Besides being the contemporary master of the Western (Broken Train, Wild Bill, the opening episode of Deadwood, and Geronimo) he has made some very original movies--Streets of Fire, Southern Comfort, and Last Man Standing (a remake of A Fistful of Dollars which was a remake of Yojimbo). He did other, more commercial stuff like the 48 hours movies, but I'll bet he gets credit for a lot of the uniqueness of The Long Riders.
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