I typically shy away from RIPs and obits but I read yesterday morning that true cult film star David Carradine was found dead in a Bangkok Hotel room and could not think of anyone more befitting a remembrance here at the Cafe. Not only was the news depressing and jolting but it also the beginning of one of the most serious and gloomy days of my life, literally. Without the details being given out over the net I will suffice to say that I have a medical issue I have to deal with and will have to fly to Shanghai to get better test and possible treatment than I could get here in Kunming China. I feel shaken and so mortal. Well I should be cautious about sharing my private life nuances over the net but the stage for yesterday’s train of events was set in motion, it seems now, when I first saw the headlines early that morning. The whole day started off on a dark brooding note and went downhill. Like a lot of people around my decrepit age I first heard of David Carradine from the Kung Fu television show that aired on TV for three seasons from 1972 to 1975. I was swept away by the show and who is to say that in some way there is not some slender thread of connection between that TV show and my ultimately winding up an ex-pat here in China.

The show followed the adventures of the mixed blood Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine as he traveled across the wild west in search of his brother and fleeing assassins from China who want him killed for murdering in anger a royal family member. The show was sprinkled with bits of philosophy and a moderate amount of fighting sequences. Carradine was marvelous in the role and it earned him a lasting place in the cult film world. There are few actors I would say have truly earned such a title but Carradine was certainly one of them. He followed up he three years on Kung with the Roger Corman film Death Race 2000 and then slid into the 80’s and 90’s in more of a supporting role or bad guy capacity, which is too bad. He was a gifted actor. As well he was a painter, sculptor and musician and extremely hardworking man who came out of the Carradine acting family dynasty that included his father (perhaps the ultimate cult film persona John Carradine and his brothers Keith, Robert and Bruce. Recently acquired the complete Kung Fu series as well as the western epic abut the Dalton and James gangs called The Long Riders that paired up sets of acting brothers including David and Keith. He had a reputation as a maverick and outsider and had his share of trouble and misfortune but also was known as someone those close to him could rely on for support when they needed it. He led a wild life and had claimed that much of that was behind him.

Carradine’s name was resurrected from straight to video oblivion by Quentin Tarantino who, in his usually keen wisdom, saw fit to cast him as the enigmatic assassin Bill in his Kill Bill films. It was an overdue comeback and despite his years I feel he would have had several good films in him had disaster not struck. There are lurid details and speculations about the nature of his death that will keep the abysmal forums and chat rooms burning for a while and I think we can just pass on all that here. After yesterday I have a new and deep regard for life and how precious our brief time here is. David is one of those people’s whose passing marks the end of an era in my own life.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 6th, 2009 at 5:04 am and is filed under Movie Makers, Actors, Artists, Musicians and Personas . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.