The early years 1930-1936, deleted scenes, animated features

"The Prisoner of Shark Island" was John Carradine's 25th feature film, and the one that brought him stardom in the supporting ranks, stepping out from the bit parts that he essayed in his first 24 features. His debut is generally believed to be Columbia's "Tol'able David" (1930, perhaps a lost film today), in which he plays a hillbilly character called "Buzzard Hatburn," billed as Peter Richmond (born Richmond Reed Carradine, his mother always called him Peter). It was released November 15, but was preceded by what I believe to be his actual debut, First National's "Bright Lights" (aka "Adventures in Africa"), released September 21, a color film available today only in black and white, in which he can be spotted very briefly as a "newspaper photographer" (with no dialogue). In the early summer of 1931, he spent time at Universal shooting his third feature, "Heaven on Earth," which I have not seen, so cannot confirm if he received on screen billing as Chicken Sam, another hillbilly character. At this time, he walked out on a makeup test for the role of The Monster in "Frankenstein" because the part had no dialogue (there is no evidence, other than his own testimony, that he was considered for the role of "Dracula," eventually played by Broadway's vampire Bela Lugosi). He mostly split time between Universal and Paramount over the next two years, with Paramount's "Forgotten Commandments" (1932) possibly being the last time he was billed as Peter Richmond, playing the "first orator." In Cecil B.DeMille's "The Sign of the Cross" (also 1932 Paramount) , he was used on three different occasions- a "voice in the Coliseum crowd" (unseen), the "leader of gladiators" fighting in the coliseum (unrecognizable), and at the very end, easily spotted as a "Christian martyr" marching up the stairs to an encounter with the hungry lions waiting in the Coliseum. In Paramount's "The Story of Temple Drake" (1933), he can be spotted as a "courtroom spectator," only an unbilled extra. Paramount's "This Day and Age" (1933), was another DeMille role, but this one written especially for him, playing "Assistant Principal Abernathy," billed 22 out of 23 actors, under the name John Peter Richmond (the only time he was credited on screen under that name). Paramount's "To the Last Man" (aka "Law of Vengeance"), his first Western (his last would be 1977's "The White Buffalo"), he had a name, Pete Garon, but no dialogue, and no billing on screen, in which he can be seen early on consorting with Noah Beery Sr. James Whale's "The Invisible Man" was a 1933 return to Universal, easily spotted as a "Cockney informer" who phones the police with tips on how to capture Claude Rains' unseen protagonist (perhaps Whale remembered him from two years before?) 1934's "The Meanest Gal in Town" was an RKO feature, a very brief appearance as a "stranded actor" with one line of dialogue ("didn't he leave us any money at all?"). Universal's "The Black Cat" (1934) featured two shots of Carradine, playing a member of Boris Karloff's Satanists, the later one as the "organist" supplying the musical accompaniment during the full moon ritual. Paramount's "Cleopatra" was his third for DeMille, in which he was provided three roles- a "Roman citizen" (can't be seen or heard), "voice of party guest" (heard but not seen), and "voice of soldier" (again, heard but not seen). "Clive of India" (1934), for Darryl F.Zanuck's 20th Century Pictures, he has the role of a "drunken-faced clerk" (I could not find him anywhere). 1935 was a busy one, beginning at Universal (4 that year) with "Transient Lady," as Ren Baxter, one of many Baxters, along for the ride with his brethren (two or three lines). Frances Drake played the title role, and Henry Hull co-starred just before his one starring horror role, "WereWolf of London." James Whale's "Bride of Frankenstein" (Universal) features perhaps Carradine's most famous bit part, as a "lost hunter" who interrupts The Monster's idyllic existence with the blind hermit. In "Cardinal Richelieu" (20th Century Pictures), he can be easily spotted as a "rebel agitator" (one of many), while in "Les Miserables" (20th Century), he receives on screen billing under his final name, John Carradine (listed 22 out of 22), with a small but easily seen role as "Enjolras," another agitator, again opposite Frances Drake. "The Crusades" (Paramount), a fourth DeMille feature, unbilled as "Leopold, Duke of Austria" (difficult to spot), along with supplying voices for two soldiers (heard but not seen). In "Alias Mary Dow" (Universal), which I have yet to see, his character is named Griffe, so he might be listed on screen. "She Gets Her Man" (Universal), again, I have yet to find, he may be spotted as an unbilled "lunchroom customer." At Fox, he did "Bad Boy," unbilled but easily spotted as an "angry saxophone player," seen among several neighbors on a staircase. In "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" (Fox), he is unbilled as a "despondent casino gambler" (unfortunately, I was unable to spot him). 1936 was a revelation for John Carradine, who was listed 11 out of 23 actors in his scene stealing turn as Sergeant Rankin, smug and cruel jailer in John Ford's "The Prisoner of Shark Island." "Anything Goes" (aka "Tops is the Limit"), done prior to the Ford film, he was unbilled but easily seen (no dialogue) as a "bearded ballet master" who puts on a few moves for Bing Crosby. In Fox's "Captain January," a Shirley Temple vehicle, his role as an "East Indian" was deleted from the final release print, as was his credited role as "Cafard" in a later feature, Fox's "Under Two Flags," whose existing print is the rerelease without his footage. Fox's "A Message to Garcia" features Dell Henderson in the role of President Willam McKinley, but the unmistakable voice belongs to the unbilled Carradine. Fox's "Half Angel" features a scene in a sanatorium, where we can clearly hear his voice as a "sanatorium inmate" (alas, heard but never seen). By this time, he had signed an exclusive contract with Fox, who occasionally loaned his services to other studios, lasting from 1936-1942. He received top billing for the first time in 1943's "Isle of Forgotten Sins" (aka "Monsoon"), a PRC poverty row extravaganza, the last time in 1986's "Demented Death Farm Massacre...The Movie," one of his six titles for indie director Fred Olen Ray. After 1936, he rarely appeared unbilled- "Hex" (aka "The Shrieking"), starring son Keith Carradine, had his role as an "old gunfighter" deleted from the domestic release print, but lucky viewers overseas did see his performance, which cannot be confirmed in any prints currently available. 1972's "Portnoy's Complaint" had a good reason not to credit Carradine, as his role required only his voice (that of "God"), who pronounces judgment on Richard Benjamin with the saltiest dialogue he ever delivered (once even calling Benjamin a "son of a b--ch!"). 1974's "One Million A.D." was never released, never completed. 1979's "Carradines in Concert" was a family documentary, apparently completed but never released. Three further titles featuring Carradine, but deleted his footage- Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" at least includes all the deleted scenes on the DVD; he supplied the voice of "Beaufort von Frankenstein," in an extended funeral sequence that was wisely cut, as it features none of the film's stars and goes on a bit too long (his character recorded his voice on disc for the benefit of the heirs). 1978's "Americathon" was a forgotten all-star dud that featured Carradine playing a drunken "Uncle Sam" (a photo from this lost sequence can be seen in Tom Weaver's book on Carradine). 1981's "Zorro, the Gay Blade" is chronicled in Weaver's book by director Peter Medak himself, as "Don Diego Vega's father," whose son is played by George Hamilton. Medak speaks highly of Carradine's footage, so perhaps this may be made available on DVD one day. His booming voice was used in several animated features- 1970's "shinbone alley," 1977's "The Mouse and His Child," 1982's "The Secret of NIMH," and 1983's "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp."