John Caradine, on the Queen Mary

John Caradine, the Actor was on the Queen Mary with me.

After leaving the graduate school of Education and going through a change in my life, I graduated from the same University as Steven Spielberg. I was not thinking about working in the film industry, but I did go to a lecture by Frank Capra and was impressed. Working with a Cable co., to produce a symposium on Media Art, I read that John Caradine, the Actor was on the Queen Mary, doing dinner theater. Thinking that, it would be interesting to interview Mr. Carradine, I did a little research and found he was very interested in Shakespearian plays, and later told me that he was the only Actor to have played Hamlet more times than any other living actor, based on the fact this was during World War Two, and there was a shortage of male actors. He toured with his own Shakespearean Company in the 1940s, playing "Hamlet" and "Macbeth".

I digress; I found an obscure passage, from a Shakespearian play, "Macbeth."

I called the Queen Mary, for contact information, I left the passage at the desk, and they said to call back. The next day I called back, to see about talking to John Carrdine's Agent, but the person on the phone told to hold on.

On the phone it was John Carradine, he was staying at the hotel on the Queen Mary, and said he would be happy to meet with me. He was doing the stage play or a dinner version of "The Fantastic". I went down to the Queen Mary, the next day, went to the hotel 's clerk and told him why I was there, and he made his phone call to the stateroom and out came. John Carradine.

In my mind, I was thinking about, John Carradine the movie star a man of many roles and parts. The star of the 30's an 40's and plus a "B" star , but with some style.

Dressed all in black, with a cape, at that time he must have been in his mid seventies, his hands were very arthritic, bend and deformed. We went over to the main QM hotel's lobbies were there is a very large heavy glass picture window and sit down. I told him about, working with the cable co. and I said that I was not a Actor, but a media specialist, we talked about my studies in right and left brain interaction to drawing and Art, I told him about my undergraduate degree in that area. He originally planned a career as a painter and sculptor. I realized I was talking to someone with someone who suffered from painful and crippling arthritic hands about drawing and painting, and tried to change the subject. I talked about the passage from "Macbeth" and the visual aspects of it and he said it is never talked about.

After a few minutes we were both more relaxed, and started to talk out about our life's, and what was going on now, he pull out a package of Players cigarettes and had a smoke. He started to look much more younger, good clear skin and very intelligent, not how a perceived him, Carradine's deep, resonant voice earned him the nickname "The Voice". We talked for some time, stopping only for water, a hour went by and he asked me what was the book that I had with me for reading, at that time I was reading "Raise the Titanic" he said: If it is a book so it could be on film. I agreed with that, as a media specialist and we both saw the Ironic facts of talking about the Titanic and sitting on a large similar ship. After some time, we know it was time to depart, and he offered me to come to the dinner show, that night, he walked me to the port exit and I took his hand and said, thank-you. A few days later I went back over to the cable co. and thy said why didn't I bring him back to the studio, I said: that it just was not that type of interview. Strangely I read in the paper, that the diner show was, closed and John Carradine was gone, A few years later David Carradine stared in the move version of "Raise the Titanic", it lost a lot of money for Paramount studios, but was a important film. To think the movie the "Titanic" is one of the highest grossing movies ever made? Paramount studios were John Carradine's was one of the longest contract players ever. Oddly John Carradine, played a character on a TV movie, where a ship was overturned, like the Queen Mary and sank to the bottom of the ocean, people survived in the water tight compartment and lived for years. There Carradine played an actor like himself, walking about the upside down ship at the bottom of the Ocean quoting Shakespeare. After that experience I try never to tell any one about my ideas for a film.