Pic of the Day: “Ambush” revisited

Better late than never, today’s pic comes to us from the Kung Fu episode “Ambush”. It first aired on April 4, 1975. While waiting with his gang to track down a stash of silver, Timothy’s grumpy outlaw Bix Courtney decides to be just plain rude to blind preacher Serenity Johnson (John Carradine).

Ambush - 1975

Carradine, father of series star David Carradine, is a legend in his own right. He made his acting debut at the age of 19 on the New Orleans stage and never looked back. His craggy features and stentorian voice can be seen and heard in everything from James Whale‘s The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and John Ford‘s The Grapes of Wrath (1940) to Ted V. Mikel‘s The Astro-Zombies (1968) and Al Adamson‘s Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970). From the sublime to the ridiculous, indeed. He even sings the title tune of Coleman FrancisNight Train to Mundo Fine (aka Red Zone Cuba). You’ll never forget it – no matter how hard you try. A lesser actor’s career never would have survived such atrocities. Carradine emerged triumphant and never stopped working, right up until his death in 1988.

 

Pic of the Day: “Revolt in the Big House” promotional still

Our pic of the day is another publicity still from Revolt in the Big House (1958), the entertaining low-budget prison crash-out drama directed by R.G. Springsteen, who specialized in Westerns. Ed “Bugsy” Kyle and Doc (John Qualen) find themselves in the midst of the revolt in full swing, no turning back and in it to win it.

Publicity still

Qualen was truly one of the greatest and busiest character actors in films and later on television. His career spanned from the early 1930s to the mid-1970s. His somewhat nervous but memorable presence graced such classics as The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), and Casablanca (1942). He was one of John Ford‘s favorite featured players.