John Carradine Goes Fishing

Horror legend John Carradine trades his cape for a rod and reel in this recently unearthed documentary, Fish Story, unseen since its release in 1947! The esteemed Hollywood actor, "an avowed saltwater man", is taken to the Wisconsin woods by reporter 'Tubby' Toms and 'Stu' Pritchard, "wizard of the casting rod", to learn the benefits of freshwater fishing! Though Carradine at first complains about swapping his tuxedo for overalls and galoshes, he is soon laughing, joking, and even singing with his new friends. More importantly, he learns the right and wrong ways of casting! By film's end, John vows to "show old man (Clark) Gable how things are done back East" and come back next year with his three sons. At the time of filming, Carradine had recently completed a stint at Universal as Count Dracula in House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). In addition to his roles in dozens of classic horror films, the classically-trained actor was a favorite of John Ford's, appearing in Stagecoach (1939) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940). A true oddity shot in gorgeous Kodachrome color, Fish Story is a must-see for fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood, or fishing...or both! Directed by F. Herrick Herrick.

BONUS: CRUNCH AND DES "SPARE THE ROD" (BW, 1956): The adventures of two fishermen, Captain 'Crunch' Adams and first mate 'Des' Smith, aboard their boat The Poseidon, were documented in a short-lived TV series that aired in syndication from 1955 to 1956. In this heartwarming episode, a little boy steals Crunch's prize fishing rod from The Poseidon. When the juvenile culprit is caught, the beleaguered captain finds that the boy comes from a broken home. Crunch and Des is based on a series of best-selling short stories by author Philip Wylie (Gladiator, When Worlds Collide). This was Forrest Tucker's first TV series, before F-Troop (1965-1967). Co-star Sandy Kenyon made memorable appearances on sci-fi shows like The Twilight Zone (1961-1963), The Outer Limits (1964), and The Invaders (1967). In later years, he worked as a voiceover artist, playing Jon Arbuckle in the various Garfield cartoons (1982-1994). Directed by Frank Telford.

PLUS VINTAGE FISHING SHORT SUBJECTS!:

• Battling Silver Kings (1931)
• Demons of the Deep (1944)
• Deep Sea Adventure (1953)

• documentary