 |
|
It's pretty rare when an actor makes one film appearance and leaves his mark forever--and it's extremely rare when an actor manages to accomplish that with an appearance in a low-budget monster flick that was laughed out of theaters decades ago. Cal Bolder is such an actor and his undying fame with both classic fright fans and cult movie devotees can only be appreciated once you have taken the plunge, rented the video tape or DVD, and watched as...
Actor Cal Bolder is best remembered by fright film fans as the unfortunate outlaw Hank Tracy, friend of Jesse James, who finds himself under the scalpel of the lovely, but dangerous, Dr. Maria Frankenstein in William Beaudine’s cult classic Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1965). Bolder started out life as Earl C. Craver in Elkhart, Kansas where he played football for Wichita University (now Wichita State). The massive 6-foot, three-inch, 240-pound muscleman went directly from college into the Marine Corps, ending up in Korea during the war. Upon his return to the U.S. he settled in southern California where he spent 14 years as a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department.
When an actor’s agent, whom he was giving a speeding ticket to, suggested the brawny, good looking young man try his hand in films Cal decided to give it a try. He immediately began winning roles in films and in television appearing in many of the popular shows of the 1960s including Star Trek, Bonanza, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, Gunsmoke, and many others. Although he kept quite busy as an actor, stardom eluded Cal and at the end of the decade he retired from show business and moved to the Pacific Northwest. Recently Cal Bolder has followed his dream of writing and, under the name E.C. Craver, has had published his first novel The Last Reunion, a suspenseful thriller about a Los Angeles police officer investigating serial murders in a small Washington town.
He took time out from working on his second novel, a sequel to The Last Reunion, to talk about his acting career in his first ever interview. Horror-Wood.com presents an excerpt from that interview as Cal discusses working on the infamous Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter. HORROR-WOOD: The film that you are best known for is the cult classic Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter. How did you get involved in that film? CAL BOULDER: The producer of the film saw me in a television role. I was working pretty steady in TV at that point. He wanted me to come in and read for the part, which I did. It only took about a week to shoot the movie.
H-W: What did you think of the script when you read it? CB: Well, if I had been a big star I probably wouldn’t have done it (laughs)! But when you were where I was, and wanted to work and get exposure, then you took just about anything that came along. H-W: You actually had a fairly meaty role in it. CB: Yes, and that was great. In fact Jim Davis, who played the sheriff in the film, had been around Hollywood for about 20 years and I managed to get billing above him--and nobody had ever heard of me! Including Jim Davis (laughs)!
H-W: In the film you play a cowboy who is turned into the monster Igor. How did you feel about playing the role of a monster? CB: It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the role. As a young kid the first Frankenstein movie had scared the pants off of me. This film was two generations removed as it was Frankenstein’s daughter, or granddaughter creating the havoc. H-W: What do you recall about the cast?
CB: John Lupton, who played Jesse James, was a decent fellow. In those days he had a fairly well-known name. He wasn’t a superstar but he was almost a household name. Narda Onyx (Frankenstein’s daughter) was a very nice lady. She gave me a book that she had written about Johnny Weissmuller, the actor who played Tarzan. I have no idea whatever became of her but we got along sensationally, and I really liked her. H-W: Estelita, who played the heroine, was a popular actress who had appeared in many films. CB: She was from Cuba and had played in a number of Roy Rogers films. She was also a dancer and a singer. I think she was in a John Wayne film as well. Rio Lobo, maybe. She was a nice gal too.
H-W: What did your cast mates think of the film? CB: I don’t remember ever talking to them about it. I think that they were all like me in that it was just something that came along so they did it. H-W: Do you recall anything about director William Beaudine?
CB: I thought he was pleasant to work for. I certainly didn’t have any trouble with him at all. He liked to get everything done as quickly as he could. I think they called him "One Shot" or something like that. As long as you were on the set on time and had your lines down and knew what you were supposed to do it wasn’t a problem. He didn’t really give much direction to the actors. H-W: During the second half of the film, when you become Igor the monster, your head is shaved. Was that just make-up or did you actually go bald for the role?
CB: They really shaved my head. They said to me "We’d like for you to shave your head and for that we will give you an extra $1000. And we will give you a professionally made wig for you to wear to go out on auditions with." So I did half the film bald, except for that rubber tape around my head which was made to look like stitching. As it was I got several more roles later in shows where they wanted me to be bald, such as a couple of the The Man From U.N.C.L.E. episodes and a Daniel Boone. So it actually worked out well for me. (For more on Cal Bolder look for the complete interview in a future issue of Filmfax magazine where he will talk about how he began his film career, and his experiences working on his other films and on television. Cal’s book, The Last Reunion, is available at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s Websites.) Thanks, Michael, and a special thanks to Cal Bolder for providing the interview. While it's true that Cal Boulder didn't have a long or luminous career in Tinsletown, he certainly had an interesting one. And probably no fright film fan will ever forget the amazing film gender-bender mishmash that is Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. That's certainly enough distinction for anyone to hang their ten-gallon hat on. Article copyright © Michael Barnum |
