From the Ozarks to Shakespeare, family feuds have long occupied small town folklore across the globe. And what town could be smaller than Hollywood, California? A town filled with egos and personalities that match their bank accounts, a town where nepotism runs wilder than a herd of 19th century bison blissfully unaware of the boomsticks heading their direction. And in this magical land of Hollywood, two families are locked in a bitter war to entertain you. At least in my head they are. I’m speaking of the Carradines and the DeLuises! Or is that “Delui?”
Both families are steeped in entertainment lore so naturally their legendary feud came to me as I sat watching Wizards of Waverly Place, featuring a DeLuise. Yeah, I said it. I like me some Disney Channel. Walk with me as I take a gander at these tight knit acting bloodlines.
The Patriarchs: John Carradine vs. Dominick “Dom” DeLuise.
John is a cowboy legend, a man with over 300 credits in his IMDB. Few have worn a Stetson as well as him. His TV roles include The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, The Red Skelton Show, The Munsters, Lost in Space, The Green Hornet, Bonanza… listen, I haven’t even gotten to the 1970s yet!! John Carradine is a true working actor and a pillar of Hollywood’s illustrious history.
Dom has always been seen as more of a big screen kind of fella, but his television cred is deep. A working class actor himself, Dom appeared on more talk shows than Leno could ever hope to steal, including 22 appearances on Carson’s couch alone. He had his own show and hosted Candid Camera in addition to his time on such programs as Ren & Stimpy, 21 Jump Street, The Muppet Show, Stargate SG-1, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Beverly Hills 90210, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and his last role lending his one of a kind voice to Spaceballs: The Animated Series.
With both families boasting strong heads of household, let’s take a closer look at The Siblings:
If every branch of the Carradine tree were to be an actor, this article would reach final book of Harry Potter length. Thankfully, only a handful chose to tread the boards and what a handful they are! Papa John begat David, Keith, and Robert; a holy trio of acting prowess.
Robert can trace his career all the way back to Bonanza, but he’s probably best known to most of you as Hillary Duff’s dad on Lizzie McGuire. Keith is my favorite. He has turned in insanely good performances in recent years on Dollhouse, Dexter, and as Wild Bill on Deadwood. He also has Star Trek credit, so you know, nerd cred! David is the man though. He’s done some cool TV stuff over the years, like Charmed or The Fall Guy, but he is Caine from Kung Fu and that makes him a bona fide TV legend. Interesting to note, all three brothers and their father appeared on Kung Fu, albeit not all at once.
Peter DeLuise is arguable the most successful son of Dom. Besides acting gigs with everything from Diff’rent Strokes to Friends, he is best known as Doug on 21 Jump Street. Since leaving the Jump, Peter has left Johnny Depp in the dust (?) as a writer, director, and producer on a gaggle of shows, most notably the Stargate franchise, in which he also acted!
Don’t count out the younger DeLuise brothers yet. Youngest Michael hopped onto 21 Jump Street with Peter around season 5 and has had lengthly stints on NYPD Blue, Brooklyn South, and the Gilmore Girls. Middle child David is currently rocking Wizards of Waverly Place, but has popped up in Monk, Bones, Blossom, and a Chili’s commercial!
Finally, The Next Generation:
While the DeLuise clan has yet to expose their younglings to television audiences, the Carradine cannot be contained. Ever Carradine (daughter of Robert) has racked up dozens of TV credits including 24, CSI, House, Party of Five, Will and Grace, and a fun recurring role on Syfy’s Eureka. Keith’s daughter Martha Plimpton has appeared in and written for 7th Heaven as well as snagging parts on Family Ties, ER, Law and Order, and Grey’s Anatomy to name a few. Oh, and she’s also kind of an accomplished film actress to boot.
So, who stands victorious? Well, I gotta say the Carradines. Especially if you factor in David’s common-law relationship with Barbara Hershey. They’ve just done so much more over a longer time frame and there is a certain cool mystique about them. The DeLuise family is just so normal, like they should be on posters for well-adjusted theater clans. You’d want to live next to a DeLuise, but you’d be secretly hoping a Carradine would ride up on a Harley and invite you to go to Costa Rica.
Either way, you can’t lose. If anything, I hope this little article extends people’s appreciation of all the great shows these families have given us. What is cool is how many times both sides have found time to work on projects together. David even handed over Wild West Tech hosting duties to Keith! I’ve been saying for years that the key to success lies in casting either a DeLuise or a Carradine. Get both and your TV might explode!!
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