Today (June 21) would have been Richard Bowler’s 116th birthday!
By far the oldest in the cast of I Drink Your Blood, he played “Grandpa,” whose beating by Bhaskar (“Horace Bones”) and his hippie gang led to Riley Mills (“Pete”) poisoning their food and turning the hippies into zombies. He only had four film roles, the most major of which may well have been his portrayal of Neville Chamberlain on Robert Montgomery Presents nearly six decades ago.
How and why Bowler came to be involved in this film, like several other cast members, is still a bit of a mystery to me. I suppose actors need work, but I suspect several in this rather eclectic band (Bhaskar, Wong, and maybe Bowler) all had connections to director David Durston‘s social circle, since these folks all had well established mainstream careers before going Grindhouse. Curious and curiouser.
42nd St. Cinema Backstory 