Lost Actor Found: Who Was Peter Carpenter?

Peter Carpenter
July 25, 1939 - April 02, 1996

(This is my second rumination on actor Peter Carpenter. If you'd like, you can click here to read the other one first)

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"Whatever happened to Peter Carpenter," I still wonder. 

Unfortunately, what happened to actor-singer-dancer-producer-writer Peter Carpenter has never been one of Hollywood's more infamous, hotly discussed unsolved mysteries. He was just a handsome aspiring entertainer of a certain era who acted in a few films. Then he was never heard from again.

Peter Carpenter in VIXEN! (1968)

Carpenter made his debut as a slutty Canadian mountie in Russ Meyer's X-rated surprise hit Vixen! (1968). He followed up with a meatier role as a slutty suburban husband (unhappily married to future Ilsa series star Dyanne Thorne) in the egregiously tonally inconsistent nudie comedy/domestic abuse drama Love Me Like I Do (1970). 

Peter Carpenter acts his ass off in LOVE ME LIKE I DO (1970)

Determined to be a leading man, Carpenter produced two idiosyncratic starring vehicles for himself. A pair of uniquely ludicrous, Los Angeles-lensed "murder melodramas" that randomly, inconceivably continued to play theaters and drive-ins for upward of a decade. 

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BLOOD MANIA (1970) and POINT OF TERROR (1971)
(click a title to view its trailer)

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Ad mat courtesy of Groovy Doom

Blood Mania (1970) and Point of Terror (1971) initially struck out with critics and audiences—but became unlikely, long-running hits (both continuing to book playdates well into the early 1980's). This was entirely due to aggressive marketing by ever-loving Crown International, who sold the pictures as outrageous horror shockers, ostensibly overflowing with blood, skeletons, daggers, and boobs. 

In truth, the Blood Mania/Point of Terror package was just a pair of very lurid, very dated, and lamentably very dull (albeit incredibly well-shot) sexploitation soap operas. The only things these potboilers overflowed with were gel lighting, jump cuts, over-baked plots, soft-focus montages, song-and-dance numbers, jarring fish-eye closeups, and some occasional stabbing and screaming. But, despite the outlandish eccentricities of each, their narratives are paradoxically forgettable; I've seen Blood Mania a half-dozen times, and I still can't explain the ending.  

To take in this double feature must have been a strange experience—because these flicks make no sense, and they look exactly alike. In addition to sharing the same overall mise-en-scène—poverty-row crime noir meets pastel nihilism in Manson-era Hollywood—they also boast the same square-jawed male lead.

Peter Carpenter headlines each, and he's nothing if not a poor-man's William Holden. He scowls, he skulks, he roughs up crazy dames. Sometimes he'll cry. But, then he'll sing, and dance, and prowl around in basket-hugging, slim-fit trousers. Ultimately, he'll peel off his shirt, and spend the remainder of the film battling psychotic, sex-starved broads—all of whom will stop at nothing to bang and/or murder him. 

Peter Carpenter and Dyanne Thorne in POINT OF TERROR (1971)

Mondo Digital describes Carpenter as, "a Tom Jones lookalike with a singularly strange onscreen presence." To me, he's a beefier, more thuggish Aidan Quinn who clearly wanted to be the male Connie Stevens. Or perhaps a David Groh/Joey Heatherton hybrid.

Yet, despite a healthy, insatiable hunger for notoriety, Peter Carpenter basically dropped off the map. Sadly, there won't be a Netflix show about it. But thanks to some expert detective work by Mike Perkins, Indianapolis-based research librarian extraordinaire, we now know what happened to Carpenter. Mostly.

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"I'm the luckiest man to ever hit Hollywood!"

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In early 1971, Carpenter hit the road on a press junket to promote Blood Mania and the upcoming Point of Terror. In a San Francisco Examiner article, he was confident Blood Mania would blow up—due to its potent, highly combustable combo of Hitchcockian suspense and Russ Meyer-esque sex and violence.

"I don't believe in sensationalism for its own sake. But, I think if you take a whole parcel of sensational ingredients and package them properly, with emphasis on good direction, good performances, and above all, a good story, you'll have what the audience deserves—good entertainment... People are interested in aberrational behavior... Audiences are also fascinated by the medical profession, the lifestyle of the ultra-rich, and the motivations of nymphomaniacs. Our film gives them the whole bag, so it should be quite successful."

Carpenter made some intriguing claims on this junket. Among them, that he grew up in Oakland, California, that he'd been a pants salesman before getting into film, and that he had two more movies in the pipeline—called Middle of Midnite and Legend of Volcanoes—as well as a firm offer from producer Jack L. Warner to star opposite Michael J. Pollard in Columbia Pictures' revisionist Western Dirty Little Billy (1972). 

"I'm the luckiest man who ever hit Hollywood!" Carpenter gushed. 

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"If Blood Mania is thin entertainment, Point of Terror is absolutely lean."

Whatever long-running success Blood Mania and Point of Terror eventually enjoyed notwithstanding, neither film was met with anything remotely resembling critical acclaim upon release. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called Blood Mania "an exploitationer with pretensions... The cast is a collection of flyweights. They gaze or glare at each other with looks of import that signify nothing."  The Ottawa Citizen remarked, "If Blood Mania is thin entertainment, Point of Terror is absolutely lean." 

Then Carpenter's luck seemingly ran out. Both Middle of Midnite and Legend of Volcanoes failed to materialize, as did any part in Dirty Little Billy. In fact, Point of Terror would stand as Peter Carpenter's last credited role because, according to legend, he "died" later that year. 

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Peter Carpenter's old IMDB bio

Until now, nothing concrete was known of Carpenter's fate. Although his Hollywood contemporaries were unanimously positive in their reminiscences of working with him, their recollections of how, when, or even if he died were oddly hazy.

Dyanne Thorne (his leading lady in Love Me Like I Do and Point of Terror) vaguely remembered that he passed in 1971. Two-time co-star (and close friend) Leslie Simms said she knew him as "Paige," and believed he may have succumbed to pneumonia sometime "in the late 1970's or early 1980's." It would seem that Carpenter's entire legacy was officially summed up on a dubious, now-corrected IMDB bio that attributed his death to a "massive cerebral hemorrhage" in December, 1971. 

In an interview with Rock Shock Pop journalist Ian Jane (that was originally published on the now-defunct AV Maniacs website), actress Erica Gavin—primarily known as the titular star of Vixen! (1968), as well as from her appearances in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1969) and Jonathan Demme's women-in-prison classic, Caged Heat (1974)—shared some interesting memories about Peter Carpenter.

Peter Carpenter as "Mountie" in Russ Meyer's VIXEN! (1968)

Erica Gavin ("Vixen"): 

The Losers, circa 1960's

I first met Peter Carpenter long before Vixen. He was living with this girl, "Babydoll." She was working with me, Haji, Tura [Satana], and Bebe [Louie] at The Losers. So, I knew Peter's girlfriend first. One night we went over to her apartment after work and there was Peter—along with his two cousins (one of which, Manny, became my dearest and best friend for over 40 years). As the years went by, I'd be at family get-togethers, birthdays and holidays with Manny, and Peter—being Manny's cousin (“Peche” they called him)—would be there as well.

Erica Gavin's best friend, Manny—a.k.a. the late Manuel A Escobosa (1941-2007)—did have a cousin who everyone knew as Peter Carpenter. But, he didn't die in 1971. Or even in the early 1980's. His name certainly wasn't Paige, and he definitely wasn't from Oakland. 

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Nathaniel Joseph Carpenter
(center)
Woodrow Wilson High School yearbook, 1956 

Nathaniel Joseph "Joe" Carpenter was born on July 25, 1939 in San Gabriel, California to James Nathaniel Carpenter (1906-1961) and Matilda Carpenter née Azzolino (1913-1994). He had one older sister.

Joe Carpenter graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles in 1957 and subsequently joined the United States Air Force (USAF). He was stationed in Alaska for three years. His enlistment ended in 1961, and Carpenter returned to California—apparently just long enough to take a disastrous stab at married life. 

Nathaniel Joseph Carpenter/Carole Ann Galindo marriage announcement
Progress Bulletin—Pomona, California
September 20, 1963

Carpenter wed Carole Ann Galindo on September 17, 1963. It would appear the short-lived union wasn't a happy one because this notice appeared in the same paper a month later. 

"NOT responsible for any debts but my own."
Carole Ann Carpenter née Carole Ann Galindo

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It's unclear if the marriage ended in divorce or annulment—but according to an anonymous comment on my other Peter Carpenter article, it wasn't long before Peter was back in Alaska, teaching ballroom dancing.

Anchorage, Alaska 
Circa 1960's

Anonymous: 

I knew him as Joe Carpenter when he was stationed in Alaska in the early 1960s. I was part of a dance trio with Joe and Jean Shirley in 1964/65. We all worked teaching ballroom dancing for Betty Romankiw. Joe also worked part-time for Rose Golik, Betty's sister, who owned a large wholesale company in Anchorage and was Anchorage's "official greeter" for years... He did date several girls here... I know he danced at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles before he came to Alaska. He was well liked by the ladies when we danced in the trio at the Mermaid Room in Anchorage. This would be around 1964.

 

By the late 1960's, Carpenter was back in Los Angeles. He was now taking acting classes, calling himself Peter, and adamant about breaking into motion pictures.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

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"To be somebody. That's all I've ever wanted, and I'll do anything to get it."
POINT OF TERROR (1971)

Peter Carpenter didn't die in 1971. He just moved on again, this time away from showbiz—and he didn't even go back to Alaska. Carpenter spent the next quarter-century living in Alhambra, roughly 15 miles east of Hollywood.

Who started the death rumor? That's the million-dollar question. I wonder if it was due to a concerted machination on Carpenter’s part—or just a comment on the obliviousness of movie industry types to presume someone died because they stop seeing him at auditions. 

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Peter's eerily prophetic shirtless selfie painting from BLOOD MANIA (1970)

Peter Carpenter eventually did conclusively pass away on April 2, 1996 in Los Angeles, California. His death certificate lists his last-known occupation as self-employed real estate salesperson. 

I can see that. I'd buy a house from Peter Carpenter. 

Peter Nathaniel Carpenter
Self-Employed Real Estate Salesperson

Carpenter's immediate cause of death: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

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I wish more was known about Carpenter's post-1971 life—not to mention those vintage Anchorage salad days of cold gin and hot babes. Alas, what we do know is just a very sketchy outline of a complicated life, evidently lived with more than its fair share of sketch.

I don't wonder what happened to Peter Carpenter anymore. Now I ask,"Who was Peter Carpenter?" 

Along with more unanswered questions.

Nathaniel-Joe-Paige-Peter Carpenter
July 25, 1939 - April 02, 1996

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This article wouldn't have been possible without the expert detective work of Mike Perkins, research librarian extraordinaire. Seriously. If you need someone tracked down for a book, or a Blu-ray, call Mike.