"Phantom of the Opera" Awesome movie!!
It plays every year here in Salt Lake when a real organist and everything!!!!!!!
http://www.organloftslc.com/faces/te...t_movies.faces
"Phantom of the Opera" Awesome movie!!
It plays every year here in Salt Lake when a real organist and everything!!!!!!!
http://www.organloftslc.com/faces/te...t_movies.faces
Absolutely the best in makup.... along with his son Lon Chaney Jr.... Loved Phantom of the Opera! Lon Sr died of a throat hemorrhage... (OMG) Wiki says his grave is still unmarked. Lon Jr ended up with throat cancer just like his dad but died of liver failure... Both greats in monster films! Chaney Jr is thus the only actor to portray all four of Universal's major monsters: Wolf Man; Frankenstein Monster; Mummy; and Dracula
Guest
Originally Posted by Danny62
Hw as a fasinating man. Did you see his bio/movie starring James Cagney? Wow, he was something. It was funny, sad cute, and very informative. Both his parents were deaff. (i think Carol Burnette has deaf family too and that's why she does the ear thing.) Talking movies didn't destroy him but he was more a marvel in the silent films.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is also worth a look.
Renowned Death Hag
My favorite movie of Lon Chaney is The Unknown with Joan Crawford.
Just play the first minute at the gypsy circus as the no armed knife thrower (Lon) heaves 'em at a beautiful Joan Crawford circa 1927)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=3
The story line is something that would make O Henry proud. A reviewer "One of the great silent films of all time. It was also one of the most offbeat psychological dramas ever produced by a major studio, especially one such as MGM. The collaboration between director/writer Tod Browning, himself a one time circus performer, and the intense performance by Lon Chaney, was a thing of magic.
Alonzo (Lon Chaney) is an armless knife-thrower in a gypsy circus, known as "Alonzo, The Armless Wonder." He's really not armless, but has his arms strapped to his sides to appear limbless since he wishes to hide his identity from the cops. He's a career criminal on the run who with his cohort Cojo (John George), and continues to commit robberies while touring with the circus. Cojo is the only one who knows his secret and is the only friend he has. Alonzo is able to fling the knives with the toes of his feet, and his assistant Nano (Joan Crawford) is the target. She's the beautiful daughter of the circus owner and ringmaster, Zanzi (Nick de Ruiz).
Alonzo has become obsessed with Nano, and would do anything in the world for her love. He would also, he tells Cojo, do anything he could to someone who takes her away from him. Nano has a bit of a psychological problem, she can't stand any man who puts their arms around her or who tries to touch her. She feels very safe with Alonzo and they develop an affectionate bond of friendship, where she feels good hugging him. The circus strongman Malabar (Kerry) also compulsively loves her and won't take no for an answer, but he keeps putting his arms around her as she pushes him away.
Zanzi doesn't trust Alonzo and when he sees his daughter alone with him again, his anger builds because he feels he is putting "ideas" in his daughter's head. In a fit of rage he beats Alonzo with a whip until Malabar puts a stop to it and receives the thanks of Alonzo. But one evening Zanzi again confronts Alonzo, this time in the dark shadows nearby Nano's wagon and he notices that Alonzo has arms. This causes Alonzo to strangle him to death, but Nano could only see that the strangler had two thumbs on one hand.
Realizing that he can't marry her if he has arms, Alonzo decides to have them cut off. Alonzo blackmails a doctor (Lanning) into doing the procedure. But when he returns to see Nano, she tells him that she overcame her fear of having a man put her arms around her and will marry Malabar.
The film builds to its bizarre ending as Alonzo plans to tear off the strongman's arms during his act, where the horse runs on a treadmill and the strongman holds back the horse's reins with the strength of both arms. This was a gruesome and scary scene, as Alonzo rigged the treadmill.
"The Unknown" is a tightly made film, with a sinister plot and a startling and intense performance by Chaney. The film presents an excellent study of character, even though its theme is morbid and boiling with hatred."
Renowned Death Hag
ah yes, the best part of the movie is the look on Chaney's face when -after having his arms amputated so as to get with Crawford (Zanzi) she tells him 'good news, i am over my fear of a man with arms.'
Check out The Unholy Three sometime.
Renowned Death Hag
i've seen parts of both the silent and the soundie version. they made some amazing pics back then. i use to think it was just charlie chaplan/buster keaton that was worthwhile during the silent era but the unholy three is a keeper!
Lon was an ARTIST, a genious.(he scared the crap out of me when i was a kid, though)
i love his work in Phantom of the opera and West of Zanzibar that was directed by Freaks and Dracula director Tod Browning. i wish i could see more of Lon movies.
Lon was an ARTIST, a genious.(he scared the crap out of me when i was a kid, though
i love his work in Phantom of the opera and West of Zanzibar that was directed by Freaks and Dracula director Tod Browning. i wish i could see more of Lon movies.
I heard a few were lost or destroyed?
What a waste!!
I heard "London After Midnight" was one of them??
Yep just found this:
The last known print of the film was stored by MGM in Vault #7. In 1965, an electrical fire broke out in the vault that destroyed countless films from the silent era, including this last known print. However, rumors persist that one copy of the film may exist in a private collection in Canada and that the owner has declined to bring the print forward for preservation.
What a jerk!!!!!
It always made me sad, even as a kid, to see them treat him so mean. Just because he was ugly, like the elephant man, I almost walked out of the show when that guy was beating him.
Renowned Death Hag
Johnny - I watched the clip you linked to. Dang! It was just getting good when it went off. I'll scour around and look for the whole thing. After your description, I've just got the see the ending!
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Renowned Death Hag
I know, I kind of got hooked. The scene in which Lon realizes he cut off his arms for no reason was cited by Burt Lancaster as the most powerful scene he had ever witnessed.
Lon was much more talented than his son. i think that he really was looking forward to star in DRACULA, but he died and BELA LUGOSI played the role(perfectly).
Thats an interesting point...I wonder if Bela would have had a career in films if it wasn't for Dracula? A big probably not!
And Lon, still the thought of how he would have Done Dracula could have been wonderful!!
We will never know but Lon never failed to make a mark when he did a film!
And Back To Bela, he was amazing at Dracula!!!
Renowned Death Hag
i have this portrait at the top of my stairs. it is/was the singlemost frightening sight i'd ever had. this makeup was incredible. i developed the biggest affair and love with the phantom of the opera after that.
pull the string!
Guest
Guest
This is my favourite Lon Chaney photo. I've never seen another like it. He shunned signing autographs and avoided the public. And yet, here he is signing an autograph for a lucky serviceman. I think Lon's face shows his true feelings...
I believe films of that era were printed on nitrate, which is highly flammable and if not stored under proper atmospheric conditions, will eventually deteriorate into powder.
I don't know if this true or not but I've read that Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, was inspired to create Joker's face based upon the still below from "London After Midnight". The resemblance is striking.
Here's a cool Lon Chaney tribute!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhC7f...eature=related
And, yes, his grave is unmarked... why is that???
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...ge=gr&GRid=189
Lon Chaney in "Oubliette"- 1914
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvhyCqsfQTY
One of Lon's earliest surviving films. I wish we had more of this great actor.
A legend for sure! It's awful that his grave is unmarked! Not sure if it still is true, but 'The Unholy Three' and 'Laugh clown laugh' WERE available in full on either youtube or dailymotion! There is a youtube channel with lots of free silent films - Valentino, Bara etc.
Laugh Clown Laugh gives me the creeps...
One comment on this YouTube video states.... "The clip ends abruptly because the final few feet of film with the original fadeout are missing from the only existing print. For the reconstructed DVD release, a "The End" title was added from another MGM silent film."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYyYryr85jc
It is quite creepy! Chaney's makeup is effective as usual. It's ironic how clowns are supposed to make people laugh, but most people find them sinister.
I used to have a hardback book called surprisingly 'Lon Chaney:The man of a thousand faces'. It was heavily illustrated with pics of his many guises.
Love the pics! Amazing how talented he was. Pity today it is all cgi. Chaney's dedication and preparations for his roles were fantastic!
Indeed... Genius...
Renowned Death Hag
Just watched a documentary about him.
He was like the first method actor.
You are quite correct on both points. The other really nasty thing about nitrate film is that when it does catch fire, it goes up with almost explosive force AND puts out very toxic fumes. Projectionists were told to hit the deck and crawl out on their stomachs if a reel in a projector caught fire.
Projection rooms in old theaters frequently have concrete walls and metal doors for this reason.
I saw this movie a long time ago. Very good movie and thought Cagney did an excellent job.
He's the reason I developed a late in life clown fear. I read his quote "A clown is funny in the circus ring, but what would be the normal reaction to opening a door at midnight and finding the same clown standing there in the moonlight?"
Yeah. That did it for me.
Also, I just found out that he was evidently born in a tiny tiny town just east of Columbus, not far from me.
Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera- 1925
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8rygSHtigk
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8mq3...eature=related
Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDtOV...eature=related
Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAnZB...eature=related
Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NHUX...eature=related
Part 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgU5D...eature=related
Part 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36a0...eature=related
Part 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mLkr...eature=related
Part 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDevh...eature=related
Part 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO0Dx...eature=related
Part 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSVCh...eature=related
Just wanted to wish him a belated Happy Birthday. (it was yesterday, April 1) I think he would have been 105, I think I am right. (Please correct me if I am wrong) I went to go visit his grave this past weekend, still unmarked. I am trying to find out why after all these years, he is still unmarked. So far, no luck.
I thought Cagney did a good job in te biopic, but whomever did his make-up for the Phantom sequence shoulda been fired. It's hilariously bad..
Renowned Death Hag
Lon Chaney was buried in an umarked grave because he favored anonymity off the screen. Put TELL IT TO THE MARINES on your list to see. It does have some corn in it but Chaney and William Haines do a brilliant job with the material. William Haines is one of the must unjustly forgotten actors. WAY OUT WEST has some writing problems but Haines was great in it.
"Everybody is born, and everybody dies. Being born wasn't so bad , was it?"
Peter the Hermit
Senior Death Hag
Can anyone recommend a good Chaney biography that would include accurate details of his marriages, particularly his first marriage ? I??ve read Jeanine Basinger??s chapter on Chaney in Silent Stars, but that book (informative though it is) concentrates more on his film career. Based on what I??ve read about Chaney, I doubt a lot of what is shown in Man of a Thousand Faces. The final scene, of a dying Chaney giving his makeup kit to his son, is certainly questionable. Lon preferred that his son learn a trade that would guarantee steady work and a stable income, which (as Lon Jr. was soon to find out) acting didn??t. Even if Lon DID want his son to act, there was never any indication that either father or son wanted to continue the ??Thousand Faces? tradition. Lon Jr. certainly went out of his way early in his career to establish his own identity and later remarked ??the studios had to starve me to get me to work using the name ??Lon Chaney Jr.?? ?? (he wanted to act using his real name Creighton Chaney). Wonder what Lon Jr. thought of Thousand Faces; if a lot of that ??biographical? movie was fiction it??s no wonder he drank so much, since that movie was just as much about HIS life as it was about his father. Cagney??s makeup was certainly inferior to Chaney??s standards, which to me is rather ironic. Cagney??s makeup people didn??t ??go as far? as Chaney did with his own makeup, which really isn??t much of a tribute to the man after all, is it ?
I??ve read that Lon Sr. wasn??t at all a moody loner or anti-social, he just preferred (given the experience of an unhappy first marriage, spousal suicide attempt and messy divorce) to keep his personal life away from the studio??s publicity agents & departments , and away from the media of the day (magazines/newspapers).
Junior Death Hag
There probably are not any good Chaney bios out there, and unless the family in Colorado writes one, there may never be one. As for being a moody loner, anti-social etc., some people just prefer to keep work separate from personal life. JR was great as Lenny in "Of Mice and Men", but the rest of his stuff was cheese.
Lon Chaney to me is one of the best of all time. I saw alot of his silent movies and he just blows me away on each one. When he plays the role of Alonzo - the armless wonder and he's in love with Joan Crawford he gave me chills. I could see why Burt Lancaster couldn't forget the ending. The man was phenomnal.
Death Hag
You probably already know this, but it's always worth remembering (and I have to force myself to do this, too), that ALL biopics are fictionalized stories of the subjects' lives. Every one. And the further back in time you go, the more fanciful they become.
And having said that, I agree with the above that unless a bio came out by a family member, what we have is about all we're gonna get. There might be some interesting stuff from his life before he became an actor. But from what I understaind, during his acting career, once his work was over, he just went home. He was not someone who cared much for the social scene.
Senior Death Hag
Chaney said of himself: "When the camera stops, there is no Lon Chaney."
Senior Death Hag
As Louise Brooks pointed out in one interview, the Studios would often destroy the nitrate films for their silver content, regardless of the film??s condition.
If you have James Card's Seductive Cinema in your local library, read it - he described (without turning into "Mister Science") just what happens to nitrate film over time. This link below describes some film-stock fires that resulted in losses of many films. If there's any chance of any "lost" silents being rediscovered, it'll probably be outside of the USA. Most US Studios back then didn't bother to have the films sent back to the US after the films made the rounds of theatres in Europe, South America, etc.
http://fan.tcm.com/_Vault-and-Nitrat...284/66470.html
Chaney wasn??t anti-social. I think it's more an issue of Chaney trying to maintain control over the details of his personal life, and keeping the Studio Publicity agents from expoliting his off-hours, publicizing him and his family in ways beyond his control. Same with Garbo. Both were repulsed at the idea that the studio ??owned? them ?? we groomed you for stardom, we made you and we can break you (LB Mayer??s words to Luise Rainer). Garbo??s sister died unexpectedly - MGM wouldn't allow Garbo to return to Sweden for the funeral! What were her relatives back home supposed to do, keep the corpse on ice indefinitely? I think MGM did the same thing when Jean Harlow??s grandfather died ?? refused to let her go back (to Missouri?) for his funeral. You don't forget crap like that at Contract time, and you don't allow anyone to mistreat you. MGM probably did damage-control on themselves by spreading the word that Chaney was anti-social, Garbo was exotically tempermental, etc., rather than let the truth get out.
Loved Lon Chaney, the man with a thousand faces. I can't watch Phantom of the Opera as this was the movie I was watching at age 15 as I sat in my parents bedroom when I heard a sound I will never in my life forget. My Dad had pneumonia and had been quite ill and my Mother was fast asleep. When I heard this sound I jumped up to check on my Dad only to find that he had passed away in his sleep and what I had heard was the death rattle.
I will watch Lon Chaney in any other movie, but not this one. I think you death hags understand how something like this stays with you, even now that I am the Grandmother of grandchildren in college.
He will forever be known for his brilliant acting and incredible makeup.
Here is some more info on the last days of Lon Chaney Sr...
http://greatentertainersarchives.blo...chaney-sr.html
I am not a guru on silent films but he was a genius.
Renowned Death Hag
Lon Chaney pere did not like talking films. Chaney was the son of deaf parents and believed a cinema playing a silent film was the only place deaf people could be equal with all others. The fact that Chaney grew up with deaf parents made him a superb silent film actor.
"Everybody is born, and everybody dies. Being born wasn't so bad , was it?"
Peter the Hermit
Renowned Death Hag
As a person who has a speech impediment(Stutters)
I so enjoy all the old silent film stars like Lon Chaney
and many others.
To be able just to act out all the things without
talking.
Carolyn(1958-2009) always in my heart.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
