Thanks everyone for the kind words. We hope you will join us for a LIVE Lon Chaney Q&A where we will dig deeper into the man with a 1000 faces. 29th April - time TBD
I haven't watched this yet but I'm going to in just a few. Before I do, I want to thank you for putting this together. Whenever someone asks me who my favorite actor is, without hesitation I always say Lon Chaney. They say who? Then I get excited to show them youtube videos and this will be another if they got the time. I always say he was 1 of Hollywood's most talented actors who set the stage for others to only imagine following an act like he could do. If ever there were a performer who displayed the humanity in the underdog, was the man of a 1000 faces. With just one take, he could show the camera all the Greek masks with stunning reality that even though silent, the laughter, crying, anger, joy and despair could be heard in expression and often times, sign language. Though he never got the girl, I know he did in real life, however his heart was concerned for the handicapped and misunderstood members of society. He could bring out the good side of a villain, culturally different or freak of nature. Johnny Depp is probably the closest we have to a modern Lon Chaney, but with due respect, there will never be another artist, actor, makeup man, dancer, director, pantomime and recluse of the silver screen. The man of mystery. The man of a thousand faces. Lon Chaney.
@DCR Thank you so much for the videos I've had the gift of watching from your channel. Quality in every frame. All these actors are not given the credit they deserve. They created everything modern Hollywood built on in later decades. It's amazing how great film and society was when it had a soul? Not just a empty product created by committees. Film and our society is now fake and hollow. A people's culture is a reflection of the society they live in and accept. Lon Chaney? Another actor who is more than an actor = it was in every cell in his body.
The biggest tragedy of all is that so many of Chaney’s early works have been lost forever. Hundreds of old movies have deteriorated past the point of restoration, or lost in a studio fire many years ago. We will never be able to enjoy many of these old treasures that once existed.
I wanted to see London after midnight, since I saw pictures from it in a kids book about the cinematic history of dracula in the school library when I was in fourth grade back in 79. I was so disappointed how many decades later, when I found out it only existed in stills. Kuz, lon Chaney's version of a vampire in that movie, with the gigantic row of crocodile, or piranha teeth, and that fukkin undertaker's hat!!!...just seeing that picture scared the hell out of my 9 yr old brain, more than Bela Lugosi, or even Christopher Lee!(believe it or not)!
Yes, but what's survived is more than enough to ensure his reputation. Beethoven died having completed nine symphonies. No-one considers it a tragedy he didn't live longer in order to compose ten or fifteen. What he left behind is more than enough - and better than most. Same thing for Chaney. For all we know, some of his lost films might have been total garbage. Contemporary reviews suggest that "London After Midnight" wasn't a particularly good film and a step down from Chaney's usual high standards. Full disclosure: I have the same birthday as Chaney - and the two of us share that birthday with Toshiro Mifune, Rachmaninoff, and Otto von Bismarck! 😸 Have a safe, swell, and interesting week. Best wishes from Vermont. 🍁
@@TheStockwell I also heard it wasn't particularly good story. And that the super scary vampire he portrayed was not a real vampire in the story, but some kinda rues or something, it was more of a detective story than actual horror. But, still, it would've been nice to see it, at least for historical value. And, he did play a dual role of sorts. Man of 1000 faces! True! Nothing, but true. No one else can claim that title. And, you have the same birthday? That's freekin awesome! Bless ya, bro!...and happy Halloween!
@@genohskn440 You know how Orson Welles fans waited for decades to see a restored/completed version of "The Other Side of the Wind"? When it was finally released, the reaction to it was, "We've been waiting all this time - for this?" I have a sneaking suspicion that the Chaney film, if discovered in an archive, would get the same reaction. This Halloween season I've been wallowing in the classics, things like the 1922 "Nosferatu" - a century old, but it still packs a punch, at least in the BFI/Kevin brownlow restoration. Boo to you, from Vermont! 🎃
I believe more are coming around to them thanks to their public domain status and the fact you can do now do more research on these older films thanks to digitizing of older film magazines (thousands of them are on archive.org).
My dad used to say that Lon would show up outside the studio's and look at the board that announced what sorts of 'characters' were needed at the studio that day. He would plunk down with his make-up kit, create that character, and make his way in to audition for it...!
Haven't u seen the academy award winning film of the Legendary gangster actor James Cagney playing as Lon Chaney in the film biopic: The man Of A Thousand Faces???? It's soooo good!!!! If it a Chaney fan then ur crazy if u haven't seen it especially considering James Cagney playing it who is the original Robert De Niro/Al Pacino/Joe/Pesci actor were they all got they're talent from , even Michael Jackson stole some of his dance ideas from James Cagney❤
@@maralinekozial9131 Yes, for sure I've seen it and grew up with Cagney movies. He was a helluva lot more interesting to me than Pacino, DeNiro and Pesci - all one-trick pony's in my view (and could never play Chaney!). I met Pesci once and he is exactly what you see on screen, an annoying nasty little shit. Didn't know that about Michael Jackson, very cool!
The reason he was so outstanding, besides his make up and overall dedication to his roles was that, while other actors learned to perform for the stage, Chaney learned to perform for every day life. He was making those changes in posture and expression just when chatting with his parents. As such, he developed an understanding that even the most subtle of changes can alter an entire performance. He knew this better than anyone.
I saw The Phantom on the big screen with a live pipe organist at the Lowes in New Jersey, and realized that the silent film era was actually quite state of the art! The organ pipes were built into the walls and it was loud! The music was composed to be synchronized with the movie, like when the girl is tip-toing down the stairs, each step timed with a descending note, or that horribly dissonant chord when she pulls his mask off, ect... Lon Chaney, what an amazing and tragic story.
I have to add: 1994 I sat in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco watching Phantom w/Lon Chaney, accompanied by a live organist. It was pure magic! I kept forgetting the music was live & some parts were improvised by the organist. I would look over and see the dark figure at the organ &, well, it was a bit mind-blowing to be honest. A memory I will never ever forget!
The fact Chaney applied his own make up is just both amazing and just mind blowing! Actors nowadays don’t even compare to this absolute icon and legend!
Frankenstein, yes! But in the case of Dracula could he have done a convincing accent to help us believe he is a count of Romanian heritage as did Bela Lugosi?
Funny, I was just thinking that Chaney actually looked a bit like Karloff. And with all the makeup-and-pathos parts Karloff did in the 30s, he was in a way Chaney's successor. Unfortunately the vogue for Chaney-like films was mostly dead by then.
We did get a glimpse into what his Dracula might have appeared in his "vampire-parody" character in London After Midnight. I would suggest trading in the "sawtooth" look (on both jaws) for the traditional set on the upper jaw, but I'm not the one doing his makeup - just IMHO.
I wish they would remake one of Lon Chaney movies like the unholy Three instead of remaking 80's movies it ridiculous the 80s was not that long ago. Why remake them?
Lon Chaney was in the talkie version of this film. I believe it was his first non silent movies and he did not disappoint us with the change! He had the kind of voice you hear in movie about mobsters.
I have always loved Lon Chaney and appreciated this. Sadly, the Phantom soundstage at Universal has been gone since 2014 and the set itself is probably lost as it was so fragile.
I once had the pleasure of speaking with Patsy Ruth Miller, who played Esmeralda in the Hunchback of Norte Dame, over the phone. She was one amazingly nice lady. My cousin was contributing editing duties to her biography. She even inscribed it for me. ❤️
She really was. I was a freshman in college at the time. She gave me some good, albeit basic, advice on writing. My cousin, Jeffrey Carrier, included a transcription of one of their phone conversations in the inner flaps of the dust cover. She preferred to be called Mrs. Deans. So as it happens that’s what I called her. He actually wrote a few film actor biographies, including one on Vincent Price, although I don’t know if he actually had finished that one as Mr. Price had died during. Jeff sent me a copy of a handwritten note from Mr. Price. I was totally shocked because the man’s phone number was actually on it. Impulse was to call it. I was sooo tempted. But Mr. Price was alive at that time and still working with Jeff on the book and I didn’t want to do anything that would’ve harmed their relationship. I wish I’d done it anyway. Just a few months later Mr. Price would pass away. I’ve always regretted no calling him.
This was excellent. There's something amazing about being able to see footage from all these old (or lost) performances that you don't get from a book or magazine. Thank you.
The leg Double in "The Unknown" was a WW1 veteran who lost both arms during the war, and thus developed (for lack of a better term) Educated Feet. Using his feet as his hands for the rest of his life. Unfortunately the name of that veteran has been lost to time.
Even sadder is the fact that few of the vast number of movies he made still exist. They were all filmed on nitrate in those days, and because film-preservation wasn't then a priority for most studios, the majority of Chaney's film deteriorated and disintegrated over time. Unless an unexpected copy turns up somewhere (as was the case with "The Penalty"--long believed to be lost), most of his films are lost for all time.
@@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526 wonderful! I'll look up the found footage of Salome! Yes I also believe anything is possible! I have seen Metropolis with lost footage restored they found a few years ago. Wonderful! Let's hope much more is found!♥️♥️
I recall that offstage bit of film of Chaney (in civilian clothes) at the mock up of Notre Dame, hopping up and briefly hanging off the facade, then dropping back to the ground and immediately taking a Quasimodo hunched-over posture in movement. Working out his interpretation before our eyes. Fascinating! Many people have remarked about Chaney's physical grace. I think I can partly explain this. Chaney stretched and contorted his body much like a ballet dancer does, so it would be natural that his grace of movement would result from this. Yes, Chaney--genius!--still lives!
I presume many other people have already commented on the fact the Phantom of the Opera set is no longer standing. (I haven't had a chance to go thru all of the comments, but it seems logical someone may've already mentioned that.) I was able to spend some time on that set during my investigations on other Universal films, research that i was spending a lot of time undertaking in the late 70's/early 80's. I was given pretty much carte blanche to wander around the lot and onto stages and could chat, informally with all kinds of people who'd been at the studio for decades. That opera house set was something else indeed.
I am a big Lon Chaney fan, and I am glad to see that people are still interested in him and his films. I knew that he was big in his day, but I never knew that he was the most popular male actor, so that is pretty amazing and communicates a lot about that era. They certainly do not make actors like Lon Chaney anymore.
If there are any Marines reading, a Marine friend of mine surprised me one day when I was telling him about the Chaney movie, as he said that they were required to watch it at some point during basic training. I'd be curious to know if that is/was policy, or whether it was a whim in good taste on the part of the brass. *If* you get someone today who knows who Lon Chaney was, you're generally having to say "No, not the guy that played the Wolfman...his father." I'm nowhere near Michael F. Blake, but I'm absolutely fascinated by Lon Chaney, and will watch anything of his that remains, just to watch him work.
I remember the lightning-swift changes of demeanor in his films, as in "The Unknown" and "The Unholy Three", his face went gently kind to blazing with menace; Speaking of "The Unholy Three", IT, being his only sound picture, hints at his versatility with VOICES...A true American TREASURE was what Lon Chaney was, and that's why he will always be my FAVORITE motion picture actor.
I already love silent movies and know a lot about them, this tribute to Mr. Chaney was done with the care and dedication that he so richly deserves. Thank you for all of your hard work!
Great job of telling the world the depth of this fascinating man - I was shocked when learning that he died at 49; so many of his characters look far older than that. Thank you for putting in all the time and effort to produce something so worthwhile and well done.
Actually he was 47 when he died in 1930, his grave is at the Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetary. for unknown reasons his burial remains unmarked.
Excellent! I am really only familiar with Chaney from a relative handful of his movies. It surprised me to learn that he had written and directed several shorts... and then saddened me to learn that none of these works are known to survive. It has been suggested that Chaney's best films were made before his collaboration with Tod Browning; and that Browning's best films came after his work with Chaney (a biography of Browning would be nice, don't you think?) On a final note, I'm slightly surprised you did not mention the oft-repeated... though certainly anecdotal... story of the boy who told people not to step on a spider because "it might be Lon Chaney". Keep up the amazing work.
If the Oscars were held at that time, he would have won at least two..this man was an extraordinary actor..his situation just like Chadwick Boseman...so young, so sad, and yes, unique! This was excellent!! I only know about this actor because of the film Man of a Thousand Faces starring James Cagney as Lon Chaney...love that film!
What a terrific, insightful video essay - so informative and appreciative of this great actor. Thanks so much. Would you consider in future doing a similar piece on his son - an actor who had a complex, complicated life, both onscreen and off, and who deserves an in-depth, sympathetic analysis.
I'm just ribbing you, he was an actor who's ability has been dimmed with time. My happiness is that his performances are able to be rediscovered through the internet today, nice piece btw.. ..
To be honest -- I find all of these videos so fascinating, so very well done -- I find myself forgetting to "like" them. Perhaps the best stuff on youtiube. I intend to view ALL of your content I can access...
he wouldn't be allowed to do most of the stunts & CGI would have made him just another good actor; he was special then because virtually no one else did what he did
This guy was great actor is on cracked the way he can do his body like that it reminds me of what my grandmother told me about what he did to himself by Twisted self he'll always be remembered he's not going to be forgotten that's one thing we're not going to do is forget people that died not just him but John Wayne Peter o tools . all , you are the great ones the ones that me Hollywood when it's now I'm always lead to the end of time
Unrequited love seems to be the most common theme of all of Chaney's films. It makes one wonder how that may have been something too-often experienced in his life.
My wife and I watch a lot of films from the early 30s and whenever one has a plot line of the older man losing the girl to a young whippersnapper, we say it's like a Chaney film.
No offense intended, but he didn't write the films he was in. The theme of unrequited love in his films was something he and MGM knew he was good at doing on screen. Chaney also specialized in playing people who had disfigurations and deformities. That doesn't mean he was actually missing limbs in real life. 😬
@@TheStockwell I didn't suggest that he did. The fact that he was good at portraying sorrow-driven, unloved characters may have had something to do with his own life experiences. That was all I was saying.
What a fantastic look at the life and career of Lon Chaney! I never knew much about his filmography beyond his well known horror roles. This video is an invaluable resource for those(like myself) who seek to educate themselves on this remarkable actor. Thank you very much for all the hard working folks at Dark Corners Reviews for bringing us such informative videos.
"London After Midnight" was pieced together some time ago. And apart from Chaney's incredible make-up, it was pretty bad. The 1935 remake was better -- though not much. "Hunchback" and "Phantom" are my two favorites, though of course, he was fantastic in all the non-"horror" roles. Farewell, to one of the all-time greats.
Ah,that was just a photo recreation.Not the film itself. The material can be better in stills than as movie picture (look at Nazimova's Salome) but in other occasions not. I agree that must likely it was not a Nosferatu or Cabinet of Dr Caligari, but maybe it was a fun film like The Cat and the canary (a horror comedy with good cinematography). Mark of the vampire was flawed but had a great atmosphere.And according to some reviewers from '31 some scenes from Dracula were identical to the ones from London after midnight. It would be very fun to compare London after Midnight,1931 Dracula and Mark of the Vampire .All done by the same director.
A wonderful tribute to Lon Chaney and all of his films. I learned a lot about his lesser known films, which is a credit to the amount of hard work Dark Corners puts into these retrospective videos. Thanks very much guys for keeping Chaney's legacy alive.
I think what makes Chaney stand out is his versatility. As you say, he was a character actor, and his talent with make up helped him transform into whatever was needed. He imbued them with such a sense of humanity that we can't help but feel for them and remember them. And even if you don't consider him a horror actor (which you make a good argument for) he was undoubtedly influential as the genre began to grow. I think there's something to him resisting the change to talking pictures as a CODA. Though it seems obvious in retrospect I learned how devastating the change was to Deaf people -- especially those who worked in the industry -- once I began learning about Deaf culture as I was learning to become an interpreter. I don't know if there's been a lot of scholarship about it, but it's something worth examining, I think. We may never know for sure, but it was such a huge step forward and backward at the same time.
An absolutely fantastic documentary about the legendary Lon Chaney. I enjoyed every second and I'm sure I'll watch it again as it's gone straight into my favourites!
Very well done, indeed! I particularly enjoyed the film clips (especially those from lost works), movie posters, and treasured photos of Lon and the people from his life that accompanied this interesting narrative. He was a Silent Era treasure whose influence still speaks volumes today to an appreciative audience. An old Hollywood saying was, "Don't step in it, for it might be Lon Chaney!"
This was worth the wait guys. You've taken us back in time and allowed us to see the genius of a man that changed film forever. even today I can see the influence of Chaney in the silent performances of Christopher Lee , the characters of Peter Sellers, or the FX make up of Tom Savini ( who named his son Lon after Chaney ). You gentlemen are right, Lon Chaney shall never die. It is believed that by some Indian tribes that when a man has so greatly touched the world he can never know death, he can only become legend.
Very well done. Excellent use of facts and personal opinion. I love the fact that you touch on the idea that many people are fans especially of Chaney simply for the fact that photos of his characters are so impressive and unmistakably recognizable.
How were you worried about this?! This was absolutely fantastic, and that’s coming from someone not familiar enough with Lon Chaney to call myself a fan. I thought this was brilliant, very in depth and very interesting. Seriously well done.
Thanks Ben, I think there was just a lot of things Robin wanted to say, that he couldn't. That is why we will be doing a live stream later in the month to cover some of the other aspects.
Chaney did films until the remake of the unholy three in 1830 was the first choice to play the man who laughs in 1928 but turned it down he was making London After Midnight in¹927 at MGM in which Conrad Veidt played the role under the makeup by the legendary Jack P Piece who was inspired by Chaney's own makeup creations Chaney was the first choice for Dracula but he died four days before the film began production of broional cancer by bleeding ! Shocked the film world his son Lon Chaney Jr did films from 1932-1971 died in 1973,some as Glenn Strange, Chaney Jr died on July 12, 1973, and Glenn Strange died September 20, 1973!
Don't you just wish you was able to just shake this man's hand or just sit in a nice conversation to ask what are your next ideals....I'm like shit I use to watch those old classic movies growing up in the 70's and those was some damn good movies the things this man went through and to became the genius for all of his performances this was really breath taking ....
Like many others, I'm one who first heard of Lon Chaney thru FMOF magazine. A pity the magazine could never get beyond the old classics, but it didn't. Even so, thanks Forry Ackerman, and thanks for this great video.
You have to wonder if Jaquine Pheonix watched He who gets slapped for his role in the Joker. B/c his ability to convey emotions and pain was pretty amazing also
One again, this site has demonstrated the ability to evolve when it comes to presenting not just the (quite amusing) "bad" films, but the history of selected aspects of cinema, itself. I truly enjoy these in-depth presentations, even if you have yet to do "The Wild World" of Batwoman" (old joke).
Interesting. Saw this video in my recommends list and decided to give it a shot. Glad I did. It is true that whenever I thought of Lon Chaney, it was the phantom. I thought of him as a silent horror star like Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff. Now I see he was much more than that, although he most certainly had the stripe for the macabre.
I gotta admit, when I clicked on this video (recommended to me after watching a bunch of Cinemassacre's "Monster Madness") I didn't think it would be that interesting. Lon Chaney was always a huge name for me and I knew he's probably THE most influential actor of the silent era. But I thought I already saw/heard enough about him to know what place in cinematic history he has. After watching this video, I realized how little I actually knew about Chaney's very diverse career (seems like, I know much more about his son Lon Chaney Jr). I was one of those people who only saw him as the horror icon with lots of make-up plastered on his face. But his skills went far beyond that - not only being a great actor when it came to facial expressions, but also having incredible control over his body, combined with astounding acrobatic talent. So all I have left to say is: Thanks a lot! :-) I'm very happy that I've discovered this channel. Greetings from Germany! :-)
That’s the thing about these suggested videos! You start out with wine and soon you subscribe to 10 additional channels LOL But it’s not always the most watched videos that truly are the best. So I do appreciate RU-vid‘s algorithms sometimes.… Sometimes not LOL
This video makes me want to become a character actor. It is impractical to the point of irresponsibility at this point in my life, but this makes me want to mimic Mr Chaney in striving to express everything about an interesting fictional character through physical mobility and facial manipulation.
Would be lying if I said AVGN was not the inspiration for starting this channel, so to be compared favourably to James is great praise indeed. We do plan to do more of these, they just take a lot more time and research than one of our regular reviews.
This is brilliance. I've been a long term lover (not in that way - careful now!) of the channel for so long (yes: me love you long time), but this was absolutely excellent. Thank you.
Well done. The Silent cinema had/has an universal language,, like music. Hopefully more and more lost films will keep turning up, so they can live again. Finding a new audience in this and future generations, so they can experience the medium with wonder and awe, as did millions before them.
I saw Lon Chaney as Tito in Laugh, Clown, Laugh and his expression when he tries to kill himself because he's fallen in love with his adopted daughter was so heartbreaking, it really stuck with me
He's an inspiration to various special effects people in modern times. I'm sure the special effects wizard behind John Carpenter's The Thing, mentioned him
A very well made video, my dear. We were able to follow his life and career, and I found myself emotionally involved. I even shed a couple of tears when you got to the part of his passing. Excellent work.
Great tribute! Yes, I too got that Robert Anderson book, FACES, FORMS, FILMS when I learned of it around 1970, that was a stepping stone for me, after reading FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine.
Seeing a few FMoF magazines in my youth, I never saw any of Chaney's work beyond those still pictures and video fragments you've collected into this well done look into a Hollywood legend, at least his fans surely see him as one. Thank you for these longer videos you do, I always think the reviews are just too short!
nice job here, probably my favorite actor, shame that only about 1/3 of his film survive today. he famously said "in between my films there is no Lon Chaney"
I just want to say a massive thank you for taking the time to research,edit and voice these vidoes. Am a massive horror fan and have been enjoying watching your documentarys. Thank you
Sou de 1955, mês de Agosto. Logicamente, a rapaziada da minha época, em sua maioria, conheceu primeiramente o Lon Chaney Jr. Mas ao sabermos que o cara tinha um pai também ator, fica a curiosidade de saber à respeito do seu genitor. Até esse vídeo, eu não sabia nada sobre o Lon Chaney Pai. E posso opinar, que o cara foi melhor que o filho! Pena que morreu cedo. Hollywood perdeu, e nós também. Espero ainda ver outros filmes desse grande ator. Até aqui, só assisti ao Fantasma da Ópera, e O Corcunda de Notre Dame.
Interesting, thoroughly entertaining and informative tribute to LC. A very pleasant, enthusiastic narration as well. I learned much that I had been unaware of before, and I have read at least one biography of LC, so I am somewhat familiar with the subject. Well done! I have just one issue and it's not meant as a criticism, but merely a point of accuracy. My understanding has always been that Lon Chaney is known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces". I'll humbly stand corrected if I'm mistaken about that.
