A Thousand Faces

A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney’s Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures

As a magician once said, nothing is as it seems. Less than a year after publication of his biography of Lon Chaney, author/makeup artist Michael F. Blake uncovered a wealth of new material that had remained boxed up in a family’s garage.

Introduced to the children and grandchildren of Chaney’s former business manager, Alfred Grasso, a box containing unbelievable rare material was given to Blake to examine. In the case of Chaney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, it rewrote film history. It was always believed for decades that Irving Thalberg, then in charge of production at Universal Studios, had made the decision to film Victor Hugo’s novel with Chaney as the star. Instead, the material, which contained letters, telegrams and contracts, show that it was Chaney’s idea to make the film – not Thalberg.

Realizing this material was too good for a mere magazine article that would get heavily edited, Blake chose to write another book on Chaney, focusing on his performances and films. Along the way in researching and writing, Blake’s first book opened the doors for him to speak with other workers and performers who had either refused interviews or were simply overlooked.

A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney’s Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures offers a wealth of new material and the book is a solid companion piece to Blake’s wonderful biography.

Praise for A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney’s Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures:

“This book is a sound complement to the first, augmented by Mr. Blake’s professional expertise.” – Washington Times

“It is a bright and informative companion volume rather than an exercise in redundancy… Recommended.” – Choice

“A Thousand Faces should secure and expand Chaney’s lasting reputation as one of the most innovative talents of early Hollywood movie-making.” – Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“If you’re a Lon Chaney fan and want the facts, read Blake’s books.” – VideoScope

Library Journal

Lon Chaney Photo Gallery

About Lon Chaney

Any chance London After Midnight will show up?

Honestly, as we get closer to the film’s 100^th anniversary release, I doubt it. Back then films were released on nitrate film stock and the shelf life for those prints, even in the best conditions, is dicey. Supposedly, the only known print at MGM was destroyed when several film vaults caught fire in the late 1960s. (Nitrate film stock is highly flammable.) I am always hopeful a print may surface, as we have seen several films from Lon’s days at Universal (1913-18) recently come to light. I think the odds of an existing print of London After Midnight surviving is pretty slim.

Being a makeup artist came in handy in describing how Chaney created his famous makeups. What was the biggest revelation for you?

How simple, yet effective everything was. His makeups used what was available at the time, mostly carry-overs from the theatre. I was fortunate to speak to Fred Phillips, a veteran makeup artist, who looked at photos and told me what Lon would have used. He actually knew Lon when he started as an apprentice at MGM. Cecil Holland’s book on makeup for the Screen, published in 1927, was a great reference. Holland was head of the makeup department at MGM back then and Lon wrote the preface for his makeup book.

How did you get interested in Lon Chaney?

I was 10 when I watched Man of a Thousand Faces on a local TV station, mainly to see my dad, who appeared in it. When it was over, I wanted a makeup case and wanted to know more about Lon Chaney.

Unfortunately, at that time there were no books written about him, and whatever information there was in any film books were limited to a paragraph at the most. Luckily for me, my dad was a member of an actor’s club in Hollywood, The Masquers, and some members had actually known and worked with Chaney. At the age of 12, I bombarded them with questions.

Most of Chaney’s films have not survived, correct?

Sadly, yes. Only 47 exist in complete or partial form, but in the past two decades, four of his early Universal films have come to light, so there is always hope we may find more missing films.

Of all the stories you have heard about Lon, what is your favorite?

One day on the MGM lot he was walking to his dressing room when he noticed some baby birds had fallen out of their near-by nest. He scooped them up and gently placed them back into their nest. As he climbed down he noticed actress Peggy Woods had been watching the whole thing. “Don’t say anything,” he pleaded. “Everyone thinks I’m so hard boiled I’ll never hear the end of it!”

The home video market allowed many to see Chaney’s films, some for the first time. Do you think that made him more accessible to people?

Absolutely! The video market allowed his existing MGM films to be available, although the vast majority were “bootleg” copies, some had awful quality. But a poor bootleg print of something you never had seen was better than nothing. The DVD market has been a boon to many silent film stars, as folks have access to many films that were only shown occasionally at a retrospective.

Was it easy to see Chaney’s films when you were a kid?

Not at all! There were no such things as home videos, no Turner Classic Movie channels. The first film I saw was Shadows on a PBS show called Toy That Grew Up. In Los Angeles we had the Silent Movie Theatre, where the owner occasionally showed some of Chaney’s films like Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Shock, Nomads of the North and Flesh and Blood. To see any of Lon’s MGM films back then was like finding the holy grail because they were rarely, if ever, shown. For my 15^th birthday, my dad rented a 16mm print of The Unholy Three, Chaney’s only talking picture. That was a big thing for me.

What are the top five missing Chaney films you’d like to see/find?

Thunder is one. What footage I have seen, makes me yearn for the complete film. After that, I’d have to say The Miracle Man, Treasure Island, A Blind Bargain and Tower of Lies.

What are your top five favorite Chaney films?

Tied for first place is While the City Sleeps and Tell It To the Marines. Those are, hands down, my two favorite films. The Unknown, The Penalty, The Unholy Three (talking version) and He Who Gets Slapped.

Why did you write three books on Lon Chaney?

Honestly, I never intended to write a book. Robert G. Anderson wrote a book on Lon in 1971, although it was very light on biographical material. But for a long time, it was the ONLY book on Chaney anyone could get their hands on. I started collecting information on Lon merely as a hobby. When I was working with Burt Lancaster on Tough Guys in 1986, and we talked a lot about Chaney. He urged me to write a book on Chaney.

Not long after that, I sat down and wrote three pages. It was the worst piece of crap I ever read. I tried to sound biographical. It was dreadful, just boring. I became frustrated, as Chaney deserved a good biography. A friend of mine, who heard me speak about Lon to a historical group, suggested I try writing like I was speaking to a person about Lon. After a few false starts, I gradually found my rhythm and “my voice.”

The biggest influence of my writing style was Kevin Brownlow, the great film historian. His writing style of informative and interesting, yet eschewing the academic dryness always impressed me. As far as film historians, he is my hero and greatest influence. I was a self-taught film historian, observing things when I worked on films, talking to people and reading works by Brownlow, Bob Thomas and Bosley Crowther. Kevin’s work, both in books and his great documentaries, is what inspired me to be a film historian.

My first book was greatly helped by two people: writer James Curtis and my wife. Jim has written several film biographies and one day sat down with me and went through my manuscript, praising the good work and brutally hard on the bad. He opened my eyes to things I never thought about as a biographical writer and was of immense help. My wife was equally helpful. She knew very little of film history, but loves movies. When she read the manuscript, she’d ask me questions I took for granted

To finally answer your question, I wanted to write a book about Lon Chaney for me, that 10-year old kid who was hungry to learn about this man. I also wanted to document the life of a remarkable artist and a man who has been a major influence in my life.

You never planned to write three books on Chaney?

Never. I thought the first book was it. I thought I had uncovered everything possible. Boy, was that a silly thought. Never say never, in this case, was very true. About six months after my book had been released, I was introduced to the family of Alfred Grasso, who was Chaney’s business manager in the early 1920s. Turns out they had letters, telegrams, and other things, including material that re-wrote the history of how The Hunchback of Notre Dame was made at Universal. (It was Chaney’s idea for the film, not producer Irving Thalberg.)

While seeing this stuff was so amazing, it was also depressing. I kept saying I wish I had access to this before my book had been released. It put me in such a funk, I wouldn’t look at my book for weeks. Then I decided to do what any Hollywood studio would do − a sequel! As I went along writing the second book, more and more material literally fell into my lap. People called me and said, “Oh, I know someone who worked with Lon,” and I’d go talk to them. One friend said a lady in a nursing home he knew worked at the New York hospital when Chaney was there shortly before his death. It was amazing.

I was originally going to call the book The Films of Lon Chaney, but between all the new material I had assembled and the “Films of…” section, it would be impossible to publish it at a reasonable price. My publisher agreed to split the book into two, and leave the “Films of…” section as another book.

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A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney’s Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures

Praise for A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney’s Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures:

Lon Chaney Photo Gallery