The Unholy Three

Moviecut—The Unholy Three

Every great performer deserves a wonderful finish to their careers, and Lon Chaney got one with this remake of his 1925 classic. As a matter of fact, he topped the original, due to the fact that with sound, he was able to show his vocal versatility in addition to being The Man of a Thousand Faces. For each character he portrayed, he had differing voices, something he was (of course) unable to do in the silent era. People have wondered what he could have done with Dracula, although it's been proved there was never any such proof Chaney was sought for the part. (Chaney was under contract to MGM, Dracula was made by Universal, and MGM wasn't about to loan out one of their top stars.) Still, MGM had some great films lined up for him, and more's the pity they never got made. No one's replaced him, nor will they.

"The Man of a Thousand Faces" might just as well have been labeled "The Man of a Thousand Voices." In his single talkie, he plays a ventriloquist who can throw his voice or completely disguise it (as he does when he dons his "Grandma O'Grady" getup, or when he provides the voice for a "talking" parrot). THE UNHOLY THREE also happens to be a VERY funny movie- thanks in large part to Lon Chaney: his reactions (especially his expressions) to the back-stabbing done by his grifter cohorts are priceless and, more than once, he even manages to outwit himself. His makeup is flawless, as are his mannerisms, his posture, and even his walk. He leaves no stone unturned. Chaney showed signs of great promise here and may very well have been on the verge of redefining himself as well as rewriting the book on acting. Unfortunately, this was "The Man of a Thousand Faces" taking his final bow.

Sad to know that as Lon Chaney crossed over into sound film, he was already dying. The Man of a Thousand Faces went out with a really decent remake of a silent film he had starred in five years previously. Chaney again plays Echo, the leader of a group of minor felons, whose petty crimes against clients don't bring the big guns after them. Until, of course, murder of a wealthy man takes place. The fact that there are all these people (one of them clueless) makes it hard to keep them under control. And, then, having a gorilla around could complicate away situation. The thing most memorable for me is the courtroom scene. I found it superior to the silent one (but that may not be fair because sound really gives us more flexibility). Good acting and wonderful characters.