The Trap (1922)

Just when you think you've seen all the Lon Chaney films that have been found, another one gets cleaned up and rereleased. I recently picked up the Kino release of what is claimed to be Lon Chaney's first starring role in a film, The Trap. By all accounts on IMDb, he had appeared in over 100 films and shorts prior to starring in this film. Like many other Chaney films I've seen, he plays a character who has been wronged, which makes it a perfect vehicle for him to demonstrate his talent at changing his appearance from one of innocent benevolence to crazed and vengeful. 

New Year, New Movie: The Monster (1925)

Tonight is a foggy night that is ideal for watching an old dark house mystery that features Lon Chaney as a mad doctor, which is what inspired me to pick up The Monster. 

"A human monster watched with cat-like eyes for a victim."

Movies Every Day 3: The Unholy Three (1930)

"Well, friends, that's all there is to life– 

just a little laugh...a little tear."

Why I'm Watching

• Lon Chaney's first and only talkie.
• I saw the 1925 version several years ago, and am finally getting around to watching this remake.

The Gist

Echo the ventriloquist, along with his buddies, Tweedledee the midget and Hercules the strongman, form an alliance of thieves, whose goal is to become really rich, with the help of Echo's love interest, Rosie. When a job goes south, Echo is forced to consider how much he really loves Rosie.

Similarities

• Opening with sideshow attractions reminds me of I'm No Angel.
• Harry Earles and Lon Chaney play the same characters in both versions.
• Lionel Barrymore masquerades as an old woman in the Tod Browning film, The Devil-Doll.
• Echo is unmasked by the prosecutor at the trial just as the Phantom was unmasked by Christine Daaé.

Surprises

• Lon Chaney is not only a master of appearances but of voices as well. I guess that should be no surprise.
• Harry Earles playing the midget goes a little easier on the kid he kicks in the chin this time. We also don't get to see the kid's bloody chin, which takes away some of the punch that makes that scene so appalling in the original film.  
• Rosie pulls up her dress and exposes her knees to Hector.
• The parrots have a sense of humor.
• This version has more gags than the original.  
• When Hector reads the account of the robbery of one of their customers, Echo realizes that Hercules was holding out on him and nearly exposes himself by using his real voice to say, "Why you!" 
• Tweedledee pinches Rosie in a soft spot. 
• The ape suit was pretty decent.

Puzzles

• Why don't we have better prints of Lon Chaney's films? 
• Why would the gang pull off another heist so close to the last one and risk suspicion?
• Why does Echo say that Christmas Eve is the only night they can do the job at Arlington's?

Patterns

• Shadows of the three characters on the wall when they conspire about being the unholy three. 
• Scene fades out when Chaney says they "just fade out."
• After Hector tells Rosie she's like her Grandma, she denies it and shows off her legs.
• Rosie punctuates the Coolidge joke by pulling a parrot's tail, making it squawk.
• Tweedledee makes jokes in reference to Echo's feminine disguise. 
• Granny and Arlington are encircled by the parrot perch up close while Tweedledee is in the baby carriage far in the background, adjacent to the characters in foreground.
• The shadows of Tweedledee and Hercules appear on the wall as they speak, just before they go off to commit the robbery without Echo. It contrasts with the three shadows earlier, indicating a break in the alliance.
• Tweedledee is often doing very un-babylike things in his baby garb, smoking cigars, pinching Rosie, and engaging in malicious behaviors that contrast with the innocence of a baby.
• Tweedledee holds Echo's dummy on his lap, operating his mouth as he sings, demonstrating how alike they are in size and appearance.

Notable Quotes

Echo: Hey, you mullet head! Lay off that monk of mine or I'll stomp you into the sawdust!
Rosie: Shh! Not in front of the boobs!
Echo: Never mind the boobs!


Hercules: It sounds kind of creepy.
Tweedledee: I like it. It's unholy.
Echo: That's us! The Unholy Three. Understand, from tonight on, we fade out. There'll be no Hercules, no Tweedledee, no Echo. We just fade out.

Hector: There's another lady who's going to think over a Maltese cat.
Rosie: Think over a Maltese cat? Well, that's better than thinking under an elephant.


Echo as Granny: She only teases you because she likes you, Hector.
Rosie: Nah! Only because I'm kind to all dumb animals.


Rosie: Sure! Go ahead, ya' yaps. Fight among yourselves and see how long this racket lasts.
Echo: She's right. Now cut it out!
Hercules: Well, who started it?
Echo: Ah, shut up!
Tweedledee: The trouble with you, dad, is you're too feminine.


Customer (to Granny): Well, I wouldn't want such a rough speaking bird. Mine is a Christian home!


Hector: Well, uh, I was just going to say it's wonderful the way your Grandma can make those birds talk.
Rosie: Hector, she could make Coolidge talk!


Echo (to Hercules): Now, let me tell you something. Any time you guys think you're smart enough to operate alone, you go to it. But you aint and you know it. Now if you want me to string along with ya', you're gonna shoot on the square because you aint got brains enough to double cross me and get away with it.


Rosie: It's wonderful what you can get in the five and ten.
Hector: Oh, I know one young couple who furnished their whole apartment there. They have two children now.
Rosie: Well, you can't get them at the five and ten!


Rosie (to Hector): You think I'm telling you this for fun? It's the truth. I wasn't brought up on green grass and apple pie and Christmas tree like you was. I've been tramping around since I was 14.

Memorable Moments

Love It or Leave It

Love, love, love it! I can't say that I love either version more than the other, but enjoy them both for their own individual qualities. This version is a bit more lighthearted and comedic, while the original is darker and seems more sinister in tone. It is interesting to hear how Chaney uses his voice to convey subtle meanings through intonation and inflection. He made a natural transition to sound, as though he'd been doing it all along. It's such a shame he didn't live to do more talkies. He would have been an amazing Dracula. My admiration for him grows with each performance of his I see. 


Similarities, Surprises, Puzzles and Patterns is adapted from the Grid Analysis Technique developed by the British Film Institute from Aidan Chambers 'Tell Me' Questions.

Season of Silents: The Unknown (1927)

I am kicking things off with a Lon Chaney movie I've been wanting to see for awhile, The Unknown. It can be found on The Lon Chaney Collection from TCM Archives.

If you are still on the fence about whether silent films will interest you, then a Lon Chaney flick is a good place to start. Phantom of the Opera is a film that appeals to many people and is one that you may want to see first. That was all I knew of Lon Chaney for a long while until I saw He Who Gets Slapped, The Unholy Three and The Penalty, and truly developed an appreciation for his fine work. I confess that I have not yet seen the 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which is another highly praised film of his, and on my list of films to acquire.

This movie is one of ten that Chaney did with Tod Browning, the director known for Dracula and Freaks. Tod Browning worked at one time in the circus, which is the setting for quite a few of his movies, including this one. Chaney's first movie with Browning as director was The Wicked Darling, which I hope to watch soon.

This movie also has Joan Crawford in an early role before her flapper films, and she reportedly said that she learned more about acting from seeing Lon Chaney at work than from anyone else. They work very well together.

The musical score was composed and performed by the Alloy Orchestra. It's serviceable and plays well to the action on screen. Quite a few people enjoy their scores, but I am not a big fan. I find them completely competent, it's just that I prefer a more traditional sounding score that's more in keeping with what may have been presented at the time the movie was released.

The picture quality is pretty fair, though there are some scenes that look as though we're seeing them through a burlap sack, and quite a few lines and debris are running through much of the film. I didn't find that it hampered my enjoyment of the film or obscured the action on screen too much. Most of the time I didn't notice these imperfections as I was too busy looking at Chaney's face.

"Men! The beasts! God would show wisdom if he took the hands from all of them!"