Lon Chaney, Jr. : Horror Film Star, 1906-1973 [Library Binding]

Don G. Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786401206 | ISBN-13: 978-0786401208 | Publication Date: December 1995

Though he was haunted by the shadow of his legendary father and devastated by alcoholism, Lon Chaney, Jr., carved out a very successful film career as Universal's leading horror star in the 1940s, and later as a leading character actor in Westerns, dramas, and on television. While rightly focused on the career of the underrated actor, this study also explores his life and times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a valuable biography of a seldom discussed icon.... Recommended" -- Midnight Marquee

"considerably detailed...the plotlines of Chaney's films are discussed in great detail" -- Classic Images

"portrays a decent person who was an effective actor, and who was haunted by such despair that the hopelessness of his movie roles seemed the lesser of two evils" -- San Francisco Examiner Magazine

"the first entire book on Lon Chaney...a welcome release" -- Psychotronic

"useful information regarding the actor's mainstream work and his lesser-known television performances, including an invaluable section devoted to them in the filmography" -- Filmfax

About the Author

Don G. Smith is an associate professor in history and philosophy of education at Eastern Illinois University. In addition to his book, The Poe Cinema (2003 [1999]), he has written for numerous publications, including Filmfax, Scarlet Street, Movie Collector’s World, Color Collector’s Guide, and Midnight Marquee. He lives in Charleston, Illinois. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 248 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786401206
• ISBN-13: 978-0786401208
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,895,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book if you don't know anything about Chaney, September 24, 2005

By 

Todd (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lon Chaney, Jr. : Horror Film Star, 1906-1973 (Library Binding)

If you know nothing about the films and career of Lon Chaney Jr., then you will get something out of this book. However, if you are like me (and probably most people who would be interested in reading a book about Lon Chaney Jr.), you already know about his film career and most of the books content is going to be stuff you already know. I wanted to read about his life and times, which it has a little of, but mostly it was overviews of his movies. Personally I would rather just watch the movies instead of reading about them.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing biography on Lon Chaney, Jr., September 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Lon Chaney, Jr. : Horror Film Star, 1906-1973 (Library Binding)

There has never been a definitive biography of Lon Chaney, Jr., and this book does nothing to fill that void. Based primarily on other source books, author Don G. Smith displays little eveidence of hard research in this text. It is overladen with long-winded synopses of Chaney Jr.'s films, while the actor's early life, growing up with his father, his mother's attempted suicide and subsequently being lead to believe she was dead are hardly dealt with. It is quite obvious that the author simply pulled a few previously written books and cut-and-pasted the material into his text. A shoddy piece of writing and film research. The filmogrpahy is very minimal, but the TV appearances are well detailed. In all, Lon Chaney, Jr. does deserve a detailed biography. This one isn't it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a fairly good biography of my favorite actor., April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lon Chaney, Jr. : Horror Film Star, 1906-1973 (Library Binding)

As a Lon Chaney,Jr.fan,I feel that this book,though interesting,leaves one strangely disatisfied at it's conclusion. I really expected much more from this somewhat one-sided biography. The portrait that Mr.Smith provides about Lon Chaney,Jr,is often far too negative.