8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Public domainy Chaney, December 11, 2007
This review is from: Lon Chaney Jr. Signature Collection (DVD)
LON CHANEY JR. (b. 2/10/06) very nearly didn't make it into this world. The delivery doctor couldn't get Lon (Creighton) to breathe, so his father grabbed the dying child, ran outside and submerged the boy into an icy lake-- the shock revived him.
At six months of age, the junior Chaney was appearing as a prop in his father's stage show. In 1913 his dad moved on to making films. Creighton wanted to do the same but was discouraged by his father, whose wishes were respected until the elder man's 1930 death. Soon after, the son also went in front of the camera, as Leighton Chaney. Unwilling to capitalize on his famous dad's name, Creighton struggled in Hollywood for several years until he agreed to change his screen persona to Lon Chaney Jr.
Lon's big break came on stage in 1939, with his excellent portrayal of "Lennie" in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," a role he would recreate at Hal Roach Studios soon after. Then came "One Million B.C.," in 1940. UNIVERSAL signed Lon based on the strength of these two films, and within a year Chaney starred as Lawrence Talbot, in "The Wolf Man." He was the only actor to ever portray Talbot. Chaney made over 150 film appearances, many times in horror movies. He died of a heart attack in 1973.
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ST. CLAIR's "signature" series each consist of three public domain films (on a single DVD) that are good, but not necessarily the featured artist's best work. The trio of Chaney films on this disc are his most widely circulated.
CONTENTS:
BRIDE OF THE GORILLA-- Jungle plantation owner marries and soon after, a voodoo curse transforms him into a man in a gorilla costume. Good cast wasted on a hokey story. Chaney is the Police Commissioner and Steve Calvert (who?) plays the overgrown monkey.
INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN-- Modern take on Frankenstein story. A scientist obtains the body of an electrocuted criminal (Chaney) and reanimates it with another massive electric jolt. Oddly, nothing can penetrate Chaney's skin, and he is left a mute from all the amperage endured. As a "monster" this time around, he is more capable of generating sympathy than fright.
THE DEVIL'S MESSENGER-- Chaney appears as your host (Satan) in this film adaptation of a 13 episode Swedish TV show.
The
VINCENT PRICE SIGNATURE COLLECTION is a similar ST. CLAIR product.
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Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.
(4.0) Bride of the Gorilla (1951) - Barbara Payton/Lon Chaney Jr./Raymond Burr/Tom Conway/Woody Strode
(2.8 Indestructible Man (1956) - Lon Chaney Jr./Max Showalter/Marian Carr
(4.3) The Devil's Messenger (Sweden/USA-1961) - Lon Chaney Jr./Karen Kadler/Michael Hinn
BONUS: Lon Chaney Jr. Trailers--
The Wolf Man
The Mummy's Tomb
The Mummy's Curse
Ghost of Frankenstein
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
House of Dracula
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, not great, April 12, 2009
This review is from: Lon Chaney Jr. Signature Collection (DVD)
Devil's Messenger is an awful movie, the other two are pretty good, although Lon Chaney isn't really the star.
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