OCTOBER 24 SCHEDULE: CHANEY PART ONE 8:00 p.m.(ET)/5:00 p.m.(PT) LON CHANEY, A THOUSAND FACES (2000) An original TCM documentary that looks at the remarkable career of an actor who became a superstar by transforming himself for every role. BW&C-85m. 9:30 p.m.(ET)/6:30 p.m.(PT) TELL IT TO THE MARINES (1927) In case you thought Lon Chaney was only capable of playing monstrous and unsavory characters, Tell It to the Marines is a perfect example of what the actor could do with a "straight" role. As Sergeant O'Hara, a gruff Marine who trains new recruits to become fearless officers, Chaney did not wear any makeup, relying solely on his dramatic skills to create one of his most compelling characters. Photoplay, in their review of the film, noted that "Lon Chaney, sans grotesque make-up for a change, proves himself an excellent actor by his playing of O'Hara. Indeed, his O'Hara has all the authentic earmarks of a real, honest-to-Tunney Marine." Perhaps even more complimentary than the positive critical reviews was the response from the United States Marine Corps' own magazine, Leatherneck: "Few of us who observed Chaney's portrayal of his role were not carried away to the memory of some sergeant we had known whose behavior matched that of the actor in every minute detail...." Tell It to the Marines could be seen as the prototype for such military training films as Sands of Iwo Jima and The D.I. and Chaney's performance as the quintessential drill sergeant which other actors from John Wayne to Louis Gossett, Jr. would emulate. The film also helped advance the career of William Haines who co-stars as "Skeet" Burns, the irresponsible youth who learns his own self-worth through the lessons of a boot camp lifer. The narrative focuses on his rite of passage at the Marine base to the Orient where he is sent to rescue a group of Americans held hostage by Chinese bandits. MGM brought in General Smedley D. Butler, commander of the Marine base in San Diego, for technical consultation on the film. The studio was also allowed to shoot on the base which made Tell It to the Marines the first motion picture made with the full cooperation of the U.S. Marine Corps. The battleship USS California (It was later destroyed in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941) was used for the scenes at sea and the final sequence of the film, where the marines rescue the hostages, was filmed at Iverson's Ranch in Chatsworth, California, the location for such films as Fort Apache and The Good Earth. Director: George Hill Producer: Irving G. Thalberg Screenplay: E. Richard Schayer Cinematography: Ira Morgan Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Arnold Gillespie Cast: Lon Chaney (Sgt. O'Hara), William Haines (Pvt. "Skeet" Burns), Eleanor Boardman (Norma Dale), Eddie Gribbon (Cpl. Madden), Warner Oland (Chinese bandit leader). BW-75m. 11:30 p.m.(ET)/8:30 p.m.(PT) LON CHANEY, A THOUSAND FACES (2000) An original TCM documentary that looks at the remarkable career of an actor who became a superstar by transforming himself for every role. BW&C-85m. 1:00 a.m.(ET)/10:00 a.m.(PT) ACE OF HEARTS (1921) Long before Charles Bronson took the law into his own hands in the vigilante melodrama, Death Wish, there were other cinematic equilivalents of this type of extremist who lived by their own code. An excellent early example is Ace of Hearts in which a secret society meets regularly to pass judgment on people they deem unsuitable for society. After selecting a new victim, the group is dealt a deck of cards and the player who draws the "Ace of Hearts" is responsible for carrying out the assassination. Their method of execution? A bomb. Featuring a new music score by Vivek Maddala, Ace of Hearts is a rarely seen Lon Chaney feature which is making its television debut on Turner Classic Movies. The film marked Lon Chaney's second project for Goldwyn Pictures and reteamed him with director Wallace Worsley of The Penalty (1920). In the central role of Farralone, Chaney plays a character torn between his sworn duty and his love for Lilith (Leatrice Joy), a 'death club' member who violates the strict code of the society for a fellow member, Forrest (John Bowers). Rather than watch Lilith and Forrest suffer the consequences for their betrayal of the group's ideals, Farralone devises a drastic final solution to the problem. Like many other Chaney films where the main protagonist makes great sacrifices for the object of his affection, whether it be self-mutilation, a prison sentence, or death, Ace of Hearts doesn't vary the scenario in this regard. However, the original ending of the film was a different matter entirely. A slightly disfigured Morgridge, the leader of the group, finds the lovers in a secluded cabin and notifies them that the group was eliminated by a bomb and they are free to emerge from hiding. Samuel Goldwyn was completely dissatisfied with this conclusion and insisted on the more dramatic ending allowing Farralone to ensure the safety of the young lovers. Director: Wallace Worsley Screenplay: Ruth Wightman (based on the novel by Gouverneur Morris) Cinematography: Don Short Cast: Leatrice Joy (Lilith), John Bowers (Forrest), Lon Chaney (Farralone), Hardee Kirkland (Morgridge), Raymond Hatton (The Menace). BW-74m. 3:00 a.m.(ET)/12:00 a.m.(PT) THE UNHOLY THREE (1930) When it comes to partners in crime on the screen, you won't find a weirder trio than The Unholy Three. This triple threat consists of a midget, a strongman, and a ventriloquist named Echo who concoct an ingenious plan to fleece the homes of weathy people in the dead of night. Their base of operations is the pet store of an elderly woman named Mrs. O'Grady and if you think there is something strangely familiar about her, you're right. Mrs. O'Grady is none other than Echo in drag! For Lon Chaney's talking picture debut and, ironically, what would prove to be his final film, MGM producer chief Irving G. Thalberg decided on a remake of a previous Chaney hit, The Unholy Three (1925). The new version exploited Chaney's stage-trained voice as well as his gift for vocal impersonations. In the course of the him, you can hear him as Mrs. O'Grady, a parrot, a girl at a carnival show, and the ventriloquist's dummy. In fact, he actually learned ventriloquism for his role in the film. Despite his virtuoso vocal prowess, there were rumors circulated prior to the film's release that Chaney did not speak in The Unholy Three and used a voice double. To prove this was untrue, Chaney signed an a notarized affidavit confirming that his voice and the four others he used in the film were indeed his own. Except for the final courtroom scene and the ending, The Unholy Three is almost a scene for scene remake of the 1925 version directed by Tod Browning. The new version also proved to be a hit with the public and would have been the beginning of a promising new career in sound films for Chaney. Unfortunately, Chaney died seven weeks after the release of The Unholy Three from bronchial cancer. Director: Jack Conway Producer: Irving G. Thalberg Screenplay: J.C. Nugent, Elliot Nugent Cinematography: Percy Hilburn Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons Cast: Lon Chaney (Echo), Lila Lee (Rosie), Elliott Nugent (Hector), Harry Earles (Tweedledee), Ivan Linow (Hercules). BW-72m. 4:30 a.m.(ET)/6:30 a.m.(PT) WEST OF ZANZIBAR (1928) The ninth collaboration between Lon Chaney and director Tod Browning, West of Zanzibar (1928) is probably the most successful of their films together along with The Unknown. Adapted from a popular stage play, this tale of revenge and debasement is disturbing, even by current standards, and is not recommended for timid viewers. MGM even remade it in 1932 under its original stage title, Kongo with Walter Huston reprising his Broadway role. West of Zanzibar opens on a picture of domestic bliss. Phroso (Chaney), an English music hall magician, is completely devoted to his wife, Anna (Jacqueline Hart). But appearances are deceiving and Anna soon abandons Phroso for her lover, Crane (Lionel Barrymore), an ivory trader. When Phroso goes to confront Crane, he is permanently crippled in a fight with his rival. A year later, Anna, with her baby daughter Maizie, attempts to return to Phroso but dies before she can reach him. Phroso adopts Maizie under the assumption that she was fathered by Crane and relocates to the jungles of Africa where he proceeds to raise her in a harsh and degrading environment among superstitious natives. When Maizie reaches the age of eighteen, Phroso plots his final act of revenge and summons Crane to their isolated outpost under false pretenses. Considering the sensationalistic aspects of the story, it's no surprise that some sequences didn't make the final cut of West of Zanzibar. For one thing, the scene where Phroso makes an appearance as a "duck man" at a side show was deleted. Tod Browning would later use this bizarre costume for the horrific climax to Freaks where Olga Baclanova is transformed into the "duck woman." Another sequence that didn't get pass the censors is one where Phroso crawls into a bar on his wheeled platform, begging for handouts, and is tossed through a plate glass window into the street. In case you were wondering, West of Zanzibar was not filmed on location in Africa but on the Culver City lot. Phroso's jungle compound was constructed around the studio water tank and numerous steam pipes were utilized to keep the vast array of tropical plants on the set from wilting in the dry California climate. Due to the studio lights, the rising summer temperatures, and the steam from the pipes, the set was often as humid as a turkish bath and extremely uncomfortable for the cast and crew members. Director: Tod Browning Producer: Irving G. Thalberg Screenplay: Elliott Clawson (based on the play Kongo by Charles de Vonde & Kilbourn Gordon Cinematography: Percy Hilburn Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons Cast: Lon Chaney (Phroso), Lionel Barrymore (Crane), Warner Baxter (Doc), Mary Nolan (Maizie), Jacqueline Daly (Anna), Roscoe Ward (Tiny). BW-65m. - written by Jeff Stafford