One of the great stars of the silent film era, Lon Chaney, was brilliantly brought back to life by James Cagney in Man of a Thousand Faces. His story was unique and intriguing, and Cagney couldn't have been any better. In one of the great travesties of the Academy Awards, he wasn't even nominated for this role. What does it take? Not only did he recreate several of Lon Chaney's famous roles, but he learned sign language, aged decades, and dealt with personal tragedies and triumphs.
When Chaney brings his bride (played by Dorothy Malone) home to meet his parents, she's shocked to discover they're both deaf. She worries their unborn child will be born deaf, and Chaney takes offense to her attitude towards his loving parents. They stay married, but they don't have a good relationship, mostly due to her coldness, paranoia, and temper. Later, Chaney transitions from vaudeville to Hollywood. Starting off as an extra, he reads the bulletin board of the roles needed for the day, then makes up his face to get the job. Taking on a plethora of ethnicities, he gains the attention of studio bigwigs - and the rest is history.
If you know about the silent era (and Chaney's films), you'll be extremely entertained to see Cagney as Quasimodo and the phantom of the opera. From clown to little old lady, he transforms and shows the audience a true tour-de-force. My favorite part is the recreation from The Miracle Man, in which Cagney/Chaney starts out completely crippled on the ground and rises up one joint at a time. It's, well, miraculous. At the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, we love to right the wrongs. James Cagney won for Best Actor of 1957.
When Chaney brings his bride (played by Dorothy Malone) home to meet his parents, she's shocked to discover they're both deaf. She worries their unborn child will be born deaf, and Chaney takes offense to her attitude towards his loving parents. They stay married, but they don't have a good relationship, mostly due to her coldness, paranoia, and temper. Later, Chaney transitions from vaudeville to Hollywood. Starting off as an extra, he reads the bulletin board of the roles needed for the day, then makes up his face to get the job. Taking on a plethora of ethnicities, he gains the attention of studio bigwigs - and the rest is history.
If you know about the silent era (and Chaney's films), you'll be extremely entertained to see Cagney as Quasimodo and the phantom of the opera. From clown to little old lady, he transforms and shows the audience a true tour-de-force. My favorite part is the recreation from The Miracle Man, in which Cagney/Chaney starts out completely crippled on the ground and rises up one joint at a time. It's, well, miraculous. At the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, we love to right the wrongs. James Cagney won for Best Actor of 1957.