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Lon Chaney Jr

Lon Chaney Jr

by Jamie Jones

Lon Chaney Jr was born Creighton Tull Chaney on the 10th of February, 1906 in Oklahoma City.

It’s a scene that could itself have come from a horror movie. On a freezing winter night, a man rushes from a tiny wooden cabin outside Oklahoma City, his face wracked with panic – yet also determination, an unshakable resolve to save the tiny bundle he cradles in his arms. He streaks through the eerie, snow-capped trees, crashing onwards, holding fiercely to the seemingly lifeless form crushed to his chest. He rushes on, clambering across the solid ground, never losing his footing until he reaches the shores of the Belle Isle Lake. The man then proceeds to smash a hole in the ice of the lake with his full force, shattering it into a thousand sharp diamonds.

Lon Chaney Jr as Dynamo Dan the Electric Man, fully charged, in Man Made Monster (Universal 1941)

Lon Chaney Jr as Dynamo Dan the Electric Man, fully charged, in Man Made Monster (Universal 1941)

There is no beat of hesitation in what follows, not even a blink of the eyes in which this man wavers, reconsidering the vast risk he is about to take: no, he takes the bundle in his arms, this bundle which is a naked child – as black and still as the waters of this silent, deserted lake – and he thrusts the child through the hole he has smashed in the ice. And then, at once – for he knows that any delay could be lethal – he pulls the infant from the water again, and presses it to him, to his heart which is beating so furiously that he fears it might explode in his chest, and in that glimmer of a moment he sees that the child, his newborn son, is breathing and roaring and staring up at him.

The man who reportedly carried out this most audacious act was Lon Chaney senior, who would go on to become one of the greatest stars of the silent screen. And on this day, February 10th, 1906, he has just shocked his prematurely born son into life.

Lon Chaney Jr in his favourite role, The Wolf Man (Universal 1941)

Lon Chaney Jr in his favourite role, that of Larry Talbot in The Wolf Man (Universal 1941)

Or so the story goes. The baby of the piece was adamant in his recital of this version of events, and yet the tale has in the intervening years been refuted by both his son and stepsister. That the truth of the matter has become enshrouded in uncertainty after more than a century is inevitable. Its dramatic potential, though, is irresistible.

The son of silent film star Lon Chaney and cabaret performer Frances Cleveland “Cleva” Creighton, the young Chaney spent much of his early life in residential homes and boarding schools after his parents’ 1913 divorce. Upon his father’s remarriage in 1916, he was able to move in with Chaney Sr and new wife Hazel Hastings.

Lon Chaney: Heir to the Monster Throne Biography Guide Magazine

It has been widely alleged that the young Chaney thought his mother had died when he was very young, and was only told she was still alive after the death of his father.

The Ghost of Frankenstein (Universal 1942) - image of Evelyn Ankers, Janet Ann Gallow, Lionel Atwill and Lon Chaney Jr

Elsa Frankenstein (Evelyn Ankers) and her father Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke) are aghast at the Monster’s (Lon Chaney Jr) demand for a brain swap with Cloestine Hussman (Janet Ann Gallow) in The Ghost of Frankenstein (Universal 1942)

Lon Chaney Jr was keen not to become a miniature version of his father – indeed, Chaney Sr actively encouraged him to stay away from showbusiness – but the fascination with the screen remained. Chaney Jr attended business college and worked in a diverse range of jobs to support himself, whilst also learning how his father created his compelling screen make-up.

The Wolf Man 1941 Ultimate Guide Magazine

Creighton Chaney married Dorothy Hinckley in 1926 and the union produced two sons, Lon Ralph Chaney and Ronald Creighton Chaney. Chaney worked for his father-in-law at the General Water Heater Company in Los Angeles, reaching the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the firm.

The Ghost of Frankenstein 1942 Ultimate Guide Magazine

Following his father’s death in 1930, Lon Chaney Jr made the leap into movies, playing minor roles under his real name so as not to trade on his father’s reputation, a move of which he felt unworthy. In 1935, a producer advised him to perform as Lon Chaney Jr and, although reluctant, he saw the business sense in the suggestion, and acquiesced. In 1936, he separated from his wife, and later that year married model Patricia “Patsy” Beck; the marriage would last for the rest of his life.

Lon Chaney Jr and Turhan Bey in The Mummy's Tomb (Universal 1942)

Revived by Mehemet Bey (Turhan Bey), the mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr) is the scourge of Mapleton in The Mummy’s Tomb (Universal 1942)

Lon Chaney Jr’s real break came with his acclaimed 1939 performance as Lennie in Of Mice and Men, and he tested for the role of Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), which eventually went to Charles Laughton, denying the younger Chaney the chance to take on a part which his father had also played.

J Edward Bromberg and Lon Chaney in Son of Dracula (Universal 1943)

Professor Lazlo (J Edward Bromberg) demonstrates the efficacy of a crucifix against the vampire Alucard (Lon Chaney) in Son of Dracula (Universal 1943)

Similarly, a year later he was refused the chance to use his make-up skills on One Million BC because of production decisions and union rules.

The Universal Mummy Movies 1932-1955

Chaney Jr signed with Universal and garnered the starring role in sci-fi horror Man Made Monster (1941); his performance as electrically-charged killer Dan McCormick leading to his casting as tortured hero Larry Talbot in The Wolf Man (1941) – a role which, for better or worse, would forever be linked with the Lon Chaney Jr name.

Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) goes on the rampage in Cardiff after escaping from the city’s Queen’s Hospital in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (Universal 1943)

Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) goes on the rampage in Cardiff after escaping from the city’s Queen’s Hospital in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (Universal 1943)

The Larry Talbot / Wolf Man character became a Universal staple, appearing in the likes of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) and House of Frankenstein (1944).

Glenn Strange, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney in House of Frankenstein (Universal 1944)

An enraged Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) attacks Dr Niemann (Boris Karloff) for devoting all his time and attention to the Monster (Glenn Strange) in House of Frankenstein (Universal 1944)

Chaney Jr played other monsters too, and was in fact the only actor to ever portray the four great Universal monsters, playing Frankenstein’s Monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Dracula in Son of Dracula (1943), the Wolf Man, and the Mummy in three films starting with The Mummy’s Tomb (1942). Chaney Jr was highly protective of the Wolf Man character and refused to let any other actor play his “baby”.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man 1943 Ultimate Guide Magazine

The much-loved horror spoof Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) was a notable point in Lon Chaney Jr’s career, albeit for the wrong reasons. Chaney Jr was vocal about his detestation of the comedy romps: “Abbott and Costello ruined the horror field … they made buffoons out of the monsters.” His decrying of this new direction in the genre serves as testimony to his passion for the characters which had helped to make him a popular name in Hollywood.

House of Frankenstein 1944 Ultimate Guide Magazine

The horror genre never seemed far away, movies like The Black Castle (1952) offering a brooding atmosphere even as he moved into middle age and the potential wilderness of ‘character actor’ casting. Working hard to avoid being typecast despite his CV thus far, Chaney Jr gained a number of roles in crime films and westerns, as well as radio show appearances. He played a key part in High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper, and appeared alongside Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra in Not as a Stranger (1955).

Nina (Jane Adams) and Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) are a little concerned at Dr Edelmann’s (Onslow Stevens) interest in the Monster (Glenn Strange) in House of Dracula (Universal 1945)

Nina (Jane Adams) and Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) are a little concerned at Dr Edelmann’s (Onslow Stevens) interest in the Monster (Glenn Strange) in House of Dracula (Universal 1945)

His reputation as a solid character actor grew, and although he did not step entirely out of his father’s shadow, he remained credible across a variety of genres. He was also known for standing up for underdog actors who he felt were not being given due respect by the studios.

House of Dracula 1945 Ultimate Guide Magazine

Years of hard living, however, took a severe toll on Lon Chaney Jr’s health, and he spent his later years battling both throat cancer and chronic heart disease. He died of heart failure on the 12th of July, 1973 in San Clemente, California and his body was donated to medical research.

The Wolf Man make-up worn by Lon Chaney as Larry Talbot had evolved somewhat from its 1941 origins, thanks to Bud Westmore’s cost-cutting latex mask pieces seen with Lou Costello in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Universal 1948)

The Wolf Man make-up worn by Chaney as Larry Talbot had evolved somewhat from its 1941 origins, thanks to Bud Westmore’s cost-cutting latex mask pieces seen with Lou Costello in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Universal 1948)

Lon Chaney Jr’s final resting place may be unmarked, but his impact on horror movie history is undeniable.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948 Ultimate Guide Magazine

Jamie Jones is assistant editor of Classic Monsters of the Movies magazine and makes regular contributions to the range of Classic Monsters publications.

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Got something to say? Leave us your thoughts.

    Sheri Johnston
    January 10, 2016

    I absolutely loved Lon Chaney Jr. He was a wonderful actor, his best role as the Wolfman! That is one of my favorites.

    keith carley
    October 25, 2019

    great actor in horror film and great star

    Rich Greiner
    February 10, 2020

    A great actor highly underrated . In my opinion his best character of all was the Wolfman and he was a decent Frankenstein and Mummy also . I don’t think he was that good as Dracula the part did not seem to fit him . He had great respect for the characters he portrayed and that to me is a definite mark of a professional.

    Mike
    May 29, 2020

    He was a legend.

    Ted Black
    February 4, 2021

    No doubt his performance in “The Wolf Man” was the highlight of his career and he was good in “House of Dracula” and “Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man” and each movie is commendable on its own merits

    His
    January 8, 2022

    Lon Cheney Junior was a fairly generous man when it came to employees of General Water Heater Corporation , according to my father, Glenn Hampton Surguine, who was branch manager of the San Francisco office of the Burbank based company where worked for over 19 years.
    And so was his Cheney’s second wife, Patsy Cheney (ne Beck).
    Cheney who, in addition to his career as various monsters and other characters in movies, was also an officer for and part owner of a company based in Burbank, California, known as the General Water Heater Corporation. Burbank was where the water heaters were manufactured, but they had many branch offices and warehouses across the country which would keep stocked with their various water heater models and out of which they would sell their oroduct(s) to local contractors, home builders, homeowners and other customers in the areas they served.
    One of these designated areas was the San Francisco Bay Area, where my father was the office manager.
    In about 1962, General Water Heater was sold by it owners, including Cheney, to Holly Heating and Air Conditioning of South Gate, California.
    My father was by then heavily invested in the General Water Heater Retirement plan. And, in order to not lose his investment of almonds st 18 years when they subsequently closed the Northern California office on Bryant St in San Francisco when in the early 1960s they moved the Bay Area branch , Dad stayed with the company. Dad also stayed with the company when it was sold a second time few years later, this time to the Lear-Siegler Corporation (It was, by then, known as the Holly Heating and Air Conditioning Division of the Lear Siegler Corporation even though they still sold water heaters.
    And it became clear, fairly early, that Lear Siegler wasn’t going to honor earlier decisions to pay Dad any part of what he was owed from r the retirent program.
    Not long after Cheney passed away in 1973, Mrs. Cheney seems have heard about Dad’s situation, because one evening in I think 1973, Mrs Cheney showed at our hous in Downey with a check for what would be the equivalent of $60,000.00 to $80,000.00 OUT OF HER OWN POCKET to help did at least recover some of the funds he had put into that supposed retirement fund over the years!!!
    Thank you Mrs. Cheney!! For honoring your commitments – as best you could -,to my father and his family.
    I know enough about Lon Cheney Jr. and his own struggles to know that wasn’t an inconsequential expense on his wife’s part. And she and her family need to be remembered for their integrity and generosity!!
    Skip Surguine aka
    Glenn H Surguine || !

    Skip Surguine
    February 2, 2022

    Lon Chaney Jr.’s “day job” was as corporate secretary (ie on board of directors) for the General Water Heater Corporation of Burbank, California. He also owned many, if not the majority, of shares in the company.
    My father, Glenn Hampton Surguine, who managed Geral Water Heater’s San Francisco office told me more than once that he knew – and liked – Mr. Chaney and his second wife very much. That was IN SPITE of Chaney’s well established reputation for “drinking to excess and disturbing the peace” at times.
    Dad said he had heard about a few incidents and read about one or two in the newspaper. But Dad would almost always add that he never saw anything of the sort himself. Mr. Chaney, according to Dad, was generous with General Water Heater Corporation employees always!
    And when Chaney’s widow was forced to sell off her shares in General Water Heater after Lon’s death, which led to a merger that destroyed the funds for my Dad’s retirement after 19 1/2 years of employment at General (Dad would have been “vested” at 20 years), Mrs. Chaney came over to our house, by this time in Downey, California, and handed Dad a check for everything Dad had put into the fund plus what the company had contributed as well which, according my mother, was out of Mrs. Chaney’s pocket.
    “She didn’t have to do this,” Mom said. But we were glad she did because it helped us survive some very tough years to come!!

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