Lon Chaney, Jr.: Midnight Marquee Actors Series

Midnight Marquee Actors Series

by Gary J. Svehla (Editor), Susan Svehla (Editor)

The Midnight Actors Series delves into pivotal films made throughout Lon Chaney's career (not only the mainstream Universal and horror classics, but his stunning performance in Of Mice and Men, his B Western career, his low-budget horror/exploitation movie career, his prestigious character performances in A productions, his television work, etc.), by having different authors offer distinct reflections and individual insights, and by including several firsthand interviews from people who worked with Chaney, Jr., we hope to offer the most complete and balanced portrait yet seen of Lon Chaney, Jr., working actor.

318 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first time reading about Lon Chaney, Jr. (actually not his birth name) and his personal life. This book was handled much differently than what I expected. It does go into some detail about him personally, but it mostly talks about his movies, who he played, and what kind of job he did. A movie critic basically picked apart his movies and threw in some peronal situations to help show the progression from a young Chaney to an older Chaney in his films. I actually found this introduction to Lon Chaney, Jr. to be much more fun than a normal biography. However, I'm sure a more thorough biography would be better to give a person a more in depth view of his life. This book is still worth a read, especiall if you want a nice introduction to Chaney's life and his films.

[Cliff Poche · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's still Remembered!

I've been a fan of Lon Chaney Jr. since I was a little kid. This Book does a superb job of honoring him and his work. Sure he had his demons , but he had a goodness in him still. Its all there in the screen. My favorite of course is the Wolf Man, but as an adult I have come to appreciate some of his other works such as Of Mice and Men, The Haunted Palace, and I also remember a seldem seen tv movie called The Golden Junkman which he gives a wonderful dramatic performance. The book gives great detail to some his lesser known films as well. Easily one of my favorite books. As fans I think we should remember Lon Chaney with great kindess for all the Charactors he's given to us and still continues to thrill new audiences to this day!

[Michael Kocher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a cradle to the grave exploration of Chaney Jr. Unfortunately I don't think one exists yet. It's an interesting coffee table reference book with essays from different film historians about some of Chaney's most memorable films. It's enjoyable to sift through. I still think we get too little about Chaney himself and a lot of the authors make light of his alcoholism