FBTHS: “LON CHANEY SR, and LON CHANEY JR” (110) episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 20, 2025 · 37 MIN

FBTHS: “LON CHANEY SR, and LON CHANEY JR” (110)

from From Beneath the Hollywood Sign · host Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara

EPISODE 110 -  “LON CHANEY SR, and LON CHANEY JR” - 10/25 LON CHANEY, known as the 'Man of a Thousand Faces,' amazed audiences in the silent era with his unforgettable performances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). He was a master of transformation, using makeup, physicality, and raw emotion to create these classic characters no one had ever seen before. His son, LON CHANEY, JR., had the difficult job of following in his father’s footsteps. But he made his own mark, especially as The Wolf Man (1941), a role that turned him into one of Universal’s great horror stars. Join us as we discuss this remarkable father-and-son duo, their careers, their lives, and how the Chaney name became synonymous with both monsters and movie magic. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: “Not the Girl Next Door” (2008), by Charlotte Chandler;   “Lon Chaney: The Man Behind the Thousand Faces” (1993), by Michael F. Blake; www.lonchaney.com; PBS.org/WNET/AmericanMasters; Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces, Documentary (2022); Lon Chaney, Jr.: Son of a Thousand Faces, Documentary, A&E Biography (1995); “Secrets from Lon Chaney’s Oklahoma Odyssey,” November 14, 1982, by Sam Anderson, The Oklahoman; “9 Transformative Facts About Lon Chaney Sr.,” November 6, 2019, by Jane Rose, Mental Floss; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923); The Phantom of the Opera (1925); The Wolf Man (1941); By the Sun’s Rays (1914); The Wicked Darling (1919); The Miracle Man (1919); The Penalty (1920); He Who Gets Slapped (1924); The Unholy Three (1925); The Blackbird (1926); The Road to Mandalay (1926); Tell It to the Marines (1926); Mr. Wu (1927); The Unknown (1927);  London After Midnight (1927); The Big City (1928); Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928);  While the City Sleeps (1928);  West of Zanzibar (1928); Where East is East (1929);  Thunder (1929); Girl Crazy (1932); Undersea Kingdom (1936); Of Mice and Men (1939); One Billion BC (1940); Billy the Kid (1941); Riders of Death Valley (1941); Badlands of Dakota (1941); Too Many Blondes (1941); San Antonio Rose (1941); Man Made Monster (1941); Frankenstein (1932); The Mummy (1932); The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942); The Mummy’s Tomb (1942); Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943); Son of Dracula (1943); House of Frankenstein (1944); Abbott and CostelloMeet Frankenstein (1948); High Noon (1952); Bride of the Gorilla (1951); The Black Castle (1952); Indestructible Man (1956); The Alligator (1959); The Bushwhacker (1952); The Silver Star (1955); The Haunted Palace (1963); Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971); --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 110 -  “LON CHANEY SR, and LON CHANEY JR” - 10/25 LON CHANEY, known as the 'Man of a Thousand Faces,' amazed audiences in the silent era with his unforgettable performances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). He was a master of transformation, using makeup, physicality, and raw emotion to create these classic characters no one had ever seen before. His son, LON CHANEY, JR., had the difficult job of following in his father’s footsteps. But he made his own mark, especially as The Wolf Man (1941), a role that turned him into one of Universal’s great horror stars. Join us as we discuss this remarkable father-and-son duo, their careers, their lives, and how the Chaney name became synonymous with both monsters and movie magic. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: “Not the Girl Next Door” (2008), by Charlotte Chandler;   “Lon Chaney: The Man Behind the Thousand Faces” (1993), by Michael F. Blake; www.lonchaney.com; PBS.org/WNET/AmericanMasters; Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces, Documentary (2022); Lon Chaney, Jr.: Son of a Thousand Faces, Documentary, A&E Biography (1995); “Secrets from Lon Chaney’s Oklahoma Odyssey,” November 14, 1982, by Sam Anderson, The Oklahoman; “9 Transformative Facts About Lon Chaney Sr.,” November 6, 2019, by Jane Rose, Mental Floss; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923); The Phantom of the Opera (1925); The Wolf Man (1941); By the Sun’s Rays (1914); The Wicked Darling (1919); The Miracle Man (1919); The Penalty (1920); He Who Gets Slapped (1924); The Unholy Three (1925); The Blackbird (1926); The Road to Mandalay (1926); Tell It to the Marines (1926); Mr. Wu (1927); The Unknown (1927);  London After Midnight (1927); The Big City (1928); Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928);  While the City Sleeps (1928);  West of Zanzibar (1928); Where East is East (1929);  Thunder (1929); Girl Crazy (1932); Undersea Kingdom (1936); Of Mice and Men (1939); One Billion BC (1940); Billy the Kid (1941); Riders of Death Valley (1941); Badlands of Dakota (1941); Too Many Blondes (1941); San Antonio Rose (1941); Man Made Monster (1941); Frankenstein (1932); The Mummy (1932); The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942); The Mummy’s Tomb (1942); Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943); Son of Dracula (1943); House of Frankenstein (1944); Abbott and CostelloMeet Frankenstein (1948); High Noon (1952); Bride of the Gorilla (1951); The Black Castle (1952); Indestructible Man (1956); The Alligator (1959); The Bushwhacker (1952); The Silver Star (1955); The Haunted Palace (1963); Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971); --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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FBTHS: “LON CHANEY SR, and LON CHANEY JR” (110)

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EPISODE 110 -  “LON CHANEY SR, and LON CHANEY JR” - 10/25 LON CHANEY, known as the 'Man of a Thousand Faces,' amazed audiences in the silent era with his unforgettable performances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the...

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