7/24/2007
I mentioned that I had gotten an informative e-mail with some facts about the Lon Chaney Jr./Kharis Mummy flicks, but needed to find in which e-mail account of mine I had received it. Well, thankfully, Dan Kelley, who had sent the original e-mail, followed up with a re-send, and even more info!
He mentioned that big Lon held Kharis as his least-favorite role…and hated the mummy make-up. He eventually ended up wearing a sort of face mask that make-up genius Jack Pierce had created as a way to get Chaney into make-up faster. In some shots, Chaney only had to have make-up applied to his hands and legs. As we near this weekend’s mummy movie, I’ll share more of the mummy lore!
Dan included some other facts from a book by Lon’s “Wolf Man” co-star, Evelyn Ankers. She and Lon worked together on six films in rapid succession, but- they really didn’t get along too well! Chaney called her “Shankers” and loved to play pranks on her. Lon had a drinking buddy at Universal- burly actor Broderick Crawford, later famous on TV in “Highway Patrol” in the 50s.Thye had a shared trailer in which they would conduct “booze-fueled extracurricular activities.” It seems Universal didn’t appreciate that, and disciplined them- which ended up with Evelyn being reassigned the trailer as her dressing room. Lon blamed her for the loss of his trailer! At the premiere party for “Son of Dracula”- big Lon argued with Evelyn’s husband, actor Richard Denning, and a food fight broke out! (Ankers and Denning starred with a couple familiar faces- Abbott and Costello- in “Hold That Ghost”- their first supernatural comedy- sadly, Universal has not given us that flick.) Evelyn described Chaney as covered with pistachio ice cream when the melee finally ended.
Besides hating the make-up, Lon Chaney disliked the mummy role because- as an actor- he disliked the absence of dialogue!
He felt that Boris Karloff had a much better role, since he got to speak as Ardath Bey in the original film.
Also, Lon was supposed to appear in our old standby “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy”- until a studio executive decided that, since the mummy wouldn’t speak and would be completely covered in bandages- ANY actor could play the mummy, and eliminate Chaney’s higher salary from the film’s budget. Stuntman Eddie Parker ended up playing the mummy instead.
Thanks to Dan for all the behind the scenes info- look for more later this week!
He mentioned that big Lon held Kharis as his least-favorite role…and hated the mummy make-up. He eventually ended up wearing a sort of face mask that make-up genius Jack Pierce had created as a way to get Chaney into make-up faster. In some shots, Chaney only had to have make-up applied to his hands and legs. As we near this weekend’s mummy movie, I’ll share more of the mummy lore!
Dan included some other facts from a book by Lon’s “Wolf Man” co-star, Evelyn Ankers. She and Lon worked together on six films in rapid succession, but- they really didn’t get along too well! Chaney called her “Shankers” and loved to play pranks on her. Lon had a drinking buddy at Universal- burly actor Broderick Crawford, later famous on TV in “Highway Patrol” in the 50s.Thye had a shared trailer in which they would conduct “booze-fueled extracurricular activities.” It seems Universal didn’t appreciate that, and disciplined them- which ended up with Evelyn being reassigned the trailer as her dressing room. Lon blamed her for the loss of his trailer! At the premiere party for “Son of Dracula”- big Lon argued with Evelyn’s husband, actor Richard Denning, and a food fight broke out! (Ankers and Denning starred with a couple familiar faces- Abbott and Costello- in “Hold That Ghost”- their first supernatural comedy- sadly, Universal has not given us that flick.) Evelyn described Chaney as covered with pistachio ice cream when the melee finally ended.
Besides hating the make-up, Lon Chaney disliked the mummy role because- as an actor- he disliked the absence of dialogue!
He felt that Boris Karloff had a much better role, since he got to speak as Ardath Bey in the original film.
Also, Lon was supposed to appear in our old standby “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy”- until a studio executive decided that, since the mummy wouldn’t speak and would be completely covered in bandages- ANY actor could play the mummy, and eliminate Chaney’s higher salary from the film’s budget. Stuntman Eddie Parker ended up playing the mummy instead.
Thanks to Dan for all the behind the scenes info- look for more later this week!
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