The Unholy Three

Though not nearly as polished as its silent counterpart, in large part due to the absence of director Tod Browning, this version is still a well-made film with a lot to offer. If for no other reason than seeing Lon Chaney in his only sound film, this film is a must! Chaney is wonderful again in the role of Echo, a ventriliquist and criminal. Chaney shows that he understood the sound medium and would have done great things in pictures to come had he lived. Alas! he died shortly after this film from throat cancer. He shows that he was a very credible actor and really impressed me with his comic timing. The rest of the cast is good with Elliot Nugent as the patsy Hector contributing a nice turn and Harry Earles again reprising his role as the midget baby. I found some of his words a bit difficult to understand, but he nonetheless added immeasurably with his split persona of a hard, stogie-chomping small man and then becoming a little tyke with relative ease. Lila Lee does a credible at best job as Rosie O' Grady. Some scenes in this film are particularly well-crafted as when the policeman visits the home of Mrs. O'Grady and starts playing with Earles's toy elephant. Also, Earles is a delight to watch playing with a ruby necklace. Chaney does not get the opportunity to show the pathos he exuded in the silent version - more due to Browning's absence I think. Director Jack Conway does a workmanlike job but misses a bit with the atmosphere of the film. At any rate a fine film and a tribute to Chaney as man capable of just about anything!

Why this wonderfully crazy film from 1930 isn't more readily available is a total sin. Of course, THE UNHOLY THREE (1930) is most famed for the only time we can hear the great silent horror star Lon Chaney speak. When he speaks, this rather gruff, but ordinary voice comes out. I sat there thinking "That's Quasimoto, Eric the Phantom, Dead Legs Flint, and that's what Dracula would of sounded like if Chaney lived to get the part? Wow!")

The film is really out of control. Three out of work circus performers (Chaney, midget Harry Earles and strongman Ivan Linow) decide to become a trio of jewel thieves. Midget Earles has the best dialog, delivered in a squeaky voice- "I like it" (meaning the plan) "It's unholy!" This motley trio decide to disquise themselves very outlandishly (Chaney as an old woman, Earles as a cooing baby) They couldn't just lay low, or take assumed names? They had to resort this sort of lunacy? Lila Lee is also a wonderful treat here. Why didn't she do more talkies?

The only reason I decided to watch this was because this was Lon Chaney Sr.'s only talkie movie as he'd untimely die after this came out. I had not seen his previous silent one and while I had the option to also check that out from my local library, I just decided to see this version, for now. It's not bad as an early sound film and I appreciated the humor of some scenes but, like others commenting here, I did have trouble hearing some of the little person Harry Earles' words when he spoke them as well as that of the strongman played by Ivan Linow. Lila Lee wasn't bad as the pickpocket-turned-betrayer Rosie and neither was Elliott Nugent as her eventual boyfriend though he had more success when he turned director of various Bob Hope comedies. It was also a nice surprise that part of this film took place on Christmas Eve since the holiday just passed as you can tell by the date of this review. Oh, and yes, Lon was fine voice-wise whether doing his own or that of an old woman when wearing a disguise and also as a dummy's voice when throwing it as well as a parrot. Maybe a haunting music score could have helped in some scenes but overall, this version of The Unholy Three was good enough that I say this is worth a look.

Indeed, Lon Chaney was the man of a thousand faces, a make-up genius so ahead of his time that "three quarters of a century later" well accomplished professionals are still to be awed at the visual effects he compassed. Sadly, for most, he will always be remembered as Erick, the Phantom and Quasimodo. However, Chaney was much than just a horror actor and a pioneer of many stage make-up techniques; he was a gifted actor, as well as, a matchless performer and person. He was an incredibly skilled actor and, thankfully, The Unholy Three (1930) let's us actually see that.

In this film, Chaney did five voices; those of a parrot, an old woman, a girl, a ventriloquist, and the ventriloquist's dummy. His voice work was such that he had to sign a notarized statement largely as a publicity stunt, attesting to his versatile voice work in The Unholy Three. While the film is notable as a vehicle for the actor's vocal gymnastics, the story of this talkie version of the 1925 version is pretty much identical to the silent, but with a few exceptions: As a talkie, The Unholy Three is a bit less gripping by the sounds becoming explicit, as well as, lacking much of the macabre horror the silent version featured. Mae Busch is replaced by the far better Lila Lee, who was not only better as the roll of Rosie but much prettier as well. However, Victor Mclagen who played Hercules in the silent version was much better than his replacement, Ivan Linow. As far as, Harry Earles is concerned, his voice is completely incomprehensible. Not to mention, the man sitting behind the chair is no longer Tod Browning, but in fact, Jack Conway. Also, at the climax (differing much from the silent version), Mrs. O'Grady appears in court to testify on Hector's behalf. Under the strain of the cross-examination, Echo's voice cracks, and the prosecuting attorney pulls off his wig. Echo's subsequent confession clears Hector, but Echo is sent to prison. In the tearfully painful final scene, Hector and Rosie wave goodbye as Echo is sent off to prison by train.

The question that will forever remain, is if Chaney had lived, what else would he have accomplished? My guess is he would've easily conquered the movement in Hollywood toward more complicated make-up techniques, making any such effects icon look rather amateurish. Perhaps several nominations, maybe even an Oscar winner! He certainly would've played Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. If that were the case, what would ever come of such actors like Fredric March, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff who became famous from playing their landmark Monster roll? He undoubtedly could've played anything and been anyone he wanted. His abilities were far beyond any actor of his or any other era. Unfortunately, out of 150+ films Chaney appeared in, less than 50 survived, and all we really have left of this brilliant, phenom of a talent are the monster movies that made him famous. Chaney was known for much more, for comedy and drama. In fact, he was also a highly skilled dancer, director, writer, singer, and comedian. And yet it was cancer that took him from film just as he proved he could successfully speak within the new realm of sound.

Lon Chaney could have been, perhaps, the greatest actor of all time, though, with much of his work missing, it's still justifiable that he is and beyond all the thousands of faces, there was one true Chaney: an incredibly gifted artist. Too bad we don't get to see it more often.

"The Unholy Three" was the last film made by the great Lon Chaney -- and the only talking film which he completed before his untimely death at age 47. Chaney is nothing less than marvelous as "Echo", the sideshow ventriloquist who forms a criminal collaboration with a midget (Harry Earles) and a strongman (Ivan Linow).

After fleeing a carnival bust, this threesome sets up a burglary ring with Echo also posing as an old lady pet shop owner. The gang also recruits Rosie (Lila Lee) as the sexy "granddaughter". This front works well enough for the gang until one of Rosie's suitors (Elliott Nugent) naively and innocently undermines the gang's unity.

This is a very enjoyable film, which has nice comic touches and some racy, pre-Code dialougue. The best scenes involve "Grandma" (Chaney in drag is a hoot!) fighting with the gang as the old lady. Other priceless scenes include "Baby" (Earles) casing a wealthy home ("pretty beads...) and where the gang eludes the police inspector watching Baby play around the Christmas tree ("my cow, gimme my cow!...). Very funny stuff.

This film is highly recommended to all film buffs -- and in particular, to fans of Lon Chaney. The real pleasure of course, is Chaney, who adds several vocal textures to his already incredible repertoire. He not only is the voice of Echo, but also "Grandma", a sideshow dummy, and a parrot! It is indeed a shame that we could not have had more from this incredible talent ...