tant fact—Chaney was now under contract what would become known to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Lon Chaney’s as the quintessential old dark star was nearing its apex at MGM and the house mystery. Universal likelihood of his being loaned out, even for quickly pegged Leni as the a plum project like The Man Who Laughs, is director for The Man Who questionable. Also at issue was the matter of Laughs, and from there it was Chaney’s previous experiences with Univer- but a small step to secure the sal, which were contentious at best. Chaney’s talents of Conrad Veidt, with hostility toward director Rupert Julian during whom Leni had worked in the making of The Phantom of the Opera is well the 1924 German horror an- documented, and the post-production debacle thology Waxworks. A skilled that plagued that film prior to its release prob- actor who had appeared in a ably did little to allay his resentment. Now a number of German Expres- top-tiered box office attraction, Chaney was in sionist classics, Veidt had a a position to demand creative control over the striking look and was more film, up to and including the choice of co-star than adept at handling the and director. Most likely, none of the cinematic emotive extremes that a role traffic cops who toiled behind Universal’s like Gwynplaine required. megaphones would have met with Chaney’s Veidt’s performance as approval, necessitating the acquisition of an Gwynplaine, in fact, became outside director such as Clarence Brown or one of the film’s primary Victor Seastrom. Was Universal really inter- assets. Emotionally fragile ested in adding these and other complications despite his horrific outward to a project whose budget was already slated appearance, Veidt’s Gwyn- Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine in 1928’s The Man to top the million-dollar mark? plaine is more a victim than Who Laughs. Jack Pierce is responsible for Veidt’s With Chaney unavailable, Universal, not he is a monster and, along toothy grin. (Courtesy of Photofest) surprisingly, tapped into its Germanic roots. with Chaney’s Quasimodo Director Paul Leni, an import from Berlin and Phantom, became a prototype for many added to the episode when Gwynplaine is and a former designer in Max Reinhardt’s Universal horror characters to come. Yet seduced by the Duchess Josiana (Olga Ba- renowned theatrical troupe, had scored a siz- one wonders how Chaney might have ap- clanova), a pivotal scene in the film. Chaney able hit for the studio with 1927’s The Cat and proached the role. Chaney, unique among certainly would have provided more box the Canary. Leni, with an assist from cinema- film actors of the day, had an uncanny knack office clout in the U.S. market than Veidt, tographer Gilbert Warrenton, had directed for conveying both menace and pathos in the important for a film that was released in the WHAT IF— Canary with an eye toward stylized sets guise of a single character. His gift for expres- waning days of silent features. The net sum and a shadowy, evocative lighting scheme, sive body language would also have been an of these changes is important to consider. If qualities that enhanced the effectiveness of asset; one can imagine what he might have The Man Who Laughs had become a success ALTERNATIVE CASTINGS IN CLASSIC HORROR FILMS on the level of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera, By Steven Thornton classic films into something quite different sympathy from the audience—celebrated would the upcoming Universal horror from what we know today. character star Lon Chaney. cycle have been tipped in the direction The basic facts of horror film history Some of what follows is shrouded in ru- The planned casting of Chaney, long of historic melodramas? are well known to any neophyte movie fan. mor and speculation. But buried in the cracks rumored but never proven conclusively, is The Man Who Laughs emerged After the success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Bela Lugosi became a screen legend via his of these stories lie hints of an alternate reality, commonly thought to have been a catalyst The Phantom of the Opera, it was logical to consider Lon as an effective, though uneven, mix portrayal of Count Dracula. Boris Karloff one in which the familiar lies are juxtaposed behind the genesis of the film. Chaney’s Chaney for the lead in The Man Who Laughs. Had Chaney of moody visuals and melodramatic achieved cinematic immortality as the Fran- with the unimagined. So, armed with a hand- powerful performances in Universal’s The starred, it would have been interesting to see his makeup flourishes. Paul Leni’s directorial for the role. (Courtesy of Photofest) kenstein Monster. These cultural archetypes ful of press releases, studio publicity blurbs, Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom skill, again aided by cinematographer were so enduring it is tempting to think that and some imaginative guesswork, we will now of the Opera were professional triumphs, Warrenton, fully utilizes the film’s the mating of the role and performer was peek behind the curtain of cinema history and securing his status as one of Hollywood’s impressive sets while Conrad Veidt’s somehow preordained, jointly agreed upon envision some of Hollywood’s most important most popular performers and scoring im- stylized performance creates a charac- by the producers that ruled Hollywood and horror films as they might have been. pressively at the box office. In addition to ter that is indeed memorable. The film the dark gods that lord over Halloween. echoing the historic settings of these earlier also solidified at least one significant But film historians also tell us that for a The Man Who Laughs films, the role of Gwynplaine would have trend—the emergence of Jack Pierce brief moment in time, key casting choices in In 1928, Universal embarked upon an given Chaney yet another chance to “play as Universal’s resident makeup ex- the landmark horror films of the 1930s and ambitious and expensive film adaptation of the ugly” and supplement his lengthy list of pert. Veidt’s grinning countenance, ’40s were up for grabs. Dozens of names Victor Hugo’s melodrama L’Homme qui Rit. bizarre makeups and memorable character achieved through the application of were bandied about for lead roles in these The film’s grim scenario, concerning Gwyn- roles. The pathos aspect of the story would a denture-like appliance, was simple and other classic shockers during the early plaine, the son of a 17th century nobleman, likely have appealed to Chaney’s fans, add- yet startling and paved the way for stages of the pre-production process. Some whose face is mutilated by renegade Gypsies ing to the likelihood of box office success. the landmark monster designs that of these names are well known today, some as part of a power struggle among the ruling Taken together, these arguments lend plau- Pierce would champion in the years are no more than a footnote in the pages of class, was strong stuff for the silent screen. sible support to the notion of casting Chaney to come. Even without the talents of forgotten movie lore. But the selection of any Seemingly, only one man could portray such as The Man Who Laughs. Lon Chaney, The Man Who Laughs one of these actors might have changed these a grotesque role and still elicit a measure of But such supposition ignores one impor- holds up as one of the darkest fan- 34 MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #29 SUMMER 2011 35 Eighty years after Dracula’s release, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Bela Lugosi as Count of now obscure players, Chester Along with his skill as an actor, Chaney’s on the fast track for the directorial chair of once mighty nobleman and, Dracula. (Courtesy of Photofest) Morris and Ian Keith among popularity depended largely on the balance Dracula. Had Leni lived to direct Dracula, the like Karloff’s Frankenstein’s them, before settling on Bela Lu- between menace and sympathy he was able possibility of Veidt in the title role becomes Monster, sought to reveal the gosi for the role that would make to elicit from his grotesque characterizations. more plausible—and more intriguing. soul behind the monster. On him a horror film legend. But Dracula, a figure of consummate evil, offered Based on his handling of The Cat and the debit side of the equa- two rumors stand prominently precious few opportunities for such sympa- the Canary and The Last Warning, Leni would tion, Veidt is unlikely to have above the rest, both in terms thy. It is conceivable that the role may have have strived to give Dracula an effective captured the sexual heat that of the talent involved and the been retooled to fit Chaney’s screen persona, balance between pace and atmosphere. It Lugosi brought to the part; it impact they might have had on either via double casting (with Chaney as is a safe bet that he would have taken full is difficult to envision female the Universal horror series. both Dracula and Van Helsing) or by mak- advantage of the film’s impressive sets, es- fans writing Veidt to ask if his Film writers have long spec- ing Dracula a multifaceted character. Such pecially Carfax Abbey, which barely appears preference extended only to ulated about Lon Chaney’s pos- changes, however, could well have resulted in the finished version. Leni had a knack for “maiden’s blood.” The end sible involvement in the project.