Comments on: MONSTROUS Leading Men and Women

By: Monstrous men | Marcellofoundation

Monstrous men | Marcellofoundation — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:01:38 +0000

[...] TCM’s Classic Movie BlogMONSTROUS Leading Men and Women … 11 Responses MONSTROUS Leading Men and Women … It would be nice if TCM showed Of Mice And Men with Lon Chaney Jr as this is often mentioned as his finest role. It was parodied in 40s cartoons. I saw him in 1937s Easy Living with Milland, Arthur and Arnold and he had one line! [...]

By: Terry C - NJ

Terry C - NJ — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:56:47 +0000

“And just as moving and sympathetic as Chaney in The Wolf Man is Claude Rains as his conflicted father, forced to kill him in the end. It’s Greek tragedy. Oh well, that’s another list”

I ADORE Claude Rains.

By: Terry C - NJ

Terry C - NJ — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:55:16 +0000

I HATED the 1983 “Cat People”. It was awful.

The 1942 version – one of my all time favorites..from the days when things were left to your imagination.

And Simone Simon was so incredibly beautiful.

By: judyge

judyge — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:43:06 +0000

I agree Fredric March is great as Jekyll and Hyde, but so is John Barrymore in a pioneering silent version (1920), which seems to have strongly influenced the Mamoulian film. And Barrymore certainly counts as a leading man!

By: Mr.Sardonicus

Mr.Sardonicus — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:27:32 +0000

In addition ; check out Craighton Tull Chaney in The shadow of Silk lennox.. also unbilled as a steanship worker killed in a split second by the ship being launched in: fox’es Slave ship w/ warner baxter 1935.. 7 let’s not forget his silent role in cobra woman.. in addition to his contributions in the inner sanctum mysteries at universal… party on gang!! long live the Chaney’s!!!!!

By: john august smith

john august smith — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:59:19 +0000

It would be nice if TCM showed Of Mice And Men with Lon Chaney Jr as this is often mentioned as his finest role. It was parodied in 40s cartoons. I saw him in 1937s Easy Living with Milland, Arthur and Arnold and he had one line!

By: Al Lowe

Al Lowe — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:57:35 +0000

Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon are the sibling witch/warlock pair in Bell Book and Candle. (I hear an imaginary buzzer going off because perhaps they don’t really qualify; they’re benevolent monsters, at least in comparison to your other picks.)
Bell Book and Candle is one of those movies that should not have been made into movies. It worked better on stage. Even in the late 50s the studio people could have been more creative with special effects but they were limited to recreating what workied on stage.
Interestingly enough, Cary Grant, who was turning down better pictures like Sabrina and A Star Is Born around this time, wanted to make this one and star in the Jimmy Stewart bewitched mortal role. He saw it as a vehicle for him and Betsy Drake but couldn’t buy the rights.

By: Tim Mayer

Tim Mayer — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 01:19:39 +0000

Great Blog! I’m adding it to my list.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:34:21 +0000

I tried to keep my list strictly to theatrical films and ignored TV movies though there were some great ones as RHS pointed out. And I loved Lon Chaney Jr. in The Wolf Man but don’t feel he was ever a leading man by Hollywood standards. And just as moving and sympathetic as Chaney in The Wolf Man is Claude Rains as his conflicted father, forced to kill him in the end. It’s Greek tragedy. Oh well, that’s another list.

By: moirafinnie

moirafinnie — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:55:57 +0000

While this list is among the best I've seen, how about a nod to Lon Chaney, Jr.'s very touching Wolf Man (1941)? Frankly--and I know this is heresy to many--I think that the son of Lon Chaney, Sr. was a much more sympathetic figure on film; though who knows what the elder actor might have achieved during the sound era? Though lacking his father's bravado, makeup skills and near masochistic self-discipline in his execution of his roles, Creighton, aka Lon, Jr. seemed to me to show more range as an actor in some classic roles, (i.e. Lenny in the 1940 version of Of Mice and Men). Though Junior's career took a schlocky turn as Hollywood changed and he apparently sank into alcoholism, his work has a deeper emotional resonance for many of us.