IMDb > Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)

Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   959 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 21% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for Man of a Thousand Faces on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
October 1957 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Only Two Women Knew The Secret Behind Lon Chaney, The Fabulous Man Of A Thousand Faces! more
Plot:
Loose biography of actor Lon Chaney. Growing up with deaf parents, he learns what it is like to be different... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Above average of its type more (34 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

James Cagney ... Lon Chaney
Dorothy Malone ... Cleva Creighton Chaney
Jane Greer ... Hazel Bennet Chaney
Marjorie Rambeau ... Gert
Jim Backus ... Clarence Locan

Robert Evans ... Irving Thalberg (as Robert J. Evans)
Celia Lovsky ... Mrs. Chaney
Jeanne Cagney ... Carrie Chaney
Jack Albertson ... Dr. J. Wilson Shiels
Roger Smith ... Creighton Chaney at 21
Robert Lyden ... Creighton Chaney at 13
Rickie Sorensen ... Creighton Chaney at 8
Dennis Rush ... Creighton Chaney at 4
Nolan Leary ... Pa Chaney
Simon Scott ... Carl Hastings
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Additional Details

Runtime:
122 min
Country:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film starring James Cagney as Lon Chaney shows Chaney making a scene in The Miracle Man (1919). That film was based on a novel by Frank L. Packard and its stage adaptation by George M. Cohan, who acted in it himself (not in the same part as Chaney, though). And in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Cagney had played Cohan. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Lon Chaney was very much against Creighton entering into the film business. He most certainly did not present Creighton with his makeup case on his death bed. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Guard: Good morning, Mr. Thalberg.
Irving Thalberg: Good morning.
more
Movie Connections:
References The Unholy Three (1930) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful.
Above average of its type, 9 February 2004
Author: jaykay-10

This picture distinguishes itself from the all-too-familiar reverential and sentimental quasi-biographies of show business legends by emphasizing the complex relationship between Lon Chaney and his first wife, Cleva Creighton, and by treating their problems in an even-handed manner. She emerges as flawed and difficult to deal with - but so does he. Their child is caught in the middle.

The story would be of interest even if it did not concern a famous person. Chaney's career provides a colorful background to an essentially human drama, one which may present its characters too often as one-dimensional prototypes lacking depth or subtlety, but is nevertheless a drama which (except for the maudlin deathbed scene) effectively develops the genuine emotional conflicts at its core. In a solid cast, Dorothy Malone, as Cleva, is most notable.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Lon Chaney Sr. deserves a new/better bio-pic! gillmanfan2000
make-up montage? wencer
Will the copyright holders please listen to the fans of Chaney + Cagney john-kelly-3
Cagney good.. movie dreadful beverlyamason
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