Man of a Thousand Faces (film)
| Man of a Thousand Faces | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Joseph Pevney |
| Produced by | Robert Arthur |
| Written by |
R. Wright Campbell Ivan Goff Ben Roberts Ralph Wheelwright |
| Starring |
James Cagney Dorothy Malone Jane Greer Jim Backus Robert Evans Marjorie Rambeau |
| Music by | Frank Skinner |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Ted Kent |
| Distributed by | Universal-International |
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Release date
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Running time
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122 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English, American Sign Language |
| Box office | $2.4 million (US) |
Man of a Thousand Faces is a 1957 film detailing the life of silent movie actor Lon Chaney, in which the title role is played by James Cagney.
Directed by Joseph Pevney, the film's cast included Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer and Jim Backus. Chaney's grown son was played by Roger Smith, later the star of television's 77 Sunset Strip, and studio chief Irving Thalberg was portrayed by Robert Evans, who soon left acting and eventually became head of Paramount Pictures.
In the early 1900s, actor Lon Chaney (James Cagney) is working in vaudeville with his wife Cleva (Dorothy Malone). Chaney quits the show and Cleva announces that she is pregnant. Lon is happy and tells Cleva that he has been hired by the famous comedy team Kolb and Dill for an upcoming show.
Cleva pressures Lon to visit his parents (whom she has never met) in his hometown of Colorado Springs. Lon is reluctant because his parents are both deaf mutes, a fact Lon has never shared. Cleva reacts with disgust and does not want to give birth, fearing that the child will also be a deaf mute and she doesn't want to be the mother of a "dumb thing."
Months later, the baby Creighton is born and it soon becomes clear that the child is not deaf. Despite this good news, Lon's and Cleva's marriage continues to erode over the next few years. Soon she takes a job as a singer in a nightclub, dropping young Creighton off to his father backstage at his theater before being driven to work.
Lon has developed a close but platonic friendship with chorus girl Hazel Hastings (Jane Greer). Hazel is happy to help look after young Creighton. After the child gets sick at the theater, Lon complains to Cleva's employer, who reluctantly agrees to terminate her.
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