Lon Chaney with his presence, could make any film better. His brief life was filled with acting success. He should be considered among the great silent film stars. He did everything and was an innovator in makeup technique. The name of Lon Chaney should be as revered as Chaplin and Keaton. It is a mystery why this great actor doesn’t get his accolades. Phantom of the Opera is revered as a masterpiece of horror. There are a few but not many actors who have a signature genre movie.
East is East is an example of a movie made better by Lon Chaney. It is about Tiger Haynes, a trapper of wild beasts. He sells them to circuses and zoos. His dangerous job keeps him away from home for long periods of time. When he comes home he is greeted by his daughter, Toyo, (Lupe Velez). She loves her father very much. Tiger’s whole life is his daughter. While Tiger was away, Toyo fell in love with Bobby Bailey, (Lloyd Hughes). She must break the news to him gently, and hope that Tiger accepts him. Her father grudgingly does this, only wanting his daughter’s happiness.
Everything is wonderful in the Haynes world. It is then that everything comes crashing down. A woman named Mme. de Sylva, (Estelle Taylor),seduces Bobby Bailey. This woman is not just looking to take Bobby away from Toyo. She is her long lost mother. Her motive behind Bobby’s seduction is revenge against Tiger. She has by doing this horrible thing set Tiger over the edge. All of his talking to her, has just made her more vengeful. She will not leave Bobby alone. This drives Tiger to a final desperate act to rid his family of this evil woman.
This movie gives two definitive sides to good and evil. Tiger Haynes and his daughter Toyo are good. Toyo not only is good, but loving, innocent and trusting. Mme. de Sylva is pure evil. She doesn’t care about anything but herself and revenge. The two sides clash, with only one result. The story is not the best. It was written by Tod Browning, Harry Sinclair Drago and Waldemar Young. Browning wrote several movies for his good friend Chaney. He is most famous for directing and writing the script for the best version of Dracula. Waldemar Young wrote several scripts for Gary Cooper’s early films. He also wrote a few scripts for Cecil DeMille, who was an early epic film maker in the manner of David Lean.
Lupe Velez became famous a few years after making this movie. She played comedy well and was later cast in several Mexican Spitfire movies, playing Carmelita Lindsay. Her success didn’t translate into her personal life. She had a short lived marriage with Johnny Weissmuller. He was the screen’s most successful Tarzan. After this she had several failed relationships. Sadly she committed suicide in 1944. He costar, in East is East, and good friend, Estelle Taylor, also starred in the silent version of The Ten Commandments, and also appeared in the remake. She starred in the academy award winning epic western, Cimarron. She was briefly married to the famous boxer, Jack Dempsey. After her acting career, she became an animal rights activist.
Lon Chaney worked with some stars before they became famous. They were Norma Sheara and Joan Crawford. Chaney’s acting talent had to rub off on them. They were both top actresses for a number of years. Joan Crawford later became an academy award winner. It is sad to think that Chaney died of cancer at 47. He was at the time of his death, being considered for the roles of Dracula and the Frankenstein monster. He probably could have pulled off both roles easily.