The Unholy Three

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Originally made by MGM in 1925 as a silent film and then remade in 1930 as a talkie.

The Unholy Three (1925)

Directed by	Tod Browning
Produced by	Tod Browning and Irving Thalberg (uncredited)
Written by	Clarence Aaron "Tod" Robbins and Waldemar Young
Starring	Lon Chaney Mae Busch Matt Moore Victor McLaglen Harry Earles Matthew Earles Edward Connelly William Humphrey E. Alyn Warren
Cinematography	David Kesson
Editing by	Daniel Gray
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	August 16, 1925
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent film English intertitles
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The Unholy Three is a melodrama silent film involving a crime spree. The 1925 version was directed by Tod Browning, while the later version was directed by Jack Conway. In both versions, the role of Professor Echo is played by Lon Chaney. The films are most notable for the fact that the remake was Chaney's last film as well as his only talkie. Chaney died from throat cancer two months after the film's release.

Before his death, Chaney signed a sworn statement that he provided all the voices in the movie, including that of the old lady.

[edit] Synopsis

Three sideshow performers leave their lives of captivity and become "The Unholy Three." Echo the ventriloquist assumes the role of a kindly old grandmother who runs a bird shop. Tweedledee, "The Twenty Inch Man," becomes her grandchild, and Hercules is their assistant. Soon an incredible crime wave is launched from their little store.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Convincingly disguised as a little old lady, Echo and his two carnival cohorts perform a series of Park Avenue robberies. Echo's sweetheart Rosie plays along with the Unholy Three but changes her mind when their latest burglary, which ended in murder, threatens to send an innocent man to the electric chair.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Trivia

(1925 version) During the scene where Echo and company are fleeing the pet store, Echo decides to take his pet ape with them. The "Ape" was actually a three-foot-tall chimp who was made to appear gigantic with camera trickery, and perspective shots. When Echo removes the ape from his cage, the shot shows Echo (with his back turned to the camera) unlocking the cage and walking the ape to the truck. The ape appears to be roughly the same size as Echo. This effect was achieved by having dwarf actor Harry Earles (who played "Tweedledee" in the film) play Echo for these brief shots, and then cutting to the normal sized Lon Chaney, making it seems as though the Ape is gigantic.