Lon Chaney - "The Unholy Three"

By Laurie Sheril

Comedies were by no means the only vehicle for drag in the silent cinema. Dramatic films of the time also featured men in frocks from time to time. One of the greatest, if not the greatest, of the silent film stars was Lon Chaney. Known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces", at least one of those faces was that of an old woman in the film, "The Unholy Three" (1925). The film proved so popular that it was re-made only five years later, this time with sound.

One problem in documenting much of the silent cinema is the fact that of all the films made before 1950, over half are lost or are thought not to exist in any form. Many of these films can be discussed but havenít actually been seen in decades. One such is the 1925 version of "The Wizard of Oz" in which Frederic Kovert appears in the opening reel in full drag. This would be a sight to behold (even by 1920s standards) if this film were to surface.

An actor by the name of Harry Benham appeared in drag in a number of films including "Dotty the Dancer" (1912) and "Eye of Krishla" (1913). Another early production that dealt with crossdressing was a 1910 one called "He Joined the Frat" in which our hero dresses as a girl as part of a fraternity initiation (thereís a plot line that got a lot of mileage in future years!)

One device that was a constant source for the element of crosssdressing was spying! (Particularly during the ë60s spy boom in films.) Even in the silent days we could see it in the 1917 film "Madam Spy" wherein a military man (Jack Mulhall) disguised himself as a baroness (no less!) to outwit the Germans in World War I. Proving once again, when all else fails, disguise yourself as a femme fatale!

The Great Train Robbery is considered to be the first film to tell a story. Now to the best of my knowledge it did not feature any crossdressing, but I know of at least one silent western that did. "A Western Masquerade" featured none other than the legendary cowboy Tom Mix. In this film Tom must resort to disguising himself as a female to be near the woman he loves. Strangely enough, this same plot was used years later in an episode of Bob Hopeís Chrysler Theater wherein Tom Tryon took over the role played by Mix. (I have never seen this episode but I remember a local newspaperís review at the time it was broadcast. The reviewer said the lovely clothes were wasted on Tom Tryon. As if!)

All in all, silent films provided many excuses for the actors of the day to get into feminine finery. At a time when movies were in the age of innocence, many great performances can be found by those who wore the garb of the opposite sex without hesitation.

Next time, weíll look at drag in the early days of soundÖÖ