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The Unholy Three (1925 film)
Encyclopedia
The Unholy Three is a 1925 American silent film
melodrama
involving a crime spree, directed by Tod Browning
.
The film was remade
in 1930
as a talkie. In both the 1925 and the 1930 version
, the roles of Professor Echo and Tweedledee are played by Lon Chaney
and Harry Earles respectively. Both were based on the novel of the same name by Clarence Aaron "Tod" Robbins.
performers leave the circus after Tweedledee the midget assaults a child at one of their shows and become "The Unholy Three." Echo the ventriloquist assumes the role of Mrs. O'Grady, a kindly old grandmother, who runs a bird shop. Tweedledee, "The Twenty Inch Man," becomes her grandchild, and Hercules (Victor McLaglen
) is their assistant. Soon an incredible crime wave is launched from their little store.
Convincingly disguised as a little old lady, Echo and his two carnival
cohorts perform a series of Park Avenue
robberies. Echo's sweetheart Rosie (Mae Busch
) plays along with the Unholy Three but changes her mind when their latest burglary
, which ended in murder
, threatens to send an innocent man (who is also Rosie's Lover) to the electric chair
.
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 midget 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 seem as though the Ape is gigantic. (In the 1930 remake the ape is played by a man in a costume.)
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
involving a crime spree, directed by Tod Browning
Tod Browning
Tod Browning was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter.Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras...
.
The film was remade
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
in 1930
1930 in film
-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
as a talkie. In both the 1925 and the 1930 version
The Unholy Three (1930 film)
The Unholy Three is a 1930 melodrama involving a crime spree, directed by Jack Conway. It is a remake of the 1925 film The Unholy Three. Both were based on the novel of the same name by Clarence Aaron "Tod" Robbins....
, the roles of Professor Echo and Tweedledee are played by Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
and Harry Earles respectively. Both were based on the novel of the same name by Clarence Aaron "Tod" Robbins.
Synopsis
Three sideshowSideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
performers leave the circus after Tweedledee the midget assaults a child at one of their shows and become "The Unholy Three." Echo the ventriloquist assumes the role of Mrs. O'Grady, a kindly old grandmother, who runs a bird shop. Tweedledee, "The Twenty Inch Man," becomes her grandchild, and Hercules (Victor McLaglen
Victor McLaglen
Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen was an English boxer and World War I veteran who became a successful film actor.Towards the end of his life he was naturalised as a U.S. citizen.-Early life:...
) is their assistant. Soon an incredible crime wave is launched from their little store.
Convincingly disguised as a little old lady, Echo and his two carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
cohorts perform a series of Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
robberies. Echo's sweetheart Rosie (Mae Busch
Mae Busch
Mae Busch was an Australian film actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood. In the latter part of her career, she appeared in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, where she frequently played Hardy's shrewish wife.-Early life and career:Born in Melbourne, Australia, Busch was...
) plays along with the Unholy Three but changes her mind when their latest burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
, which ended in murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, threatens to send an innocent man (who is also Rosie's Lover) to the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
.
Production notes
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 chimpanzeeChimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
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 midget 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 seem as though the Ape is gigantic. (In the 1930 remake the ape is played by a man in a costume.)
Cast
- Lon ChaneyLon Chaney, Sr.Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
as Professor Echo, the ventriloquist, aka Mrs. 'Granny' O'Grady - Mae BuschMae BuschMae Busch was an Australian film actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood. In the latter part of her career, she appeared in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, where she frequently played Hardy's shrewish wife.-Early life and career:Born in Melbourne, Australia, Busch was...
as Rosie O'Grady - Matt Moore as Hector MacDonald
- Victor McLaglenVictor McLaglenVictor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen was an English boxer and World War I veteran who became a successful film actor.Towards the end of his life he was naturalised as a U.S. citizen.-Early life:...
as Hercules, the strongman - Harry Earles as Tweedledee, the dwarf, aka Little Willie
- Matthew Betz as Detective Regan
- Edward ConnellyEdward ConnellyEdward Connelly was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. He had a long established Broadway theatre career going back to the Victorian era...
as The judge - William HumphreyWilliam J. HumphreyWilliam Jonathan Humphrey was an American actor and film director.Born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, William Humphrey was a well-known member of the early stock company of Vitagraph Studios...
as Defense attorney (billed as William Humphreys) - E. Alyn WarrenE. Alyn WarrenE. Alyn Warren , was an American actor. He appeared in 99 films between 1915 and 1940.He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Selected filmography:* The Virgin of Stamboul...
as Prosecuting attorney (billed as A.E. Warren)