Though he was haunted by the shadow of his legendary father and devastated by alcoholism, Lon Chaney, Jr., carved out a very successful film career as Universal's leading horror star in the 1940s, and later as a leading character actor in Westerns, dramas, and on television. While rightly focused on the career of the underrated actor, this study also explores his life and times.

A stunning graphic debut: the life of the legendary silent-film actor Lon Chaney (the original Phantom of the Opera and Hunchback of Notre Dame), as imagined by an artist whose work recalls the style and skill of early-era New Yorker cartoonists. From the artist: "'No one will ever love me!' I believe it was this near-universal fear that makes Lon Chaney's characters continue to resonate with us today. On their surface, most of them are distinctly unlikeable: they are monsters, outcasts, criminals. But through his unique magic, Chaney makes them empathetic. He pioneered the craft of makeup artist long before that term ever existed, and he used his expertise to hide himself from public view--what if nobody loved him?" PART OF THE PANTHEON GRAPHIC LIBRARY

Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster are horror cinema icons, and the actors most deeply associated with the two roles also shared a unique friendship. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff starred in dozens of black-and-white horror films, and over the years managed to collaborate on and co-star in eight movies. Through dozens of interviews and extensive archival research, this greatly expanded new edition examines the Golden Age of Hollywood, the era in which both stars worked, recreates the shooting of Lugosi and Karloff's mutual films, examines their odd and moving personal relationship and analyzes their ongoing legacies. Features include a fully detailed filmography of the eight Karloff and Lugosi films, full summaries of both men's careers and more than 250 photographs, some in color.

The Midnight Actors Series delves into pivotal films made throughout Lon Chaney's career (not only the mainstream Universal and horror classics, but his stunning performance in Of Mice and Men, his B Western career, his low-budget horror/exploitation movie career, his prestigious character performances in A productions, his television work, etc.), by having different authors offer distinct reflections and individual insights, and by including several firsthand interviews from people who worked with Chaney, Jr., we hope to offer the most complete and balanced portrait yet seen of Lon Chaney, Jr., working actor.

An in-depth look at the film serials of the kings of horrorBoris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Jr. Includes information on The Hope Diamond Mystery, King of the Kongo, The Phantom Creeps, Undersea Kingdom and much more. Contains many rare photos. A must for fans of serials.

"If you care at all about silent pictures, about Chaney, about bravura acting and about film makeup, the book is invaluable and perhaps definitive." --San Diego Union Tribune

THE STORY: The vulgar, egotistic junkman Harry Brock has come to a swanky hotel in Washington to make crooked deals with government big-wigs. He has brought with him the charming but dumb ex-chorus girl Billie, whose lack of social graces embarrass

The bible of B-movies is back--and better than ever! From Abby to Zontar, this book covers more than 9,000 amazing movies--from the turn of the century right up to today's Golden Age of Video--all described with Michael Weldon's dry wit. More than 450 rare and wonderful illustrations round out thie treasure trove of cinematic lore--an essential reference for every bad film fan.

This comical collection of of Jewish comedian portraiture is a sequel to 2006's wildly successful Old Jewish Comedians, which earned Friedman raves from Jerry Lewis, Howard Stern, The Believer,Entertainment Weekly and many more, and earned Friedman his own roast at New York's legendary Friar's Club. This all-new collection includes the famous (Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Joan Rivers, Mel Brooks, Soupy Sales, etc.), the not-so-famous (Jerry Stiller, Zeppo & Gummo Marx, Larry Storch, Zero Mostel, etc.) and the largely unknown (Molly Picon, Herbie Faye, Jan Milton, etc.). The Reuben Award-winning Friedman, one of the great caricaturists of his age, presents a thorough visual history of the 20th Century's greatest Borscht-Belt comedians.

Lon Chaney's Shadow: John Jeske and the Chaney Mystique reveals an unexplored and controversial side of the great silent film actor Lon Chaney's life by taking a close look at his relationship with friend, chauffeur, and make-up assistant, John Jeske. Books previously published of Chaney's life and career document his phenomenal talent in the art of motion picture make-up and acting, but the reader comes away without a full understanding of who Chaney was as a man. This book focuses on the human level of the relationship between Lon, his son Creighton (Lon, Jr.), second wife Hazel, and their "faithful servant," so the pieces of the emotional and psychological dynamics at work in this complex story can finally be appreciated for the significant impact they had on Chaney's career. The John Jeske story is at its core a fascinating glimpse into a world which has until now been off limits to all but the most dedicated of researchers. The majority of evidence to link the two men has been purposely suppressed or destroyed--a great deal of it was destroyed by Chaney himself and his wife Hazel to keep alive the myth that Chaney did not need help of any kind. The story of Jeske's life and work with Lon Chaney is therefore fragmented at best, but I believe, through painstaking research, I have recovered enough to finally reveal the truth. This book fills the gap left behind by every other Lon Chaney biography and is an essential addition to the libraries of Chaney fans and film historians worldwide.