... because MGM's rate of surviving silents is far better than the other studios. If Lon Chaney hadn't worked for MGM the last six years of his career, we might not hardly have any of his work remaining. For example, Paramount actually managed to lose one of the two films ("Way of All Flesh") that won Emil Jannings the first Best Actor Oscar.
This would have been interesting to see because, like in Tell It To the Marines, Chaney is without makeup or gimmick. He plays a railroad engineer that, due to a fight with one of his sons on the train, causes a crash and is demoted to mechanic in the railroad yard. It was his last silent film. Also interesting is that this was one of the few appearances of James Murray of "The Crowd" outside of that film, and it was the second to the last filmed appearance of Phyllis Haver before she retired from the screen due to marriage.
In the documentary "A Thousand Faces" it was mentioned that Chaney went to an actual railroad engineer and made a deal with him. He would trade the engineer's old worn out work coveralls for a brand new set. Chaney then used these old coveralls in the film for authenticity.
This would have been interesting to see because, like in Tell It To the Marines, Chaney is without makeup or gimmick. He plays a railroad engineer that, due to a fight with one of his sons on the train, causes a crash and is demoted to mechanic in the railroad yard. It was his last silent film. Also interesting is that this was one of the few appearances of James Murray of "The Crowd" outside of that film, and it was the second to the last filmed appearance of Phyllis Haver before she retired from the screen due to marriage.
In the documentary "A Thousand Faces" it was mentioned that Chaney went to an actual railroad engineer and made a deal with him. He would trade the engineer's old worn out work coveralls for a brand new set. Chaney then used these old coveralls in the film for authenticity.