Indianapolis, IN–Born April 1, 1883, Lon Chaney was one of the greatest of silent film stars.\u00a0 Best remembered for his roles in Phantom of the Opera<\/i> (1925) and Hunchback of Notre Dame <\/i>(1923), Chaney was known the world over for his chameleon-like ability to inhabit strange and different roles.\u00a0 One of his most famous was as a vampire in London After Midnight <\/i>(1927), a film that has not been seen in public since at least 1970, and probably well before.\u00a0 The last known copy perished in a vault fire, and no copies were known to exist in private hands.<\/p>\n
Until today.<\/p>\n
Preservationist Eric Grayson, who independently seeks out rare films to preserve and share them, discovered a print in a private collection in October.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike so many silent film finds, it wasn\u2019t where you\u2019d expect to find it at all,\u201d Grayson said in a telephone interview.\u00a0 \u201cPeople have been searching for it for decades.\u00a0 There was a rumor that the film had been in San Francisco, in Sweden, or that a French 9.5mm print survived.\u00a0 This was in the basement of a collector in rural Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n
The print, on 35mm safety stock, was a surprise to everyone.\u00a0 As far as anyone knew, no prints had been made since the 1920s.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis guy was a bigwig in the local theater circuit, and he wanted a print, so he asked MGM, and they made him one.\u00a0 It was struck in 1956, so it\u2019s in good shape and looks better than a lot of the other Lon Chaney pictures that have survived,\u201d Grayson said.<\/p>\n
Such things are unusual, but not unique.\u00a0 A 35mm print of Chaney\u2019s West of Zanzibar <\/i>(1928), printed under similar circumstances, has been bouncing from collector to collector for some years now.\u00a0 Also, Buster Keaton\u2019s The Cameraman <\/i>(1928), long thought to be lost, showed up in a near-mint 16mm print in a private collection a few years ago.<\/p>\n
Grayson stated that the print required a little cleaning and special care, but is essentially projectable as-is.\u00a0 He quietly prepared a special high-definition digital transfer and then had a special card up his sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cLondon After Midnight <\/i>will premiere on TCM,\u201d said programming president Charlie Tabesh.\u00a0 \u201cEric basically blackmailed us to do what he wanted.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grayson, an ardent film preservationist, has been trying to sell an independently made television show for several years now.\u00a0 Entitled Dr. Film<\/i>, the show promotes film preservation while also being a silly tribute to old-fashioned movie hosts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he\u2019d sent us several copies of his pilot,\u201d Tabesh said, \u201cbut frankly we\u2019d never seen it.\u00a0 Then, when London After Midnight <\/i>showed up, he called us and said that we weren\u2019t getting it unless it became part of the first Dr. Film <\/i>episode on TCM.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grayson wasn\u2019t kidding.\u00a0 He has wanted to share other films from his collection for years, but runs into a lot of audience apathy.\u00a0 Having dealt with archives for many years, he knew about a special loophole that would cement his case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them if they didn\u2019t green-light a few episodes of Dr. Film<\/i>, then I would donate London After Midnight <\/i>to an archive, with the stipulation that Warner Brothers, the copyright owner, couldn\u2019t access it.\u00a0 There are a lot of films at archives with silly stipulations on them like that, and they have to be honored.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEric is lucky,\u201d said another film collector, who spoke on condition of anonymity.\u00a0 \u201cFrankly, his pilot for Dr. Film <\/i>was awful.\u00a0 He\u2019s so passionate about preserving oddball films that the ones he picked for the pilot episode were just appalling.\u00a0 Sure, they were rare, but who cares?\u00a0 TCM is so stodgy and stuck in its ways that something like his goofy take on Dr. Film <\/i>would normally just leave them wondering what they were seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, Grayson has a six-episode commitment from TCM for his new show, headlined by a Lon Chaney retrospective as the first installment.\u00a0 He promises to showcase films that others have ignored and abused over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cLondon After Midnight <\/i>won\u2019t be the only lost film we show,\u201d Grayson said.\u00a0 \u201cIt will just be the most famous one.\u201d<\/p>\n
And what of the timing of the announcement?\u00a0 Some might question the revelation on April Fools\u2019 Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Grayson said, \u201cbut it\u2019s also Lon Chaney\u2019s 130th birthday, so we thought it was appropriate.\u00a0 I can\u2019t show any of the film because of my contractual agreement with TCM, but I\u2019ll put up a YouTube video that should quiet most of the doubts.\u201d<\/p>\n
London After Midnight <\/i>debuts on December 17, the 86th anniversary of the film\u2019s release.<\/p>\n
Dr. Film <\/i>will continue on the next 5 Friday nights afterward on TCM.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf enough people watch, then TCM will have us do more.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got more movies… we just have to see if people care enough to watch them.\u201d<\/p>\n