Short Summary
My name is Thomas Hamilton and I directed and co-produced the Rondo Award winning documentary Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster.
"The Chaneys: Hollywood's Horror Dynasty" will examine the lives and work of Lon Chaney and his son Creighton, known worldwide as Lon Chaney Jr.
If you’d like to read more about how we plan to tell the story, read my description of the opening after the section on Other Ways you Can Help.
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Inspired by Bill Fleck's biography “Chaney’s Baby”, “The Chaneys: Hollywood's Horror Dynasty” uses the approach of a dual profile to examine the making of each man and the dynamic of their relationship. Viewers will enjoy a roller coaster ride of the most memorable moments in each man’s career, and discover a back-story worthy of a Lon Chaney film.
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What We Need & What You Get
Our target with this campaign : £14,500
Although we already filmed a few interviews (as seen in the trailer) we need more interviews to cover all the topics in our film. Most of these folks are US based, so filming will be with the help of locally hired crews, under my direction, while I conduct the interviews via Zoom.
With my editor Anthony Magnoni, we'll produce a 20-minute demo edit of “The Chaneys” to show potential co-producers and broadcasters. We aim to have this ready by September 2023.
If successfully raised, the funding will be apportioned as follows:
£6,000 for up to 5 days of interview filming (at an estimated daily rate of £1,200 for local camera operator, lights, transport and hire of room for filming)
£8,000 for up to 4 weeks editing time from Anthony Magnoni (@ £1500 p/w + Asst @ £500 p/w)
£500 for music compositions for the demo.
Perks
£5 – Receive a thank you message
£30 + See the Demo when complete
P/W protected Access to Digital viewing copy of demo when completed (Est - Sept 2023)
1 month subscription to Thomas Hamilton Patreon Account (covering past & present projects in production or development)
£30 + See the Documentary when complete
P/W protected Access to Digital view of final version of film when completed (Est –April 2024)
1 month subscription to Thomas Hamilton Patreon Account
£30 - Thank you Credit on Chaney Film & IMDb page
Your name listed in the Thank You Credits at the end of the film
Name added to Thank you Credit on IMDb page (added on completion of campaign)
1 month subscription to Thomas Hamilton Patreon Account
£100 - Special thanks Credit on Chaney Film & IMDb page
Your name in a SPECIAL THANKS CREDIT at the end of the film
SPECIAL THANKS CREDIT on IMDb page (on completion of campaign)
P/W protected Access to Digital viewing copy of demo when completed (Est - Sept 2023)
P/W protected Access to Digital view final version of film when completed (Est –April 2024)
dvd/blu-ray of the final version of the film when released (Est – late 2024)
3 month subscription to Thomas Hamilton Patreon Account
£300 + - Associate Producer Credit on Chaney Film & IMDb page
Your Name as ASSOCIATE PRODUCER at the beginning of the film
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER credit on IMDb page (on completion of campaign)
Digital Access to Demo, Final Version & dvd/blu-ray when completed (Est - Sept 2023-late 2024)
6 month subscription to Thomas Hamilton Patreon Account
£600 + Producer Credit on Chaney Film & IMDb page
Your Name as PRODUCER at the beginning of the film
PRODUCER credit on IMDb page (on completion of campaign)
Digital Access to Demo, Final Version & dvd/blu-ray when completed (Est - Sept 2023-late 2024)
1 year subscription to Thomas Hamilton Patreon Account
£5000 + EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDIT on Chaney Film & IMDb page
Your Name as EXECUTIVE PRODUCER at the beginning of the film
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit on IMDb page (on completion of campaign)
Digital Access to Demo, Final Version & dvd / blu-ray when completed (Est - Sept 2023-late 2024)
Your name on any publicity posters for the film as EXECUTIVE PRODUCER including back of dvd/blu-ray sleeve (Est – April – late 2024)
Free copy of Poster for film (when available)
Lifetime membership of Thomas Hamilton’s Patreon account (Lifetime of Account)
If our campaign doesn’t reach the entire goal…
If less than £14,500 is raised, ALL funds raised will still go towards production of the demo – although we'll reduce shooting and editing times accordingly. (As we are producing a demo rather than the finished film we can film more interviews later if need be.)
If more than £14,500 is raised the extra funds will be used to extend edit time so we can make more progress on the film as a whole.
(NB Each additional £2000 will cover an extra week of edit time.)
Impact
Your contributions, large or small are invaluable to enabling us to get this project to a stage where we can show it to funders. Even if you can only contribute $1, by pledging you will increase the number of pledgers and raise the profile of our campaign.
Lon Chaney made a huge contribution to the art of film acting and make-up design, he was an immensely versatile performer whose best work remains vital and impressive. It should be required viewing for generations of actors to come.
And while the life and work of his son, may not be as influential, he made a deep impression on generations of horror fans. Chaney Jr. has for too long been given back handed treatment by critics and writers, in part because of Universal's misuse of him in many of his films.
Regardless of casting, he made a fortune for Universal in the 1940's, yet never had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, something Karloff, Lugosi, Lorre and his own father received. Lon Jr. deserves a proper re-assessment. and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I believe this film will go some way to making that possible,
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My previous films include the Rondo Award winning Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster, and Leslie Howard: The Man who Gave a Damn. Completion of these was challenging and took some years, but by being tenacious and exploring all funding avenues these were finally completed and released.
Leslie Howard: the Man who Gave A Damn screens on Turner Classic Movies and Boris Karloff The Man Behind the Monster enjoyed a theatrical release in the US in Sept 2021 , is available on Streaming service SHUDDER and is available and selling well on blu-ray and dvd.
Risks & Challenges
With a project like this, funding is the most difficult thing to secure. However the most important stage in ensuring a quality production is to film all the interviews needed. If this campaign is successful, we'll get all the interviews we need. That'll mean it's only a matter of time and tenacity to complete the film.
Licensing Clips from films. This film will we be made using the Fair Use Provision, through which I have been able to use an impressive array of high quality clips in both my previous films.
Both the Karloff and Leslie Howard films encountered many obstacles on their way to completion, but my belief in these and commitment to sharing these stories (as with the Chaney project) kept me going until we found the necessary funding.
Other Ways You Can Help
We know not everyone is able to pledge. If you can't pledge anything at all, that's okay - you can still help make this successful by getting the word out to others, on fan groups, and in the horror community.
And you can use Indiegogo's Share tools to send the link to this campaign to your friends and other fans of The Chaneys: Hollywood's Horror Dynasty.
OPENING SEQUENCE OF "THE CHANEYS: HOLLYWOOD’S HORROR DYNASTY"
I want this film to appeal both to fans and also draw in a new audience. Finding a compelling entry point is crucial to this. So our film will open as follows:
April 22nd 1948: The day the Chaney dynasty almost ended.
At 42, Lon Chaney Jr. finds himself at a crossroads, eerily like the moment in 1940, when his dream of being a great character actor like his father, was within his reach.
And it all hinged on the characters of Lennie Small and Larry Talbot.
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These parts changed his life. Lennie brought him credibility as an actor and Larry Talbot gave him fame as Universal’s new horror star.
He was something new in American Horror films, a regular, blue-collar guy, unlike the vaguely aristocratic Karloff, Lugosi or Atwill. He was someone you might bump into on the street.
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His first starring films perfectly fitted this quality, and Chaney Jr.’s popularity soared.
Everything seemed possible.
30 films later, he’s just completed his 5th turn as Larry Talbot and is discussing a stage tour as Lennie in Of Mice and Men.
Yet the dream has faded. Repeated miscasting and Universal's assembly line approach eroded his confidence. Only as Larry Talbot was he consistently successful. And since 1945, when Universal let him go, work has been scarce.
So he's glad to be working. But it's not the hoped for revival. He’s always felt protective of The Wolf Man. But, in “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein”, he's become a stooge to Lou Costello.
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And what of “Lennie”, the mentally handicapped giant who Chaney Jr. played so brilliantly? Dozens of cartoon parodies had made “Which way did he go, George!?” a comedy catch phrase and reduced the character and Chaney's performance to a skit. At home, things aren’t much better – his son is in trouble and Lon's drinking is out of hand.
Before he died, his father expressly forbade Jr. from becoming an actor, confiding in friends that he wasn't worried whether his son would fail, but that success would destroy him.
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Though Chaney Jr. longed to be an actor he wanted to please his dad and let it go.
But after his death and a shattering family revelation, Jr. had defied his wishes. But what if dad had been onto something...
“I just took 40 sleeping tablets” he blurts out to his wife and son before staggering off and passing out in the back of his truck.
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Was the overdose an accident, a moment of despair or a cry for help? We may never know.
But what brought Lon Jr. to this moment?
We then flash back 65 years to the birth of his father, closely examining the elder’s formative years, his first difficult marriage, the birth of his son and the stories alleging his mistreatment.
The problem with such claims is that they contradict evidence showing Chaney genuinely concerned for his son’s well being. To friends, he confided his love and fears for the boy. Yet while conveying profound emotions on screen, he was a man of his time, not comfortable expressing emotions in private. And whilst there are claims that the stories came direct from Chaney Jr., the claimants themselves need to be looked at closely. Because one thing Lon Jr. had in common with his father, was a belief that his and his family's life were not for public consumption.
Please help us to make this film a reality. Thank you for your time,
Thomas Hamilton
