The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-08-28
T he Life.
History OF
Lon Chaney
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to mimic and entertain around the
campfire caused tourists to urge MIN
to try out for a theatrical career.
When he applied at the Colorado
Springs opera house the manager
laughed at him. Undaunted, ne
took a job as prop boy and began
shifting scenery.
The actors fascinated him and ne
watched them closely, spending as
much time in their dressing rooms
as they would permit.
About this time Richard Mans
field, the famous character actor OF
a generation ago, stopped off at Col
orado Springs to break a long trip
to the Pacific coast.
On successive nights Mansfield
played DIR. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde
and Ivan the Terrible the
boy, watching with bated breath
from the wings, there pictured his
own future.
He would be a character actor like
Mansfield-a great actor, a man
who could take on dozens Of faces
and grip the interest Of his audience
like steel wise.
DUT few lives flow along care
- fully directed lines toward their
desired goal-there are too many
chances in the game.
So it was with young CLANCY. BY
this time his elder brother, John,
had got a job in the theater and
his father, thinking one actor in the
family was enough, shipped Lon OIL
to Denver to learn a trade as
paperhanger.
Il can hang wall paper and lay
carpets as well as any man." the
king Of character actors said when
in a reminiscent mood recently.
THE old Antlers hotel in Colorado
Springs is one of my jobs and there
is still paper on those walls I hung"
One day the young paperhanger
received telegram from his BROTH
err, asking him to return to Colo
RADIO Springs at once and play
small role with a comic opera COM
pany he had organized. Lon
jumped at it.
A ND SO Lon CLANCY became an
L "A actor. But it was not the
kind of acting-the portrayal OF
powerful character roles-that he
had set his dreams upon. There
are too many chances in life for
success to come that easily.
Instead, he became a pink tinted
chorus man, capering around in
comic operas and, in addition,
attending to the companys trans
portation problems and properties.
They transformed for a while-and
then went broke.
Lon heard musical comedy in
Chicago was looking for a dancer
and a second comedian. He got
the job, but that company soon
went broke on the road and
CLANCY borrowed $40 from a colored
stage hand to get back to Chicago.
jobs were scarce. but CLANCY
hung on. He filled in as an actor
whenever he could get a chance
to play, regardless Of the role, and
at other times worked as stage
hand.
He still held his card in the stage
hands union-and continued to do
so until his death.
Il
THWARTED, but by no means
i defeated, in his ambition to be-
come character actor, Lon
finally drifted west with a vaude-
vile troupe.
In San Francisco he worked with
the Ferris Hartman Opera Company
and then joined the famous
comedians, Kolb and Dill as stage
director and second comedian.
On the same bill with Kolb and
Dill we're two girls doing a sister
act. CLANCY was struck with the
charm and beauty of one of them,
Hazel Hastings. Soon the second
comedian and the pretty dancer
were married.
That was twenty-three years ago
and, despite all the vicissitudes of
professional life and Hollywoods
numerous divorces, that marriage
endured happily until the end and
was blessed with a son. CREIGHTON