Known as ‘The Man of 1,000 Faces’ Chaney did his own make-up, moved props and lights, and even helped with the make-up of extras. One extra he helped with his makeup was 36-year-old William Pratt.
Chaney gave him a lift home one night. On the way, Chaney told William, “The trick in this business is to do something totally different from the rest, so they’ll take notice of you.”
Six years later, at the age of 42, William Pratt, now Boris Karloff, would do ‘something different’, also in makeup. And ‘they’ did take notice of him.
Thank you for sharing with us some of his personal life as well. A star that was kind and generous both on the set and beyond. Answering only letters from prisoners. Very commendable.
Ron