A CLOWN ISN'T FUNNY IN THE MOONLIGHT

"A clown is funny in the circus ring, but what would be the normal reaction to opening a door at midnight and finding the same clown standing there in the moonlight?"

- Attributed to Lon Chaney

And there you have it. This saying -- supposedly by Chaney himself -- has numerous variations, all without solid citations. One thing is for certain: the sentiment surely invokes an unsettling image.

In his 1968 book, “An Illustrated History of the Horror Film”, critic Carlos Clarens writes similarly:

As a boy, Lon Chaney used to watch the clowns on the stage of a theater in Colorado Springs and years later, at the peak of his career, he gave them credit not only for teaching him the basic rules of makeup but also for the inspiration of his more sinister roles.

Chaney contended that clowns are only funny when seen in context and that their painted faces and perennial smiles could project the same eerie quality of such characters as the Phantom of the Opera, for instance. There is nothing laughable about a clown in the moonlight, he used to say.

Chaney played a clown more than once in his film roles. The rare photographs below depict him "showing off" his makeup for HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (MGM, 1924). Also starring was Norma Shearer, one of the film's producers. Once Carl Laemmle's personal secretary, Thalberg became Universal's general manager, then jumped to MGM.

INSIDE THE PHANTOM'S LAIR!

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Universal's immortal classic, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Adapted by famous French author, Gaston Leroux, the picture was a smash hit, thanks to the marvelous acting and makeup genius, Lon Chaney, who frightened the pants off audiences in the scene where he was unmasked by his unrequited love, Christine (Mary Philbin).

Another marvel that was presented onscreen was a faithful recreation of the Paris Opera House, built on the grounds of Universal City.

Presented here are pages from the film's program that describe the making of the set, as well as a cut-away view of the building showing the places where the Phantom prowled.

MARS ATTACKS ON MONDAY!

Today we begin a look at the trading cards that are not only legendary, but are also notoriously controversial. First released in 1962 by Topps, Mars Attacks was developed by Len Brown, who was hired in 1959 at the young age of only eighteen by Woody Gelman, the creative director at Topps.

Until his retirement in May 2000, Brown helped to bring many memorable trading card sets to drug and variety stores over the years, including Wacky Packages, Garbage Pail Kids, Star Trek and Star Wars, but he said he liked Mars Attacks the best. Comic fans may also recognize his name as the co-creator of the well-loved T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS series from Tower Comics.

Originally intended to be called Attack From Space, Brown changed the name to the shorter (and snappier) Mars Attacks. He partnered with Wallace Wood and together they developed the series. Brown was inspired by Wood's cover of EC's WEIRD SCIENCE #16 (November-December 1952) and, by combining together a contemporary version of H.G. Wells "The War of the Worlds" and the looks of the Martians on the comic book cover, the rest is history, as they say. 

Here are the first eight cards from the set. More info on the history of Mars Attacks as we go along.

NEXT: Destroy the City!