The 1957 film "Man of a Thousand Faces" is a fictionalized biography of silent film actor Lon Chaney who often portrayed grotesque and afflicted characters. James Cagney starred as Lon Chaney. In the film Chaney gets his start in live theatre Vaudeville and then moves to Los Angeles to appear in motion pictures. He marries a singer Cleva and has a child, Creighton Chaney. He and his wife divorce and he marries a showgirl Hazel. Early in the film he applies for a performing position at a theatre in San Francsisco. He meets a press agent who rolls a Walking Liberty half dollar between his fingers.

Lon Chaney is born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Both of his parents are deaf and he learns sign language from them. He likes portraying stories and as a teen becomes a clown. He then goes to San Francisco to apply for a job at a theatre. Lon meets Clarence Locan who talks to Lon while rolling a coin between his fingers.

The coin is a United States Walking Liberty half dollar. The reverse appears.

Clarence rolls the coin some more and the obverse appears.

The men continue their conversation.
Lon asks Clarence a question.

Clarence replies "No, a press agent"

Silver, 30.6 mm, 12.50 gm
Walking Liberty half dollars were minted from 1916 to 1947.

While appearing at the theatre Lon brings his son and they meet Hazel, one of the dancers.

Lon and his wife Cleva have been arguing, she wants to resume her career as a singer and he wants her to stay at home with their son. Cleva leaves and begins performing at a theatre where she attracts a wealthy man.

Lon and Cleva divorce and the child custody judge tells Lon to keep the child in a boarding school until he can provide a suitable home. For several years Lon's movie career moves along while the son is at the school. Hazel visits Lon who complains about the court judge refusing to let his son live with him.

Hazel suggests that the child court judge wants Lon to have a wife. Lon now has enough money to erect a cabin in the California Sierra Nevada mountains.

The mountains in the photograph are west of Bishop, California.
The cabin was actually located near Big Pine in the Eastern Sierra.

Lon really dislikes his first wife Cleva and has told their son that she is dead. Cleva has been hanging around the school where her son is and also visiting Lon's house in Los Angeles and the motion picture studio where he works.

They watch Lon filming a scene from one of his most famous films, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Later Lon appears in another famous film, "The Phantom of the Opera" where a young girl remove's his mask.

More years pass and Creighton has become a young man. Creighton tells Lon that he would also like to become an actor but Lon discourages him.

Creighton has found out about his mother Cleva being alive and leaves Lon's house to live with her. Lon is remaking his silent film "The Unholy Three" as a sound film but his coughing is causing problems with the sound microphones. Lon is portraying a criminal who disguises himself as an elderly woman. He sees a studio doctor about his throat.

The doctor tells Lon that he has terminal cancer.

He writes "JR" on his makeup case and gives it to his son (who later becomes the horror film actor Lon Chaney Jr.)

Some pictures from Lon's films appear.

James Cagney as Lon Chaney
Dorothy Malone as Cleva Creighton Chaney
Jane Greer as Hazel Bennet Chaney
Roger Smith as Creighton Chaney
Jim Backus as Clarence Locan
Robert J. Evans as Irving Thalberg
Jack Albertson as Dr. J. Wilson Shields
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writers: R. Wright Campbell, Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, Ralph Wheelwright