The Unholy Three (1925)

US 86m, B&W, Silent
Director: Tod Browning; Cast: Lon Chaney, Mae Busch, Matt Moore, Victor McLaglen, Harry Earles

The Unholy Three is a suspenseful crime drama led by Professor Echo, a ventriloquist who masquerades as a little old lady, and his sideshow partners, Hercules the strongman and Tweedledee, a little person. Aided by Echo’s girlfriend, Rosie, the trio open a pet shop as a front to case the homes of their customers. Following a robbery that turns deadly, they attempt to pin the crime on an unsuspecting sales clerk who has fallen for Rosie. Though love ultimately saves the day, this preposterously entertaining film is one of Chaney’s best and a role he would reprise in a 1930 sound version (Klaus Ming April 2017).