The Unholy Three (1930)

Premiered July 12, 1930.

This film was released 90 years ago today, so we thought it was a good time to post this out-of-season Christmas review!:

A ventriloquist who calls himself Professor Echo (Lon Chaney) works at a carnival where he shows off his voice-throwing skills and rips off the local rubes.

Others who work at the carnival include a strong man known as Hercules (Ivan Linow)...

...and Tweedledee (Harry Earles), who is billed as the "smallest adult in the world"...

...and a professional pickpocket named Rosie (Lila Lee).

When Tweedledee kicks a child during a fight, a riot breaks out and the carnival is shut down.

Echo tells Tweedledee and Hercules he has a new scam that will make them all rich.  He says the three of them will disappear and change their identities.  Tweedledee says plan sounds, "unholy," which prompts Echo to call this crew "The Unholy Three."

Echo also brings along his pet gorilla, which seems to be the only thing Hercules is afraid of.  Echo uses this to his advantage whenever Hercules doesn't fall in line.

Sometime later, the trio opens an exotic pets shop they can use as a front for their criminal operation.

Echo runs the pet shop under his new alias, a grandmother named Mrs. O'Grady.

Tweedledum poses as her grandson Willie.

And Hercules pretends he's Mrs. O'Grady's son-in-law Herman.

Rosie also works at the shop.  Echo has romantic ideas about Rosie, but he treats her with contempt.  Rosie is attracted to a pet shop employee named Hector McDonald (Elliott Nugent) and the attraction is mutual.

On Christmas Eve, Echo, Herman and Willie decide to steal a valuable ruby necklace from one of their customers.  Poor Hector has no idea that he works with criminals and buys a Christmas tree and lots of toys for Willie.  Hector hopes to spend a romantic evening trimming the tree with Rosie.

However, Echo gets jealous and decides stay behind and trim the tree as Mrs. O'Grady.  Hector tells Mrs. O'Grady he plans to ask Rosie to marry him.

Tweedledee and Herman go through with the robbery without Echo.  Herman ends up shooting and killing a man while stealing the necklace.  On Christmas morning, the trio decides to pin the theft and murder on Hector.  They plant the necklace in Hector's closet and he's arrested.

Hector tells the police and judge that Rosie and Mrs. O'Grady will provide him with an alibi.  However, Mrs. O'Grady and Rosie are nowhere to be found.  The Unholy Three have disappeared and are hiding out in a cabin in the mountains.  They've brought along Echo's gorilla and kidnapped Rosie. 

Will Hector be convicted for a crime he didn't commit?

J.A. Morris says:

If the premise for this movie sounds a bit ridiculous, that's because it is!  Prof. Echo needs a money-making scam, so the first idea that pops into his head is to open an exotic pet shop?  However, it's also ridiculously great!  The "Christmas Scam" is a something of a trope in holiday movies and I'm guessing this is one of the first times it's been featured on film. 

The Unholy Three has great historical importance.  It's the only sound film appearance of the great Lon Chaney, a major star of the silent era who today is best remembered as the star of The Phantom Of The Opera and The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.  It's a shame Chaney died several weeks after the release of this film, because he's great here and he had a scary, menacing voice.

The rest of the cast provide solid support. 

Director Jack Conway makes great use of shadows in several scenes.   Here's a good example of that:

If there's anything wrong with The Unholy Three, it's that there's a (never stated aloud) message that Carnival folks are inherently bad and strange people.  While Echo displays a few, fleeting moments of humanity, Hercules and Tweedledee don't have many redeeming qualities.  They seem to exist merely to steal money and kill people.  I'm sure this was the conventional wisdom about Carnival "freaks" when this film was made, but I still feel like it needs to be called out.

Strictly speaking, The Unholy Three is more of a "Christmas-adjacent" movie than a "Christmas movie," but Christmas plays a very important role in the plot.  The trimming of the tree sets a lot of actions in motion:it causes echo to stay behind, which leads to the robbery turning into a murder, which eventually leads to the framing of Hector.  An important conversation between Rosie and Hector takes place during Christmas dinner.

Christmas is also discussed during Hector's murder trial, so we decided the movie was "Christmas-y enough" for our blog!

The Unholy Three is a fascinating film and a good farewell film for Lon Chaney.  It's especially recommended for fans of Christmas crime films and for those who need a break from predictable holiday entertainment.

J.A. Morris's rating: 

3 candy canes

RigbyMel says: 

The Unholy Three is a strange and gripping film with a "high concept" plot featuring characters from a freak show and elaborate criminal schemes.  It's also historically significant as it's the only talkie the great silent film star Lon Chaney ever did as well as being his final movie.  (He died of lung cancer on August 26th, 1930, seven weeks after The Unholy Three was released.) This movie allows Chaney to show off his considerable acting talents and also demonstrates that, had he lived longer,  he could have continued to be successful in talking pictures.

Chaney manages to be menacing in old lady drag!

It's also interesting to note that The Unholy Three is a remake of a 1925 silent movie (also starring Lon Chaney and Harry Earles).  The original version is silent and does NOT take place during Christmas.  Remakes have been around pretty much as long as Hollywood has, it would seem!   The addition of the Christmas angle to the remake serves to increase dramatic tension.

Poster from the 1925 version of the film.

Harry Earles, who plays the creepy and merciless Tweedledee/Little Willie, actually grew up as a circus and sideshow entertainer and was a part of several other important early movies such as Freaks (1932). He and his siblings were among the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz (1939).   (Harry is one of the members of the Lollipop Guild.)  The way Tweedledee is written is ... not sensitive.  However, Earles makes it memorable and it's worth noting that he was able to have an acting career in a time when disabled and different folks were really not afforded a lot of  opportunities.

I also find the film intriguing from a material culture angle.  Viewers get extended glimpses of 1920s/30s Christmas decorations and the inside of a pet shop, for example. 

On their return from Christmas shopping, Hector helps Rosie remove her galoshes

There's even a "feather tree" (one of the first artificial Christmas trees), which is a holdover from Victorian Christmas celebrations, in the background of some shots. 

Hector gets ready to feed a cockatiel in the pet shop

It provides us with little glimpses into bygone days and small details that might be unfamiliar to modern audiences.

A feather tree (on the table) as well as a wreath and a paper bell (in the window) are on display in this shot

Christmas is central to the plot as the primary crime - murder, in the course of a robbery - occurs on Christmas Eve and there are tense Christmas morning visits from police, jewels hidden in toys, and even a touch of Christmas romance between poor dopey Hector and soon to be reformed criminal Rosie.

A "cozy" Christmas morning visit from a police detective

The Unholy Three is definitely worth a look  -- especially if one is interested in caper and/or pre-code movies or if one is a fan of Lon Chaney's work!

RigbyMel's rating: 

3 candy canes

Peace On Earth

Premiered December 9, 1939. 
The subject of today's "Oscar Takes A Holiday" review is animation producer Fred Quimby.

Peace On Earth was nominated for the Best Animated Short Oscar in 1939.  It was directed by Hugh Harman and co-produced by Harman and Quimby.

Quimby won seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short between 1940 and 1952.

On to today's review:

A squirrel (Mel Blanc) visits his grandchildren (Sara Berner and Bernice Hansen)  on Christmas Eve.  Outside, carolers are singing "peace on Earth, goodwill to men."  This prompts the grandchildren to ask the elder squirrel "what are men?"  Their grandfather tells them that men were "the orneriest, cussedest, dagnabbed tribe of varmints I ever did see," and explains that there are no more men left.

He tells them a story about how men fought each other for decades, finding endless reasons, prejudices and methods to kill one another.

Eventually, there were only two men left on Earth.  They shot each other to death.  The animals emerged from hiding and tried to make some sense of what men had done to the world.  They found a Bible in a bombed-out church and read the sentence "Thou Shalt Not Kill."

The animals decide that the Bible contains some other good ideas and they decide to rebuild the world and live peace in together.

J.A. Morris says:

I first stumbled on Peace On Earth some years ago when Cartoon Network aired it as part of their Yule Tunes special.  This cartoon blew me away and I still find it fascinating every time I watch it. Peace On Earth is one of the most powerful anti-war statements I've ever seen on film.

Viewers of today might be surprised to learn that pacifism was very popular when this short was produced.  This was due to the horrific experiences the world endured during the first world war.

Peace On Earth was released two months after Hitler invaded Poland and within two years, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and another world war was on.

Peace On Earth features typical 1940s cute "funny animal" characters...

 ...contrasted with very realistic (for its time) depictions of warfare.

This must have surprised viewers in 1939 who probably thought they were in for a cute Christmas toon.  The contrasts in style help Peace On Earth deliver its message.

This cartoon is often aired on Turner Classic Movies during the holiday season and it's available on a DVD called Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection.

Peace On Earth is an amazing cartoon and it contains a message about war that is (sadly) still relevant today.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes.

RigbyMel says: 

This animated short is ... not subtle in its messaging, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  (Especially not in a short!)

The animation is stunning.  The rotoscoped humans at war make a stark contrast with the cute little traditionally animated animals that look like they sneaked over from the set of Disney's Snow White.

When you first see the animals' little village, it looks idyllic and festive, and when you figure out what's going on, you notice that roofs are made of old military helmets and lamp posts from discarded bayonets -- again, taking the cutesy and turning it sideways for emphasis.

The shock of the contrast and the subject matter in the Christmas setting adds to the power of the message.

Peace on Earth is definitely worth your time to track down. Trust me, it will stick with you!

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 candy canes.

Tom and Jerry: "The Night Before Christmas" (1941)

Premiered December 6, 1941.

This edition of “Oscar Takes A Holiday” focuses on Fred Quimby and Rudolf Ising, who co-produced this Tom and Jerry cartoon.  Quimby won eight Academy Awards for Best Animated Short.  

Fred Quimby with his collection of Oscars!

Seven of Quimby’s Oscars were for producing Tom and Jerry shorts, including four in a row from 1944 to 1947.  Quimby’s other Academy Award win was for “The Milky Way”, which he shared with Ising.  It’s worth noting that Ising and Quimby’s win marked the first time the animation Oscar went to someone other than Walt Disney, who won the first eight animated short Academy Awards. 

The Night Before Christmas was written and directed by Tom and Jerry's creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

On to our review:

On Christmas Eve, Jerry the mouse leaves his hole in the wall and makes his way to the Christmas tree.  He plays with some of the toys and gifts that surround the tree.  

Jerry’s Yuletide fun comes to an end when he stumbles on Tom the cat, who is sleeping under the tree, a chase around the tree ensues.  The mouse manages to escape Tom.

However, Tom eventually chases Jerry outside through the mail slot... 

...and barricades the mouse outside on a frigid, snowing night.  

While the cat settles on a pillow by the fireside, it looks like Jerry is doomed to freeze, unless Tom finds some Christmas spirit and lets him back inside.  

J.A. Morris says:

I watched lots of classic Tom and Jerry shorts when they were shown in syndication during my childhood.  However I didn’t see The Night Before Christmas until the early-2000s when it aired as part of the Christmas episode of ToonHeads.  

This is basically a typical Tom and Jerry cartoon except it’s takes place at Christmas.  You know the drill: Tom chases Jerry, the mouse survives and gives the cat his comeuppance.  The Night Before Christmas is beautifully animated and features some nice scenes, such as Jerry seeing his reflection in an ornament…

...and disguising as a Christmas light:

What makes this different from other shorts is that (SPOILER ALERT) Tom does the right thing when he rescues Jerry from the snow and puts his never-ending pursuit of Jerry on hold in honor of Christmas.  

It’s a sweet moment.  At Christmas, we often have to spend time with people we’re not necessarily crazy about.  I guess if Tom and Jerry can do that, we can all make an effort to the same during the holiday season.  

The Night Before Christmas is a great cartoon and is recommended to Yuletide fans of all ages. 

J.A. Morris’ rating:

4 candy canes!

RigbyMel says: 

The Night Before Christmas is a delightful, festive Tom & Jerry short.    Like J.A.,  I grew up watching classic Tom & Jerry cartoons in syndication, but this particular short is relatively new to me.  

Somewhat atypically for a Tom & Jerry cartoon, this short has a  touching “peace on earth goodwill to all” denouement, but as it’s Christmas-themed, it makes sense that the holiday spirit catches up with them.  

I was also struck by the fact that several of the gags are pretty popular in several Christmas shorts from around the same time period.  Disney & Warner Brothers also played with the notion of a character enjoying their funhouse-like reflection in an ornament,  hiding from an antagonist by pretending to be a toy or a decoration of some sort or slapping a “Do Not Open Until Xmas” sticker on someone’s mouth.    

This makes sense from a cartoon comedy standpoint, but the personalities of characters created by different studios helps to put different spins on similar gags.   

I did wonder who would  have set out the kinder, gentler holiday mousetrap outside of Jerry’s mousehole though?  Was it Tom? Or was it the humans that live in the house?  Or maybe Santa?  A puzzlement! 

It’s also interesting to note that this was only the third Tom & Jerry short to be released in theaters - the first two are "Puss Gets The Boot" (1940) and "The Midnight Snack" (1941). 

The Night Before Christmas is a fun, holiday short and is definitely recommended for all ages. 

RigbyMel’s rating: 

4 candy canes.