WELCOME!!

I am very excited about joining the Internet and the opportunity to offer you some unique historical information, photographs, films and collectibles. When Chaney Enterprises was first formed, I had no idea so many people still enjoyed the work and legacies of my grandfather and great grandfather. Over the past several years, I had the opportunity to meet many fans, actors, producers, directors, friends collectors and historians who knew or worked with my grandfathers. I have interviewed, researched, collected, learned and been assisted by many people to whom I am most grateful. With these various contributions, combined with my families unique archives, I will document a monumental period in this countries history, one in which the evolution of the entertainment field was wide open for new and innovative ideas. I've done my best to be as accurate and present the most original information as possible, but like anyone else I'm sure I'll make my share of mistakes. So your help, comments, suggestions and corrections will always be appreciated.  This site will grow and change with each new issue highlighting a specific film in which one of the Chaney's appeared. It will have original printed information, photos, graphics, and reviews regarding the particular film chosen. Our debut feature is "The Phantom of the Opera". The newsletter will also include information from past, current and upcoming events and will offer a variety of licensed products currently available. I hope you enjoy the site and I will do my best to entertain you with today's technology. I will attempt to take you back in time to one of the greatest periods of cinema history and the Chaney's participation in it.

The Palm Springs Nortel International Film Festival

Chaney Enterprises presented the 1925 original film version of "The Phantom of the Opera" accompanied by the Coachella Valley Symphony. Several months of hard work resulted in a sold out show at last years gala event. The orchestra performed music that was reconstructed from the original cue sheet. Ray Bradbury, Carla Laemmle, Forrest J. Ackerman, and Cortlandt Hull were my guests and spoke of the influence my great-grandfather had in their lives.

A program was created for this show, and included many pages reproduced from the original program. The Palm Springs Post Office was on hand to stamp and cancel a limited number of these programs and also produced a special cachet envelope for the 10th Anniversary of the Film Festival and this gala screening. They allowed Chaney Enterprises to design the cachet which was canceled over Lon Chaney's "The Phantom of the Opera" postage stamp.

The cancellation date on the cachets and programs were postmarked January 11,1999, two days after the "Classic Movie Monster" stamps were pulled from Post Offices across the nation, making them an instant collectable. It was a magical evening that all enjoyed. Earlier in the day, we had our first full dress rehearsal, performed for Palm Springs High School and elementary students from the surrounding areas.

I was amazed by the students reactions, as they watched a 75 year old classic silent film accompanied by live period music. We interviewed many of the students and enjoyed their observations, comments and letters of thanks. The City of Palm Springs dedicated a Lon Chaney Star on the Palm Springs "Walk of Stars" where Mr. Ray Bradbury helped dedicate the star and told stories of the impact Lon Chaney had on his career.  The mayor of Palm Springs Will Kleindienst proclaimed January 11, 1999, to be Lon Chaney Day as a tribute to his lifetime achievement in the field of entertainment.

My entire family was on hand for the dedication ceremony and enjoyed this wonderful event. In the future, the family is looking forward to procuring another star in Palm Springs for Lon Chaney, Jr., a spot next to his father's star has already been reserved. We will keep you informed via this web site when the date is secured and hopefully many of you can join us in this celebration.

"Curse of the Wolf Man"

In working with the Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival last year, we were eager to again screen something during this years festival. We were given the opportunity to present a short film my partner and I co-produced titled "Curse of the Wolf Man".

It was a test for us as film makers and to garner interest from investors for the feature film. It was a great experience, the crew all worked very hard and had a lot of fun. With any luck we hope to be filming in the near future.