The Unholy Three

"A Mystery Thriller of a Giant, a Ventriloquist and a Dwarf"

1925 1h 26m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 62

CrimeThrillerDrama

Synopsis

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Three sideshow performers form a conspiracy known as 'The Unholy Three' – a ventriloquist, midget, and strongman working together to commit a series of robberies.

“A Mystery Thriller of a Giant, a Ventriloquist and a Dwarf”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lon Chaney
Professor Echo / Granny O'Grady
Mae Busch
Rosie O'Grady
Matt Moore
Hector McDonald
Victor McLaglen
Hercules
Harry Earles
Tweedledee aka Little Willie
Matthew Betz
Detective Regan
Edward Connelly
Judge
William Humphrey
Attorney for Defense

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tod Browning
Writers: Clarence Aaron 'Tod' Robbins, Waldemar Young
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

101 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tod Browning, shot by David Kesson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Daniel J. Gray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lon Chaney and Mae Busch and Matt Moore carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A Mystery Thriller of a Giant, a Ventriloquist and a Dwarf".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tod Browning directs. David Kesson behind the camera. Daniel J. Gray cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.
4101 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Directed by Tod Browning, shot by David Kesson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Daniel J. Gray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Lon Chaney and Mae Busch and Matt Moore carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A Mystery Thriller of a Giant, a Ventriloquist and a Dwarf".
9IMDB entry: tt0016473 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 62 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: David Kesson
Editing: Daniel J. Gray
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $103,000
Box office: $704,000
Return: 683% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Unholy Three (1925)

Also by

Tod Browning

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-12-07
★ 7/10
The mighty "Hercules" (Victor McLaglen), ventriloquist "Echo" (Lon Chaney) and their diminutive pal "Tweedledee" (Harry Earles) make what passes for a living at sideshows keen to improve their lot. To that end they hit on the idea of using a bird shop as a conduit to find out who has things at home worth pinching and then, well, robbing them! Initially, their cunning pays off. "Echo" dons a frock and portrays a kindly old grandma; "Tweedledee" puts on some kids clothes and is her grandchild and that just leaves their mate to play the muscle. Unfortunately, the muscle hasn't much brain and when one robbery of a prominent banker results in a fatal shooting, the three find themselves on the end of an admittedly rather speculative, but nonetheless worrying, police investigation. They flee to a cabin in the woods but when poor old "Hector" (Matt Moore) is apprehended for the crime, "Echo" has pangs of a conscience. He goes to the trial but will he let the wrong man fry? Meantime, he takes a bit of a shine to "Rosie" (Mae Busch) but she's got eyes for the man in the firing line. Will anyone prove decent enough to do the right thing? It's perhaps a little too long this, it does take a while to find it's feet. Once it does though, the last half hour is actually quite tensely directed by Tod Browning and we have a few close shaves with the Lord's Prayer, a big ape and some notepaper. It's curious to appreciate almost one hundred years later, what we paid to see for entertainment and at just how widespread the rural subsistence existence in parts of the US was. This clearly illustrates the wealth divide, but in an engaging fashion with some gently comedic moments and a Chaney on good form.

Production companies