Horror Star vs. Western Star
I was watching Overland Mail (1942) last week and an interesting thought came to me as I was watching it. Would Lon Chaney, Jr. have been happier, or had a better career if he had become a western star instead of a horror star. The unhappiness of his later years is well documented, as is his sporadic work after leaving Universal. With the exception of his Wolf Man films he never really seemed to invest much in his horror roles. Yet here in this innocuous little oater he seems to be having the time of his life, shooting it out with renegade Indians, duking it out with hired outlaws, joking with his saddle pals, and all the while romancing the boss’ daughter. Perhaps if Universal had steered him in that direction instead of trying to capitalize on his father’s name he might have had a career like John Wayne or Randolph Scott. Or he might have passed into obscurity after TV came around, like Sunset Carson and Lash LaRue did. He also might not be as revered as his is today for being one of the great horror icons along with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Still it is interesting to imagine what if.
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