Quote:
Why do you think I cited 1949?

Ummm....his exclusive studio contract had run it's course?


Chaney never had a studio contract after 1945 when his Universal contract ended. From then on he freelanced for various studios. Don G. Smith, author of the McFarland book on Chaney Jr., theorizes that Chaney mellowed some in the late '40s (after hitting bottom with his suicide attempt after filming A&C MEET FRANKENSTEIN) because he had finally resigned himself to not being a big star like his dad and became happy in his career as a character actor in supporting roles. Could be true since Lon seemed to have a rough time finding suitable movie roles between 1946 and 1949. His Wolf Man and Lenny reprises in A&C MEET F and MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE were practically all he did of any consequence during that period. But starting in the '50s he stayed very busy with film and TV work which included small but good roles in some important films.

Also, Chaney might have given up on ever overcoming his drinking around this time and admitted he was a permanent alcoholic. Rather than continually trying to stop drinking, as he promised family members in personal letters that the Chaney family still has, he apparently developed a system (which included urging directors to schedule his important scenes before lunch) that worked for him and made him a happier person.