This week’s mystery movie was the 1920 film The Penalty, with Lon Chaney, Ethel Grey Terry, Charles Clary, Claire Adams, Kenneth Harlan, James Mason, Edouard Trebaol, Milton Ross, Clarence Wilson and J. Montgomery Carlyle.
Written by Gouverneur Morris.
Scenario by Charles Kenyon.
Photographed by Donovan D. Short.
Art direction by Gilbert White.
Produced by Goldwyn Pictures Corp. Samuel Goldwyn president.
Directed by Wallace Worsley.
Further information on The Penalty is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Penalty is available on Blu-ray from Critics’ Choice Video.
::
After last week’s Crisis, I decided to run another movie about brain surgery and came across Lon Chaney in The Penalty. Daily Mirror readers with very good memories may recall Anne Elisabeth Dillon’s excellent review from 2010.
I’m not sure The New York Times was reviewing movies in 1920, but let’s see!
The anonymous reviewer (November 15, 1920) disliked the film:
The Penalty, an altogether incredible melodrama that, by its excesses, mocks even the friendliest spectator’s love of life as it is often fictitiously created on the screen, is at the Capitol this week. It is from a story by Gouverneur Morris, which, if it is anything like its motion picture version, must have taxed the author’s rampant imagination, and also sent him, now and then, when original ideas failed, to the reserve cabinet of familiar devices from which a novelist may render first aid to a plot in difficulty.
For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Lon Chaney Sr.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious doctor and an enigmatic companion. Bonus fact: Google AI identifies this as Edward Van Sloan, left, and Boris Karloff in Before I Hang, which it is completely wrong.
Update: This is Charles Clary, left, and Milton Ross.
Brain Trust roll call: Roget-L.A. (Monday’s mystery guest) and Stacia (Monday’s mystery guest).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious artist, a mystery visitor to the artist’s studio and an enigmatic bust.
Update: This is Claire Adams, Kenneth Harlan and a bust of Chaney as Satan.
Brain Trust roll call: Stacia (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious guests).
For (probably not) “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious woman at the piano.
Update: Our mysterious pedal operator is tentatively identified as Doris Prawn.
Brain Trust roll call: Sylvia (Monday’s mysterious fellow), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s and Tuesday’s mysterious guests and Wednesday’s mysterious fellow), Chrisbo (Wednesday’s mystery bust), Stacia (Wednesday’s mystery guests) and Suz n Chaz (Monday’s mystery guest).
For Friday, our mysterious leading man shows his displeasure with a hat-making enterprise.
Update: This is Lon Chaney Sr. supervising a sweatshop of women making hats.
And our mysterious leading man and leading lady.
Update: This is Ethel Grey Terry and Chaney after his evil personality is lifted through the miracle of brain surgery.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious leading man), Mike Hawks (via Mary Mallory, mystery movie, Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mysterious women), Sylvia (mystery movie and all mysterious guests) and Chrisbo (mystery movie and mysterious cast).
ladailymirror.com 
Lon Chaney (Sr.)
LikeLike
Grandpa, what interesting doorknobs you have.
That looks like a piano that the guy is leaning on.
Mary and Hawks will get this one early I think.
LikeLike
Not sure about those two doorknobs. Might that be the brilliantined head of Conrad Veidt?
LikeLike
Major Strasser is otherwise engaged this week, alas.
LikeLike
The hairline says Lon Chaney Sr. while my obsession with Lon Chaney movies in my 20s is telling me I’ve never seen this movie, but I’m going to guess Lon anyway.
LikeLike
Hmmmm….maybe a scene from “The Crowd”?
LikeLike
An excellent guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
Well this is embarrassing, because this is THE PENALTY (1920) which I have definitely seen — the first silent movie memorabilia I ever collected was from this film. That’s Charles Clary on the left I believe and definitely Milton Ross on the right.
Mr. Marie Prevost, aka Kenneth Harlan, is in this somewhere and if I recall his hair is parted so far to the side that it’s almost below his ear!
LikeLike
Lionel Barrymore
LikeLike
An excellent guess! But Dr. Gillespie is otherwise engaged this week….
LikeLike
Tuesday – still no idea, so just a ramble.
Very serious story. Those Monday double doorknobs are such an attention getter. The guy’s despairing pose and Tuesday’s Doctor-looking guys bring to mind a story set in some kind of asylum.
LikeLike
Is Monday’s guy Lon Chaney Sr?
LikeLike
THE PENALTY. Lon chaney on Monday, Michael Dark Tuesday, Kenneth Harlan and Ethel Grey Terry today.
LikeLike
Milton Ross on the right Tuesday.
LikeLike
Actually Charles Clary on the left Tuesday.
LikeLike
It’s The Woman of Bronze (1923), with Clara Kimball Young.
LikeLike
An excellent guess! But this is a different artist.
LikeLike
Could that bust be Lon Chaney?
LikeLike
Heck yeah, that’s Kenneth Harlan and his bonkers hair on Wednesday! It’s not parted as close to the ear as I remembered it, but it’s still really funny to me, I can’t think of another example of his hair being done so severely. Claire Adams is the artist, and I just realized the statue looks like Ed Harris.
LikeLike
Monday’s man looks like Lon Chaney by his hairline.
LikeLike
Is Monday’s guest with the great hairline the great profile, John Barrymore? And could this be “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”?
LikeLike
It’s a famous profile, but not Barrymore’s, alas….
LikeLike
I’ve found the two doorknobs! And beside them is Lon Chaney in “The Penalty.” What a magnificent actor he was.
LikeLike
THE PENALTY with Lon Chaney on Monday and Claire Adam’s and Kenneth Harlan Wednesday is Mike Hawks’ answer. He said to te you he should be back soon.
LikeLike
Claire Adam’s yesterday and Doris Pawn today.
LikeLike
The hairline was very helpful and what a tale!
The Penalty 1920
Monday – Lon Chaney Sr
Tuesday – ‘the doctor’ is Charles Clary, I think. I think his companion is ‘the law’, Milton Ross I think.
Wednesday – Claire Adams is putting final touches on her creation “Satan after the Fall” (modeled by Mr Chaney in other scenes). The man trying to talk her out of a art career is Kenneth Harlan, I think.
I think Thursday’s “piano-pedal-presser of the day” is Doris Pawn, but not sure.
This has been fascinating to read about. I hope we get to see the hats, or the hats and the guns. What a diabolical idea.
LikeLike
The Penalty. Lon Chaney, Charles Clary, Kenneth Harlan, Claire Adams, Ethel Grey Terry
LikeLike
The Penalty (1920) w/Lon Chaney, Charles Clary, Milton Ross, Ethel Grey Terry, Doris Pawn, Kenneth Harlan, Claire Adams, Jim Mason…
LikeLike
Can’t wait to find out who Thursday’s woman is, I don’t think she’s on the IMDb! Friday is Lon and Ethel Gray Terry.
LikeLike
Friday has that Lon Chaney look. The Unholy Three, maybe?
LikeLike