Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

jacobs-greenwood Co-produced and directed by Tod Browning, this above average silent crime drama was later remade as a sound picture with two members of the original cast, Lon Chaney and Harry Earles. Based on the novel by Tod Robbins, with scenario by Waldemar Young, Chaney plays Professor Echo, a ventriloquist, who teams with dwarf Earles, dubbed Tweedledee, and strongman Victor McLaglen, who's called Hercules, to scam unawares customers into buying parrots from their pet shop.Initially, all three were in a sideshow during which Echo used Rosie O'Grady (Mae Busch) to pickpocket its customers. After a police raid, Echo convinces Tweedledee and Hercules to join him, forming "The Unholy Three", who along with O'Grady and an innocent, unsuspecting employee Hector MacDonald (Matt Moore) set up shop.Echo uses his gift to make the parrots appear to talk to him, dressed as an old woman and pretending to be O'Grady's 'Granny', in order to fool their customers into paying high prices for the otherwise ordinary birds. Echo is therefore in charge of the trio though Tweedledee, who pretends to be an infant around others, later connives with the dimwitted Hercules to exclude Echo from a jewelry robbery on Christmas Eve, during which they kill Mr. Arlington (Charles Wellesley, uncredited), who'd been an unsatisfied parrot customer.The three then decide to pin the murder on their ignorant employee MacDonald, with whom Rosie had fallen in love, much to the dismay of Echo who'd wanted her for himself. However, the trio's mistrust of one another and a personal plea from Rosie, who'd been taken against her will to their mountain hideout, to Echo eventually unravels things. A pet shop gorilla figures in the outcome. The film effectively ends with MacDonald's trial, during which Echo uses his gift to satisfy an agreement with Rosie.Matthew Betz, who plays the detective, Edward Connelly, who plays the judge, William Humphrey, who plays MacDonald's defense attorney, and E. Alyn Warren, who plays the prosecuting attorney, also appear.

madamemoose1 if you're like me, you're thinking "why bother?" about this film. Give it a chance !! it drew me in, was never boring, was original, interesting and truly a very good movie -- yes, even though it's silent. At times, it's even pretty funny !! I feel so strongly about it that i wish it was on again so that i could catch the whole thing (watched 2/3).The acting and the atmosphere are top notch. It's definitely not one of those cliché ridden, predictable schlock movies. The man playing the "baby" is fascinating !! So innocent and convincing one second, then chomping his cigar and acting menacing the next. I give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars -- i really liked this picture !! I can't think of one downside to it. High praise from me !! And the "baby face Finster" character (gangster midget !!) is a scream.

robertguttman It would be trite, but nonetheless true, to assert that this movie could not be produced today. Only the mind of filmmaker Tod Browning, who came to the world of film making from a background in carnivals and circuses, could have conceived of a story this bizarre. Only a great actor like Lon Chaney could do justice to the dual role of Echo the ventriloquist/Gramdma O'Grady. Above all, of course, today it would be considered unthinkable to utilize an actor like the inimitable Harry Earles, particularly cast in the role of a villain. But then this film was the product of the equally inimitable Tod Browning, the man who subsequently created the notorious movie "Freaks, which also featured the unique talents of Harry Earles. The story involves three side show performers; Echo the Ventriloquist (Lon Chaney), Hercules the Strong Man (future Academy Award Winner Victor Mclaglen) and Tweedledee the Midget (Harry Earles). Fed up with life on the midway, the "Unholy Three" team up to open up a pet shop which they intend to use as a front for a series of burglaries. Echo, disguised as a little old lady, poses as the proprietor, while Hercules is her shop assistant. Tweedledee passes himself off as the old lady's infant grandson (apparently nobody ever notices that the "baby" has a full set of teeth!). Also assisting them is "Sweet Rosie O'Grady" (Mae Busch), a pickpocket who had formerly been in business with Echo when they were both working in the carnival.Although Lon Chaney was known for his spectacular horror films, in his day he made a lot of crime films as well, and "The Unholy Three" falls under that heading. Apart from the scenes in which he is disguised as the "sweet Little old lady", in which he is very convincing, in this film Chaney appears as a regular person, which was a relatively rare thing in his career.Presented by a superior cast of actors, "The Unholy Three" is certainly among the most unique crime dramas ever filmed. It definitely deserves an 8 out of ten. Incidentally, it is worth mentioning that this movie made such an impression at the time of its release that it was subsequently remade as a sound movie, with Lon Chaney and Harry Earles reprising their roles. In fact, the remake of "The Unholy Three" was the only "Talkie" that the great Lon Chaney ever made before he died, much too soon, at the age of only 47.

MartinHafer This is a bizarre little film and it's no wonder, as it was directed by Tod Browning and starred Lon Chaney, Sr.--a potent combination that led to many other strange and scary films. Chaney plays a ventriloquist who leads a gang of thieves. The others are a midget and a strong man (though Victor McLaglen doesn't look quite muscular enough for the role). The three leave the traveling sideshow they work for and use disguises to set up robberies. In a VERY interesting bit of casting, Chaney is dressed up as an old lady during most of the film! This is highly reminiscent of the excellent later MGM film THE DEVIL DOLL--where Lionel Barrymore does the same to avoid suspicion. Also, the midget is so small and young-looking, that he poses as Chaney's grandson--a baby! Believe it or not, they actually look pretty convincing in these roles.Later in the film, two of the three thieves stage a robbery AND kill the rich guy whose safe they robbed--and leaving his young daughter badly injured. When the police start investigating, they decide to divert suspicion by planting the stolen necklace on a poor sap! And, while Chaney was NOT one of these robbers or the murderer, he reluctantly agrees to help his girlfriend, Mae Busch, exonerate the man accused since she has fallen for the accused man. Now Chaney's plan to help the accused is really pretty hair-brained and was a low-point in the film. He uses his ventriloquism in a lame attempt to help out, but no one is particularly impressed (no surprise there). So, he finally admits what he knows and admits that he knows who committed the crime. Now, oddly and completely out of the blue, Chaney's pet gorilla(!) escapes at this same time and kills the other two crooks. Considering they deserved to die for their crimes, this seemed awfully convenient. And, despite a history of crime, the court agrees to just forgive Chaney and everyone is set for a happy, if not exactly believable, ending.While the film has many excellent scenes, some interesting plot elements and some great cross-dressing scenes, the film has a lot of hokey holes--not enough to ruin the film, but enough to lessen its impact.FYI--Originally, the film also featured a horrible scene where the murder victim's child was also murdered by the midget. It was apparently VERY disturbing, so the scene was removed and the title cards indicate she was only injured.