Early in his film career, Creighton Chaney wasn't especially successful or notable. However, against his wishes, he was re-christened 'Lon Chaney Jr.' by the studios and they began to place him in the leads-- hoping to capitalize on his father's notoriety in the 1920s and early 30s. Well, eventually he improved and was a decent actor--with such notable films as "Of Mice and Men" as well as "The Wolf-Man". "The Shadow of Silk Lennox" is from the period before he became a more accomplished actor--when the rough acting and super-low budgets were the norm for young Creighton.
The budget for this film from Commodore Pictures/Ray Kirkwood Productions was probably about $427.99 judging by the talent assembled for the movie. The biggest problem was the singing--which seemed pretty bad as well as used a lot as filler. As for the acting, it ranged from decent to poor--with no real stand outs. And when it comes to story, the film seems an awful lot like previous films like "Little Caesar", "The Public Enemy" and "Scarface"--just cheaper and less interesting.
The film find 'Silk' Lennox (Chaney) as a mob boss who claims, of course, to be a respectable businessman. Whenever he or his gang is involved in killings or robberies, he uses his lawyers as well as witness intimidation to insure that he'll keep getting away with his life of crime. In desperation, the G-men get involved and they are determined to capture Silk in the act. Will this happen? And, will we care?
My biggest problem about the movie, apart from the awful singing and lack of anyone I cared about in the least, was the whole Silk angle. Chaney kept saying 'smooth as silk' throughout the film and it just made him sound like an idiot. Not a great film by any stretch but he had done worse in some of his earlier movies--not that this is a glowing endorsement!
By the way, for you trivia nuts out there. James Cagney apparently NEVER said 'you dirty rat' in a film. However, Silk Lennox DID in this film!
