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Article: Legend of actor's birth befits a movie monster.
- Article from:
- Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK)
- Article date:
- February 12, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 The Daily Oklahoman. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Ann Defrange
Feb. 12--The four most-frightening men in the world were born in Oklahoma City a century ago Friday. That was the birthday of actor Lon Chaney Jr., who portrayed Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy and Dracula in the movies.
The legend of his birth in Oklahoma is as dramatic as any of those scripts. Some film historians swear on a silver stake to its accuracy. Others, including some of Chaney's surviving family members, say it's as phony as Frankenstein.
The legend goes like this.
On Feb. 10, 1906, his mother, Cleva Creighton Chaney, and father, Lon Chaney, lived in a shack on the shores of Belle Isle ...