WEST OF ZANZIBAR
starring Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore, Warner Baxter, and Mary
Nolan
MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE
January, 1929
Lon Chaney is back at his old gruesome habits. This time he's a thing that crawls, dragging himself around on the palms of his hands with his useless legs behind him. And very convincing, too. He is known as "Dead Legs," a fiend incarnate, and bald-headed into the bargain. He devotes his life to the pursuit of revenge, only to find that his diabolical schemes result in his own destruction. This is mad, weird, grotesque, and completely nutty melodrama. You will get lots of laughs out of it, and I think it's far more entertaining than some of the Lon Chaney pictures that make sense. It takes place in a dismal swamp, in the thick of a studio jungle, and it's full of drunkards, cripples, savages, fire-eaters, and other innocent delights. Lon Chaney is ably aided by Lionel Barrymore and Warner Baxter. But the thing that makes it really worth seeing is the blonde and beautiful Mary Nolan, who looks very fair indeed against the mud and slime of Zanzibar. The plot is "The Shanghai Gesture" with slight alterations.
WEST OF ZANZIBAR
starring Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore and Mary Nolan
PHOTOPLAY
November, 1928
Lon Chaney goes cripple again for the sake of the public, but
not for art's sake.
Remembering his fine performance in a straight role in "Tell
It To The Marines," it seems a great pity that such a good
actor should indulge in charlatan tricks.
The story is a composite of "The Shanghai Gesture" and
"Congo."
Revenge, dope, crooks - all the tricks! There is color and little
else.
It is all very false and movie.