Thunder (1929 film)

Thunder is a 1929 American synchronized sound melodrama film starring Lon Chaney and directed by William Nigh. The film has no audible dialogue but featured a synchronized musical score and sound effects. The soundtrack was recorded using the Western Electric Sound System sound-on-film process. The soundtrack was also transferred to discs for those theatres that were wired with sound-on-disc sound systems. Thunder was Chaney's penultimate film appearance and his last film without audible dialogue.

The majority of the picture portion of Thunder is now considered lost, with only a half a reel of the entire footage known to survive. The Vitaphone type sound discs are extant, however, and preserve the soundtrack of the film.

Plot
Lon Chaney plays Grumpy Anderson, a railroad engineer with an obsession for running his train on time. His slavishness to promptness causes several tragedies which alienate him from his family. By the story's end, the engineer restores their faith in him and validates his obsession by forcing his train through a flood to bring badly needed Red Cross supplies to the victims.

Production notes


The film was shot on location in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Pulaski, Wisconsin, Green Valley, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois. It was there that Chaney caught a cold during the snow scenes which then developed into walking pneumonia. Production was shut down for a time but was eventually completed. Chaney's illness combined with his throat cancer led to his death two months after the release of his last film, and only talkie, 1930's The Unholy Three.

Reception
Thunder was released to theaters on July 8, 1929, and eventually grossed a total of $1,018,000. It was Lon Chaney's fifth highest-grossing film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.