A growing source of silent era film information. This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett. Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

About This Listing Report Omissions or Errors in This Listing

	Lon Chaney. Photograph: Silent Era image collection.

Cast: Lon Chaney [Professor Phroso / ‘Dead Legs’ Flint], Lionel Barrymore [Crane], Mary Nolan [Maizie], Warner Baxter [Doc], Jane Daly (Jacqueline Gadsdon) [Anna], Roscoe Ward [Tiny], Kalla Pasha [Babe], Curtis Nero [Bumba], Fred Gambold [the vaudeville comedian], Rose Dione [Zanzibar club madam], Art Winkler [Phroso’s assistant], Chaz Chase [a vaudeville performer], Louise Emmons [old woman on street], Emmett King [the stage manager], Mae Busch, Richard Cummings, Ida May, Dick Sutherland, June Riley, [?] Anita Page?

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation production; distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation [A Tod Borwning Production; A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Production]. / Scenario by Elliott Clawson, from the play Kongo by Chester De Vonde and Kilborne Gordon. Production design by Cedric Gibbons and Richard Day. Costume design by David Cox. Assistant director, Harry Sharrock. Cinematography by Percy Hilburn. Film editor, Harry Reynolds. Intertitles written by Joseph W. Farnham. / © 24 November 1928 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation [LP25865]. Premiered 16 November 1928 in Los Angeles, California. / Movietone 35mm spherical 1.20:1 format (sound version) and Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format (silent version). Western Electric Movietone sound-on-film synchronized sound system. / Working title: South of the Equator. Edna Tichenor’s appearance as a dancer in a seedy Zanzibar club and Dan Wollheim’s appearance as a customer of the club were cut from the film. The film was distributed in the United Kingdom by Jury-Metro-Goldwyn, Limited. / Silent film, with synchronized music and sound effects.

Drama.

Survival status: Print exists in the George Eastman Museum film archive [35mm positive].

Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].

Keywords: Accidents - Africa - Africans - Brothels - Death - Ivory - Magic: Magicians - Prostitutes - Skeletons - Synchronized sound film

Listing updated: 31 January 2025.

References: Film credits, film viewing : Dardis-Keaton p. 160; Limbacher-Feature p. 271; Marrero-Vintage p. 22; Skal-Browning pp. 298-299; Weaver-Twenty p. 77 : ClasIm-225 p. 35 : Website-GEM.

Home video: DVD.