Lon Chaney had stated in interviews at the time that he did not want Creighton (later Lon Chaney Jr.) to be an actor as is clearly depicted in the film's conclusion. At the time of his father's death, Creighton Chaney had been married for two years, attended business college, and worked at an LA water heater company. When the company failed and financial problems became overwhelming for Creighton, he started to accept film work and was billed under his birth name. It was only in the mid-1930s that he allowed himself (at the insistence of film producers) to be billed as "Lon Chaney, Jr.", an action he often said he felt ashamed of. In later life, Chaney Jr. stated that he was proud of the name "Lon Chaney", but not of the name "Lon Chaney Jr."