Movie-A-Day #266: The Phantom of the Opera (1925).

The first installment of Gaston Leroux’s serialized novel “The Phantom of the Opera” was first published on this day in 1909. It was a bit of a flop initially. But once it hit the big screen it became a phenomenon, going through various guises from horror tale to doomed love story to musical extravaganza and beyond. But the first American version, starring Lon Chaney in a legendary performance, has set the tone for all that followed.