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Our show this month has two in-depth interviews, one about a book, and one about a documentary, about two classic summer movies, specific to the world of special effects makeup.

The book is entitled The Lady From The Black Lagoon and was written by Mallory O’Meara. It tells the story of Millicent Patrick. Millicent worked in the Universal Studios makeup department in the early 1950’s. One of the things that Millicent was responsible for was the design of none other than the Creature From The Black Lagoon.

Now the normal expression would be Millicent’s “claim to fame” was designing the Creature From The Black Lagoon, but the fact is, she is not famous for it, because her credit was, shall we say, appropriated by a lesser talent with more clout and a different gender. Highlight the last part. Not only is The Lady From The Black Lagoon a fascinating look into Hollywood in the 1950’s but it’s still relevant today, especially in the way it tells the story of the struggles women still have in male dominated film genres, just in being treated as equals.

We also have Hollywood makeup legend Thom Burman and William Conlin who are here to talk about their new documentary Making Apes. And here – here – is how these two stories are connected.

The Westmores were known as the first family of Hollywood makeup. At one point, it seemed, every major studios make up depertment employed or was run by at least of the Westmore Brothers.

Universal Studios was run by Bud Westmore, who I think we can safely describe as the Fredo Corleone of the Westmore Clan. Bud was a man of average artistic talent, but he knew how to hire the right people and take credit for their work Just ask Millicent Patrick.

Another film that was made on Westmore’s watch was The List Adrian Messenger which mad early use of a new kind of screen makeup, latex appliances. Basically rubber pieces that were glued into actor’s faces as opposed to putty that would be built up. Fast forward to 1966, and 20th Century Fox has just greenlit a movie called Planet Of The Apes. But nobody knows how they are actually going to make the apes work. This seems unusual in that the entire film rests on this concept, but I admire their chutzpah. In any event, at that time the Fix makeup Department was run by a guy named Ben Nye, and Ben, who was nearing retirement, felt that Planet Of The Apes was beyond his grasp. So he said, “Call Bud Westmore. He’s just done some amazing work on a film called The List Of Adrian Messeneger,

Now in the shop at that time was a young apprentice makeup man. And in those days, apprentice make up men’s jobs consisted of cleaning up and shitting up, but this apprentice knew something that Ben Nye didn’t, and before he knew what he was saying, words came out of his mouth: Bud Westmore didn’t do it. That was John Chambers.”

Now, nobody knew this because, well, that’s how Bud Westmore wanted it, but by now that cat was out of the bag. Ben Nye turned to his outspoken apprentice and said, quite simply, “Then call John Chambers.”

Making Apes is a new documentary that tells the story of how Chambers, and that apprentice, a man named Thom Burman, revolutionized special effects make up, and did it in only a couple of months. It’s also the story of John Chambers, who, if you saw the film Argo, was the man played by John Goodman. Oh yeah, I forgot, the whole time he did this, he was also secretly working for the CIA.

Tags: Creature From The Black Lagoon, featured, Mallory O'Meara, Monsters, Thom Burman, William Conlin