When it comes to the monster movies of classic Hollywood, we might picture Frankenstein's creature, The Wolfman or Dracula…but alongside them we often see another monster that had a huge impact on the pop culture of that era: The Creature from the Black Lagoon, with a stunning design by Universal Studios make-up artist Bud Westmore…but as the decades rolled by, a scandalous ommission became evident. That Westmore did not design this creature, but a woman did…and she led a remarkable life of talent, tragedy and stolen opportunities because of her gender.
Tonight on Our Curious Past we give credit where credit is due, to the hugely talented, but largely unknown Lady from The Black Lagoon: Milicent Patrick. This episode also explores the sexist working systems of the Walt Disney Studio in it’s early years.
Sources: This episode is based on various articles but mainly on the book
‘The Lady from the Black Lagoon’ by Mallory O’Meara.
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