
 |
|
Nov. 25, 2009
JWisdom.com: No God … No You!
Know God, Know You! with Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (8 minutes)
Nov. 24, 2009
JWisdom.com: You are a Philanthropist
with Aliza Bulow (5 minutes)
Nov. 23, 2009
JWisdom.com: Actually, it really is all about you with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Nov. 20, 2009
Nov. 19, 2009
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf
with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith
with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality
with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Nov. 12, 2009
JWisdom.com Does God get tired?
with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Oct. 12, 2007
/ 30 Tishrei 5768
King of Monster Makeup
By
Greg Crosby
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The undisputed king of Hollywood monster make-up was a man born in Greece in 1889 by the name of Janus Piccoulas. Doesn't ring a bell? Well, maybe you're more familiar with the anglicized version of his name, the name that appeared on Universal movie credits through the 1930's and 40's - Jack Pierce.
There's no question that Jack Pierce was one of the true pioneers of 20th century movie making. Pierce was the genius who created the classic movie monster makeup for Universal Studios' horror films and subsequently influenced generations of make-up artists ever since. His creations are still enjoyed to this day and as popular as ever to fans of horror films and trick or treaters every Halloween.
After immigrating to the United States around the turn of the century, Pierce attempted to play baseball, unsuccessfully trying out for a semi-professional team in California after achieving some success as a shortstop in Chicago. After that he got jobs in the young motion picture industry during the 1910s and '20s, doing everything from early nickelodeon manager to stuntman to assistant cameraman.
Jack Pierce even tried his hand at acting, and then finally went into makeup, working at Vitagraph and the original Fox Studios in the 1920s. By 1928, after Lon Chaney had left Universal to freelance, the studio made Pierce department head of makeup where he worked on the last of the silent films made at the studio. His fortune was made, as they say, when Carl Laemmle named his son, Carl Laemmle, Jr., head of production as a 21st birthday present.
Encouraged by Chaney's huge successes with The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and Phantom Of The Opera at Universal in the mid-'20s, Carl Laemmle, Jr. decided to produce film versions of the classic horror novels, putting Jack Pierce in charge of the makeup. From 1930-1947, Pierce created some of cinema history's most distinguishable screen characters.
In 1930 "Dracula" was first produced, and though Bela Lugosi refused to let Pierce apply his makeup (the actor had come from the stage where he always did his own work), Pierce came up with the styling for the vampire character and his many female victims. Immediately following the success of Dracula, Laemmle, Jr. wanted a follow-up, which led to the production of "Frankenstein" in 1931.
Film fans still argue as to whether director James Whale, actor Boris Karloff, or Laemmle himself contributed to the makeup, but the driving force behind the overall look of the Frankenstein monster unquestionably belonged to Jack Pierce. Each morning Karloff sat for four uncomfortable hours, suffering the makeup's high levels of toxicity, as Pierce and his assistants applied the head, facial buildup and layers of padding and costume modifications that would make him into the movies' most memorable monster. The following year Pierce and Karloff teamed to create "The Mummy."
Then in 1935 came "Bride Of Frankenstein" in which Pierce refined his first version of the monster and also created the famous makeup and designed the electric hairstyle for Elsa Lanchester's bride. Later on Pierce created the makeup for "The Wolf Man" with Lon Chaney, Jr. in the title role. Though the two did not reportedly get along--Chaney did not like wearing the makeup or undergoing the lengthy application and removal period--Pierce excelled again with his werewolf concept. Originally intended as a B movie, "The Wolf Man" was a true horror classic, and Pierce's version of the character has been the model for the numerous werewolves that have come to the screen ever since.
The last original Jack Pierce makeup was in 1943 with "Phantom Of The Opera" starring Claude Rains. This would be the only Jack Pierce monster movie shot in color. Even though his treatment of Rains' makeup--revealed only at the end of the film--was cut down at the request of the producers (Pierce's original concept was considered too hideous!), it nevertheless stands as another horror movie landmark.
Today's Hollywood makeup men and women still study Jack Pierce's work. His makeup artistry will live on as long as there are tapes and DVDs of the classic movies, and as long as there are young makeup artists who want to follow in his scary footsteps. And kids who watch the old classic horror movies, like I did, will continue to be scared out of their wits thanks to his talent and imagination. What better time than Halloween to pay homage to one of the movie industry's true creative geniuses.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.
Greg Crosby Archives
© 2006, Greg Crosby
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Michael Barone
Dave Barry
Tony Blankley
Andy Borowitz
David Broder
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
John Fund
Frank J. Gaffney
Lloyd Garver
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Lewis Grossberger
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Nat Hentoff
David Horowitz
Laura Ingraham
Cheri Jacobus Jeff Jacoby
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Dick Morris
Bill O'Reilly
Jim Mullen
Clarence Page
Kathleen Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Jonathan Rauch
Celia Rivenbark
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Culture Shlock
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Bob Tyrrell
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
Gary Brookins
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holber
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Ranan R. Lurie
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

How 2
Lori Borgman
The Savvy Consumer
Elder matters
Fixit
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Tech Maven
Every Monday Matters
Nutrition Myths
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
How Stuff Works
|