![]() Westmore threatened to fire Patrick during the tour, and true to his word, did so a year later. As the head of design department, he had the power to make or break her career. When the film was ramping up to hit theaters, the Studio requested that she go on a promotional tour called “The Beauty who Created the Beast.” During the tour, Westmore sent letters to Universal objecting to the idea of a woman receiving credit for the creation of the creature. As a member of the design team, Patrick designed and created the head for the Gill-Man suit (Jack Kevan created the body). With her talent and credentials, Millicent Patrick was an undeniable choice for the design team that the famous Bud Westmore was head of. In the early 1950s, Universal International Pictures (better known as Universal Studios) sought out designers for their upcoming feature length film, Creature from the Black Lagoon. She was a pioneer for women working or wanting to work in animation, and set a precedent for the future of the Science-Fiction genre as a whole. For this reason, writing a fully developed history on Millicent Patrick is difficult, but also necessary. There is heavy speculation as to specific times and dates that she worked at specific studios, as well as which films she worked on. Patrick was the first woman hired to the animation staff at Disney, and her credentials continued to flourish as a designer and animator. During the 1940s, she began working in the animation department at Walt Disney Studios. In recent years, fans of the feature demanded that Millicent Patrick receive credit where credit is due, and where Westmore denied it.īorn in El Paso, Texas, Millicent Patrick (born Mildred Elizabeth Fulvia di Rossi ) became a talented make-up artist, actress, and costume designer in Hollywood, California. Often, George “Bud” Westmore receives credit for the entirety of the design efforts that went into creating the creature. ![]() With its intricate costume and make-up design for the Gill-Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon impacted the future of Sci-Fi b-movies, and creature features. Returning from his ancient sleep, the Gill-Man resurfaces and falls in love with Kay Lawrence (played by Julie Adams). The film details a scientific exploration of the Amazon River when the discovery of the prehistoric fossils of the “Gill-Man” are found in the Black Lagoon. On March 5, 1954, Universal International Pictures released the groundbreaking Science Fiction film Creature from the Black Lagoon across the United States. Marian is a first year student in the Women’s History Graduate Program at Sarah Lawrence College.
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