The Mother of Monsters
Who is Millicent Patrick?
Searching for "Millicent Patrick," Google tells us that she was born Mildred Elizabeth Fulvia di Rossi, an American actress, makeup designer, special effects artist, and animator.
Born in Texas in 1915, her father was an architect who worked for William Hearst (yes, the famous one). She became his wife Millicent's favorite goddaughter, which is why she decided to adopt her name when choosing a stage name. Once Patrick was able to forge her own path, she put herself through art school, becoming possibly the first woman (or at least one of the first) to be hired as an artist at the Disney animation office during their celebrated early years. While at Disney, she worked as a color animator on "Fantasia" and contributed to the film "Dumbo," but left the company in 1941. From 1948 to 1964, she participated in many shows as an actress, costume designer, illustrator, and character designer. However, for The Screen Actors Guild (the union for people in show business), she did not exist until the 1980s. Why? Because of Bud Westmore. Westmore, one of the most famous makeup artists in film history, is credited with the design of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but this is all a mistake. A brief intro to the film: it's a 1954 film about a half-human, half-fish hybrid who was minding his own business in his lagoon until a group of scientists decided to disturb him. He also appears in the first episode of "Dawson's Creek"; you can't miss that one. Returning to our story, during the press tour for the film, Millicent attracted the attention of the press, who called her "The Beauty Who Created the Beast." This annoyed Westmore, who, disgruntled, went to Universal threatening to leave if they didn't put these rumors to rest. Consequently, Millicent no longer appeared as the creator of Gill-Man. Westmore again collaborated with Millicent by having her draw the sketches for "Captain Lightfoot," but this was to be their last collaboration because he had her removed from the studios. Naturally, Westmore did everything to ensure that no other studio would hire her, effectively ending her career. Millicent Patrick designed not only the Gill Man from the Creature of the Black Lagoon but also the original sketches for "It Came from Outer Space," the mutant Metaluna from "This Island Earth," the masks for "Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," and "The Mole People." Her work was instrumental in establishing Universal as a major producer of sci-fi and horror films in the 1950s, contributing significantly to the studio's development. What does this story teach us? Despite the fact that the name of this great artist and woman is hardly ever mentioned and has not really been honored as she deserved, without Mildred Elizabeth Fulvia di Rossi, we would not be able to talk about prosthetic makeup in cinema. We should all be grateful to her and thank her for the day she asked herself, 'How can I create a costume for a creature that is scary but also holds up under water?' After Patrick’s contributions were claimed by a jealous male colleague, her career was cut short, and she soon disappeared from film history. No one even knew if she was still alive.
