Synopsis:
The Lady from the Black Lagoon uncovers the life and work of Milicent Patrick—one of Disney’s first female animators and the only woman in history to create one of Hollywood’s classic movie monsters.
As a teenager, Mallory O’Meara was thrilled to discover that one of her favorite movies, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, featured a monster designed by a woman, Milicent Patrick. But for someone who should have been hailed as a pioneer in the genre there was little information available. For, as O’Meara soon discovered, Patrick’s contribution had been claimed by a jealous male colleague, her career had been cut short and she soon after had disappeared from film history. No one even knew if she was still alive.
As a young woman working in the horror film industry, O’Meara set out to right the wrong, and in the process discovered the full, fascinating story of an ambitious, artistic woman ahead of her time. Patrick’s contribution to special effects proved to be just the latest chapter in a remarkable, unconventional life, from her youth growing up in the shadow of Hearst Castle, to her career as one of Disney’s first female animators. And at last, O’Meara discovered what really had happened to Patrick after The Creature’s success, and where she went.
A true-life detective story and a celebration of a forgotten feminist trailblazer, Mallory O’Meara’s The Lady from the Black Lagoon establishes Patrick in her rightful place in film history while calling out a Hollywood culture where little has changed since.
Format:
Hardcover
Awards/Nominations:
- Hugo Award Nominee for Best Related Work (2020)
- Locus Award Nominee for Best Non-Fiction (2020)
- Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for History & Biography (2019)
“Women are the most important part of horror because, by and large, women are the ones the horror happens to. Women have to endure it, fight it, survive it—in the movies and in real life.”
My Thoughts:
I LOVE The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I mean, I love Universal Horror anyway, but this guy – he’s just something special.
Having the opportunity to learn about the woman who designed the creature (and is still often overlooked in favor of Bud “Take All the Credit for Everyone Else’s Good Ideas” Westmore even though we now, unequivocally know better) was a real treat. And I learned A LOT.
This book though, is not just about the Creature. Nor is it just about Millicent. It’s also about Mallory. And her journey. And all of the bullshit that women in the (every) industry still have to put up with. The sexism, the double standards, the infantalization, the endless fucking questions/douchebaggery/extra long ladders we have to climb to be seen as equals with our male counterparts (hahaha just kidding, that still almost never happens).
I really enjoyed the way the book played out a bit like an episode of Scooby Doo. I mean, it was a lot of fun to read, and we got to solve the mystery of Millicent – who she was, what happened to her right along with the author.
“After my initial disappointment, I realized that Milicent being a normal, non-royal was more important to her position as a role model. It was more inspirational. She didn’t have superpowers or a magic wand. She was simply intelligent and savvy and good at what she did. We need women to be allowed to be simply good at what they do. We need them on set, in meetings, behind cameras and pens and paintbrushes. We need them to be themselves, to be human: ordinary and flawed. That way, more girls can see them and think “I can do that.” That way, no one can look at them and say ” She got that job because she’s beautiful. She got that gig because she slept with someone.
Actually, she got hired because she was damn good.”
And did you know Millicent Patrick also designed the METALUNA GOD DAMNED MUTANT?! She made everybody’s favorite slacks-wearing alien hard labor slaves! And she was an artist on (I assume) everybody’s favorite segment of Fantasia.
Thank you Millicent Patrick Rossi Trent for the incredible work you did. Your legacy is, in a word: badass. Rest well, lady.
About the Author:
Mallory O’Meara is an award winning and bestselling nonfiction author. Her first book, The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick, won the 2019 SCIBA award for Biography and the 2019 Rondo award for Book of the Year. It was nominated for both a Locus and a Hugo award.
Every week, Mallory hosts the literary podcast Reading Glasses alongside director and writer Brea Grant. Reading Glasses is part of the Maximum Fun podcast network and focuses on reader culture.
A New England native, she now lives in Los Angeles with her two cats, where she is at work on her latest nonfiction work, Girly Drinks: A Women’s History of Drinking.
You can follow Mallory on Twitter @malloryomeara or visit her website malloryomeara.com.
Rating:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and it was a treat to learn about a woman I didn’t even know I loved until I cracked the book open.
The Lady from the Black Lagoon By: Mallory O'Meara Hanover Square Press ISBN: 1335937803 Published: March 5, 2019 Hardcover, Paperback, E-book, Audio 336 Pages Author's Website
