1950's costume and special fx

Creature from the black lagoon- Roberts Hickman

Ben Chapman was an actor who played the title character of ‘The Creature From The Black Lagoon’ (on land)

Ben chapman had an interview and the questions asked were:
What was the costume made of? How heavy was it? How long did it take you to get in and out of the costume?
In which he replies:-  
Well, the costume was made out of foam rubber, and there was a latex one piece body stocking that I got into.
It was very simply made, its not like the high tech stuff of today
The costume wasn’t very heavy because it was made out of foam rubber, and it took about 2-3 hours to get in and out of. 
It fit my body like an outer layer of skin so as we went along it was easier to get in and out of.
What type of breathing device was provided in the costume for the water scenes?
 (Chapman appeared as the creature in all above water scenes.)
Ricou Browning played the gill man under water.
Ben said Ricou Browning didn’t use anything when he doubled me underwater.
Ricou Browning was a champion swimmer, we could go down to 60-70 feet and hold our breathes for 4/4 and a half minutes, 
Ricou Browning never had any kind of a breathing device.
They were thinking about it, but they couldn't get one to fit in the dorsal fin on the back of the suit. The main reason is that fish do not emit bubbles. With a breathing device, he would have emitted bubbles.

Where are the costumes now?
Below is a list of make up artist from the film 'creature and the black lagoon'
Robert Hickman (makeup artist):-

There wouldn’t be any left today, because after 48 years, foam rubber in air would just turn to powder, so if anybody were to say that they have a “original” I would be very skeptical about it. As far as I know, I’ve been doing shows for some time, and I’ve talked to a lot of experts, and they all say the costume is gone.


Robert Hickman  is known for Around The World In Eighty Days (1956) and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) which are both from the 1950's. Robert was a makeup artist in both of these films.


Around The World In Eighty Days:

Best costume Design,colour- Miles White
He was a top costume designer of Broadway musicals for 25 years. He is known in the entertainment industry for his imaginative and witty designs.

Bud Westmore (make up artist):-

Here is an image of Jack Kevan and bud Westmore transforming ben into the creature from the black lagoon.

Bud was a makeup artist in Hollywood. Son of Goerge Westmore, a member of the Westmore family  prominent in Hollywood make-up.or His involvement in Creature from the Black Lagoon he assisted the designer of the Gill Man, Disney animator Millicent Patrick,

Perc, Wally and Bud Westmore.(Westmore family)

Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid - 1948
Bud westmore also did costume for this film.

Making the mermaid
-They made a mold of Ann's body by smooshing clay or Play-Doh or Silly Putty, or whatever they had in the junk drawer, from her torso to her toes. 
-Once this was done they started covering Ann in plaster
-Ann layed on a sort of operating table for three hours while being molded in clay and plaster

-The fish tail cost $23,000 to make.It was four foot and was made of sponge and rubber.

-Each scale of the tail will be sewn a glass jewel for the sparkle effect,there were 4,000 jewels all together.

-Lead weights were placed in the bottom of the tail by her feet, 30-50 pounds this was to keep the rubber tail, and the person wearing it, from floating to the surface of the water.

The Munsters:-

research this film for Bud west more

http://horrorpedia.com/2014/08/25/bud-westmore-make-up-artist/ 

Jack Kevan:- He has made contributions to films in numerous categories, including Westerns and comedies, but is best known for his work in horror and science fiction movies, among them Creature from the black lagoon, The mole people, and This Island Earth.

Jack kevan was the producer of the film,The Monster of Piedras Blanca (1959) 

also he did the special effects for the monster costume which looks like a nastier version of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," 

The mole people:

This mask was made using  foam latex mask sculpted by Jack Kevan under the authority of Bud Westmore at Universal. The eyes are covered with convex lenses and hand-painted with detail. The mask is brittle from the 50+ years since its creation, but remains in very good condition overall. 

This Mole hand is made of foam latex measuring approx. 15 in. long. Its a wonderful relic from 1950s Universal horror.

This Island Earth

Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war. In this film Jack Kevan was a mutant constructor and Bud Westmore was one of the makeup artists.

Here is Bud Westmore painting the 

look at this!!

http://horrorpedia.com/2014/08/25/bud-westmore-make-up-artist/

• Chris Mueller