No one even knew if she was still alive.Īs 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. 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.
But for someone who should have been hailed as a pioneer in the genre, there was little information available. 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 monstersĪs a teenager, Mallory O'Meara was thrilled to discover that one of her favorite movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon, featured a monster designed by a woman, Milicent Patrick.
Sponsored by the King County Library System Foundation and part of the Author Voices series.Ībout The Lady from the Black Lagoon. Local writer and film critic Robert Horton will moderate. Join a discussion with Mallory O'Meara, author of The Lady from the Black Lagoon. In a narrative with equal parts mystery and biography, The Lady from the Black Lagoon interweaves the lives of two women separated by decades but bound together by the tragedies and triumphs of working in Hollywood.Join King County Library for their virtual Author Voices series. The sudden, premature end to Patrick's career is defined by circumstances that parallel-uncomfortably so-O'Meara's own experiences in the film world, an industry that continues to be dominated by men. Through diligent research, O'Meara learns that the enigmatic artist led a rich and fascinating life that intersects with some of the largest figures of mid-century America, including William Randolph Hearst and Walt Disney. That is, until film producer, horror-aficionado, and Black Lagoon acolyte, Mallory O'Meara begins to investigate rumors about the monster's creator only to find more questions than answers. But only a small number of devotees were aware of the existence of Milicent Patrick who remains, to this day, the only woman to have designed a classic Universal monster.
As the years passed, the film gained a reputation as a landmark of the monster-movie genre. In 1954, movie-going audiences were shocked and awed by Universal Studio's groundbreaking horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon.
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