When Jack Pierce died in 1968, few in the movie industry seemed to take
note of his passing. As Frank Taylor
wrote in the LOS ANGELES TIMES, only 24 mourners attended his funeral. But a small cadre of Pierce’s fans led, of
course, by Forrest J. Ackerman worked valiantly to keep alive the memory of his
magnificent makeup achievements. Today, Jack
Pierce is a revered figure among horror film fans as the creative genius behind
the iconic Universal Studios monsters of the 1930s and 1940s. The Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles
honored him on May 30 with the dedication of the Jack Pierce Memorial Gallery
for Makeup and Character Arts.
The Gallery is a sight to behold!
In a beautifully appointed room just off the entrance to the school
office, are some amazing examples of work by teachers and alumni from the
Cinema Makeup School. Two of Joel
Harlow’s mermaids from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN occupy a platform in the center
of the gallery. Two masks created by
contestants in SyFy television’s FACE OFF makeup show are there, as well as a
beautiful sculpture of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, standing about three
feet tall. A sample of Lee Joyner’s
makeup for the Jack Pierce character in the Pierce tribute stage play is
featured.
The highlights of the gallery for me were two pieces by Brent
Armstrong. The first is a stunning head
and shoulders likeness of Karloff as the Mummy, with one of his wrappings
supporting him on a column with hieroglyphics printed on the sides. The second is a fantastic bust of Jack
Pierce, with images of his various creations engraved in the sides of the
sculpture. The bust’s stand slowly
rotates so the viewer may see all the monstrous faces adorning the work. It is a truly wonderful piece of art. If you are in the Los Angeles area, a visit
to the school’s gallery is well worth your time.
 |
| Brent Armstrong's The Mummy sculpt. |
 |
| Jack Pierce bust by Brent Armstrong. |
 |
| Positive cast of Jack Pierce that makeup appliances were pulled from for the Scott Essman-produced film tribute to Pierce. |
The dedication ceremony featured an excellent overview of Mr. Pierce’s
career by Scott Essman, author of the commemorative magazine JACK PIERCE: THE
MAN BEHIND THE MONSTERS and the producer of the stage play about the makeup
artist. The presentation took place in
an expansive classroom, with large-screen television monitors placed around the
room to show photos from the various movies of Pierce’s career. The remaining wall space is taken up by large
mirrors, and the images of werewolves, mummies, and man-made monsters could be
seen from all angles.
The audience consisted primarily of young makeup students who have
travelled from across the country—if not the globe—to learn the art of makeup,
hairstyling, and fashion design in the heart of the entertainment
industry. It was clear that not all of
the twenty-somethings in the group had heard of Boris Karloff or jack Pierce,
but they definitely were familiar with their characters. The students paid close attention as Essman
described the painstaking, time-consuming process of turning Karloff into the
Mummy. After stating that the mummy
makeup took about eight hours to apply, Scott posed the question to the
prospective filmmakers, “If your actor has a 9:00 a.m. call time, when would
you have to start applying his makeup?”
Eyes widened and jaws dropped as they mentally calculated the
answer! Mr. Essman spent a fair amount
of time on Frankenstein’s monster and the wolf-man, as well as the mummy, but
picked up the pace for the later stages of Pierce’s career. Upon the conclusion of the presentation,
Scott was swarmed by students asking for his autograph.
 |
| Scott Essman signing autographs. |
The gallery is open to the public free of
charge during school hours, 8:30 to 5:30, Monday through Friday. Nate Cohn, a member of the school’s
administration, told me that the Gallery’s exhibits will be rotated on a
regular basis, so people will be able to see multiple examples of masks,
makeup, and art from the school’s students, teachers, and alumni. The Cinema Makeup School is located at 3780
Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles, next to the Wiltern Theater. It is a stately older building with an
elevator lobby that hearkens back to earlier times, the type of building one
sees too infrequently in Los Angeles.
The school offers a comprehensive course of study in makeup (beauty as
well as special effects) for TV, movies, and photography; hair styling; fashion
design; maquette sculptures, and other aspects of cinema art. Check out its WEB SITE for more photos and further
information