By RM
thursday, april 10, 2025 at 2:21:00 a.m. edt
The way things worked in “Golden Age Hollywood”
I had no idea there had been an Oscar category for “assistant director”! Maybe the definition of an A.D. was different then; he’s basically a functionary, and doesn’t direct anything at all today. The second unit director was never credited in the Old Days because the studios didn’t WANT anyone to know that the director didn’t do everything in the picture!
Similarly, department heads were routinely given credit for make-up, musical scoring, and special effects, even when someone else did the actual work! (Depending on the studio-Universal was probably the worst in this respect!)
-RM
N.S.: The individuals who got the credit were “persons”; those who did the work were not.
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8 comments:
The woman who co-designed the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) was not only uncredited, but blackballed after she went on TV to promote the movie! (Her partner in creating the monster, Jack Kevan, also went without credit- only the department head, Bud Westmore got any on-screen credit.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milicent_Patrick
Some photos of her- Not only talented, but gorgeous as well!
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&sca_esv=a3f937428333938a&q=MILICENT+PATRICK+PHOTO+GALLERY&udm=2&fbs=ABzOT_CWdhQLP1FcmU5B0fn3xuWpA-dk4wpBWOGsoR7DG5zJBkzPWUS0OtApxR2914vrjk60CMaA0jPMd-1UByCaBk9RkR5TYqOiT6ScESjovcjoQvczWGzfl03gMqmV3swMnlZQ_zWql06YMJHv3IWcHmQxo_yTbBwx_VnuFz1a5xU3f4UVesz7l7AFTQwYew6bFvVJ452QJ0d3IhcnL_yskYGg0XzmEg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHiPTkk8-MAxXurokEHcaME9sQtKgLegQIHhAB&biw=1366&bih=643
-RM
I've got a 3-5 minute version of that film somewhere--silent--no sound. We had a movie projector(Bell&Howell)and my folks picked that movie up somewhere in the early 60s.
--GRA
Correction:It was,"The Creature Walks Among Us."
--GRA
It was re-issued in the original 3D version back in the 70s along with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE- the best 3D movies ever! Both directed by Jack Arnold. Julie Adams in her white bathing suit in 3D is a sight to behold, and the underwater scenes are spectacular! Both are available in 3D blu-rays, but I'm reluctant to get into another expensive format- been through everything else, starting with the old 8mm silent format you mentioned! Ah, for the good old days...
-RM
The last of the CREATURE trilogy, NOT made in 3D. Do you remember when REVENGE OF THE CREATURE was shown on TV in 3D in the 1980s? That got a big promotion, and big ratings! The local critics howled like banshees, as if they had never sat through ANY old movie before, and complained about wearing the 3D glasses as if they were undergoing torture! There were several other 3D movies shown until the fad died out- I thought the effect worked surprisingly well on my old 25-inch TV.
-RM
Do you think the original 8 mm film I have would be worth anything? The film's probably deteriorated--haven't run it for decades.
--GRA
Check Ebay- those things usually sell for a relatively high amount, though you're not going to make a killing on it! And 8mm black and white film usually doesn't deteriorate, unless it was stored in a hot attic or a damp basement! The old home movies my father took are not only intact, but still have unfaded vivid color, which is miraculous.
-RM
Thanks. Now I just have to find it,lol.
--GRA
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