This book was a very interesting read! I tend to struggle with nonfiction, but Mallory O'Meara did a great job at keeping me interested throughout the book!

We all know women in Hollywood have had, and still have a tough road to hoe. This doesn't shed much new light on that problem, Patrick doesn't even have a huge role.

Well-researched and much-needed volume on an overlooked woman who contributed immensely to one of the most-recognized horror film monsters of all time. Am important addition to any film library, a must for Universal fans, and also of interest to anyone interested in biographies of intriguing women.

An excellent book on a little known piece of film history. Includes some interesting personal touches from the author.

Fascinating story of a gifted artist who was not given her due for such a long time. O'Meara tells not only Milicent's tale, but also the tale of her own research process--and with such voice!

Mallory O'Meara's excellent biography is far more than just recognition for a forgotten designer, it is a story of conditions still existing in the entertainment industry. Finally giving credit to Milicent Patrick for her work creating one of Universal's iconic monsters, O'Meara describes a life lived ahead of its time. That it took so long for a worthy biography to be written is a testament to Ms. O'Meara's detective skills and to the oppressive force the hostile studio system laid against the many talented women who provided their products. With detailed, exhaustive research, Ms. O'Meara has produced a highly readable, informative story of a visionary woman who deserved far more credit than she was allowed.

While Milicent Patrick is an absolutely worthwhile subject for a biography this already rather short biography seemed padded. A lot of the beginning of the book is actually more about her father’s background, William Randolph Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan, Nelbert Chouinard, and the Westmores. What was perhaps most damning was that these asides were often much more interesting and fleshed out than the bits about Milicent.

Some of the connective tissue between sections within chapters was also weak and a lot more pictures were described than were included in the book which was frustrating. As was the absolute information black hole that was Syd Beaumont, Milicent's second (?) husband and supposed love of her life. With so little known about Milicent's private life, O'Meara comes across as doing a lot of projecting when talking about how a Millicent would have felt about the things and events.

Mallory O’Meara’s Lady from the Black Lagoon is a Russian doll of a book.

Of course, the basis is an exhaustive (this being a positive thing) look into the heavily researched life of the elusive artist Milicent Patrick (elusive not of her own doing).

But it is so much more than that.

It is a story of the author herself and her observation of the current state of gender politics. This, along with the fascinating portrait of Patrick’s career and beginnings, gives this book life. It could’ve stopped there. But in addition, O’Meara found a way to not only unbury the success of Milicent Patrick. She was able to find Patrick’s humanity and share it with us all, the readers.

Lady from the Black Lagoon feels like an important book, because it is. A must-read for film enthusiasts as well as anyone with two eyes or two ears or both.

For 2019, I set a “New ‘Ears Resolution” of listening to one nonfiction audiobook each month. I kicked things off in January with The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton, followed by Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, Michelle Obama’s Becoming, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Shout, John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood, Khalida Brohi’s I Should Have Honor, and Down from the Mountain by Bryce Andrews.

August’s selection is The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara! This title came highly recommended from my fellow audio-enthusaist, Ms. Watts. Mallory O’Meara is a writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and fan of all things horror. With her deep love of monster movies, she is the ideal author to relate the rise, fall, and disheartening obscurity of the woman who created one of cinema’s most iconic monsters.

Early chapters cover Milicent’s childhood and teen years in (maybe a little too much) detail, particularly the period when her father worked as a construction engineer on the California estate of media magnate William Randolph Hearst. Later, Milicent attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, where her work earned her a job offer from Walt Disney; she became one of the first female animators at Disney Studios in 1939. She then spent the next decade working as a freelance artist and professional model, and later as an extra on various movie sets. In 1952, she became the first woman to work in a special effects makeup department (at Universal). There, she designed one of cinema’s all-time most recognizable monsters, eventually going on a national publicity tour to promote The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Sadly, this tour triggered the professional jealousy that would derail her trailblazing career.

It’s clear that Mallory O’Meara identifies deeply with her subject and the professional challenges Milicent Patrick faced, especially sexism in the film industry and the experience of being a female in a male-dominated space. Underlying the biographical narrative (and interwoven with connected portions of O’Meara’s own story) is her thesis on women and horror: Women are the most important part of horror because, by and large, women are the ones the horror happens to, and women should see themselves reflected in the credits that roll at the end of the film. Also, not every Hollywood monster wears a rubber suit and a mask. A woman before her time, Milicent Patrick should have been hailed as a hero. But few even recognize her name … until The Lady from the Black Lagoon. It’s a great listen for anyone with an interest in hidden Hollywood history, creature features, the #MeToo movement, and the feminist perspective of the divine Ms. O’Meara.

What new listen will next month bring? Stay tuned for a September update! And remember, it’s not too late to join me on this journey of making (and keeping) a New ‘Ears Resolution! Leave a comment to let me know what you’ve been listening to, or to recommend a title. We’ll all be a little wiser and better read by the time the calendar flips over to 2020.

The Lady From the Black Lagoon is worth reading for its examination of the woman at its center. Had the fat been trimmed a bit more in terms of excising O’Meara’s story and the numerous digressions it would be perfect. Regardless, Patrick’s story deserves to be told and if this is the best way to do it, it’ll work!

Lady from the Black Lagoon is an amazing book about Milicent Patrick, a SFX artist and more . I love everything about the horror genre and thought I was knowledgeable about it, but unfortunately I was unaware this inspiring woman even existed. Patrick has a large hand in designing the creature from Creature from the Black Lagoon. O’Meara is a very good writer with a distinctive voice. She includes some of her life experiences and great humor which help the book move along at an enjoyable pace. I would suggest this book to any horror fans or fans of stories about interesting women.

Excellent biography of Milicent Patrick, an unsung feminist icon and creator of the Creature featured in the iconic fifties sci-fi movie, The Creature from the Black Lagoon. A story about her varied life, from living at San Simeon as a child , to her days as an animator and makeup artist in Hollywood to her days as a socialite of sorts, this is just an interesting slice of life and an interesting polemic decrying the lack of gender equality in Hollywood and movie making. Though strident the book never loses its way and the love the author feels for Patrick shines through. Highly recommended.

It was a pleasure reading about Millicent Patrick’s life and the struggles of women during her time that unfortunately continue to this day. The amount of research that went into this biography was very evident as Mallory O’Meara tracked down the facts and people who provided details on Millicent. However I struggled with the amount of personal details that Mallory included about her life, I felt that they weren’t needed at times. Will recommend to those interested in film, women biographies, and special fees. Loved reading about Milicent’s life at Hearst Castle.

This is an interesting and well told story. The biography of a little known artist and actress whose family abandoned her after her move to Hollywood and whose career was diminished by the attitude of the times (1950s) and the jealousy of a man with a big name, but no talent.

But it's so much more than just a biography! Growing up, Milicent Patrick's father, Camille Rossi, was an architect who helped build Hearst Castle and Mallory O'Meara gives us a sublime glimpse into its history. As an adult, Milicent worked at Disney Studios when it first opened, so we're treated to an inside scoop on how the studio came about. But best of all, we're given a front row seat at Universal Studio's work on the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" an early 5o's horror movie that has become a classic, and she gives Milicent Patrick the praise that is her due for her part in bringing the 'Gill Man' to life.

O'Meara can get a little preachy, but only because she is so passionate about her subject and about the importance that women be given credit for their work.

This is an enjoyable read and would benefit both public and academic library collections.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!
#TheLadyFromTheBlackLagoon #NetGalley

Amazing tale of the search for a lost Hollywood artist mixed with the history of Hollywood's treatment of women then and now.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is missing the podcast You Must Remember This. There were times this book reminded me of that podcast and it was also super confessional on the authors part -- really enjoyed O'Meara's point of view and her deference for a women who history and Hollywood forgot.

An interesting stream of consciousness conversations about women in the industry of film-making with emphasis on Milicent Patrick who allegedly created the costume for The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
While trying to research the life of Milicent Patrick the author shares lots of information giving an insider's look at the film industry. Ms. O'Meara is a film producer working in the horror film genre and idolizes Ms. Patrick but is frustrated by the lack of reliable biographical information available and the dismissive attitude she encounters of interest in Ms. Patrick's accomplishments;because she was female. There is lots of information about the Hearst family since Milicent grew up living in San Simeon while he father worked on the Hearst property there.
The book was an interesting read.

This is the second biography that I've read lately where little is known of the person being written about. What to do in that case? Both authors used a lot of filler and than invented feelings for the subject. This author also added her own experiences to make the case that Hollywood is a horrible place to work. No argument here, but not really what I was looking for from a biography.

I really hope there are pictures of Ms Patrick in the released copy. I really wanted to see the pictures that are described in the text.

This is not your dad's biography. Well, maybe you have a cool horror movie loving dad and it is your dad's biography, I don't know your life. (I have more of a purposefully boringly narrated audio biography kind of dad, but that's just me.) The weaving together of Patrick's life, statistics and snapshots of current Hollywood culture, and the author's life and work on the book's production was very well done. In that respect, it reminded me somewhat of I'll Be Gone in the Dark, though significantly funnier and less terrifying. There were points where I wished that the book seemed a bit more strongly grounded in sources, particularly during the speculation into people's moods, responses, or states of mind. and especially at the beginning of the book I found myself wondering if perhaps material on the actual subject was so thin that the book needed to be rounded out with lengthy passages about the lives of other individuals like William Randolph Hearst (I've experienced both of these feelings while reading other biographies) but O'Meara's passion for the book and her persistence in her research was clear and compelling.

The author of this book highlights something very important in this great portrait of a woman who created a monster and had to work with monsters, what she had to endure in her life as an artist, her legacy emulated and left to empower the female artist and male too, a pioneer as one of the first women in 1953 to design a monster for film, the creature for the Black Lagoon.

Insightful history contained, interesting to learn of her possibly inspiration behind her career as an artist with film and a monster with her childhood proximity to The Hearst Castle and its special film screenings, a enchanting place one of which her father was the superintendent behind its construction.

A great job done by the author answering a main question she poses in this narrative.
“She was some woman who designed a monster for an old black-and-white movie. Why was that important?”
During a time when, “The 1950s was a time of sanctioned sexism and racism.”

Outliers, the brave, the courageous, and the artistic contained within, this author and the creator of the black lagoon creature. A very insightful read of an empowering spark of light and creativity within, just the inspiration many people could do to learn of and legacy be revived with the light being carried forward.