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836 reviews for:
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick
Mallory O'Meara
4.11 AVERAGE
836 reviews for:
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick
Mallory O'Meara
4.11 AVERAGE
A fascinating and engrossing dive into the (unfortunately) unknown, this book is not just a biography of Milicent Patrick, the artist responsible for the Creature from the Black Lagoon but also an exploration of the great and ugly sides of Hollywood, back in the "golden old" days as well as today. It's a love letter to creative women as well as a pointed take against all the shit they had - and still have to - put up with. And it's a testament to the enduring quality of Patrick's work - decades may pass but her legacy lives on.
Damn- took me long enough! I finally borrowed the audiobook from my library and finished this. I always love when memoir audiobooks are narrated by the author, and I especially enjoy it when I’m already familiar with their voice. Mallory cohosts one of my favorite podcasts, “Reading Glasses”, so I already knew I enjoyed listening to her. I found both parts of this book interesting: Milicent’s life as well as the story of Mallory’s life and research. The connections between the two of them are remarkable, and I’m so glad Mallory chose to include her side of things rather than solely writing a biography.
This book is fantastic. This is the absolute opposite of a dry biography. Not only does O'Meara lovingly share Milicent Patrick's incredible story, she also draws parallels with her own life, and how disappointingly little progress over the last few decades. And not just in the entertainment industry, but everywhere.
I listened to the audiobook, and O'Meara's love and enthusiasm for the subject really comes through. This book was a real pleasure to listen to. Infuriating in parts, yes, but I really dig O'Meara's no bullshit take on things.
I listened to the audiobook, and O'Meara's love and enthusiasm for the subject really comes through. This book was a real pleasure to listen to. Infuriating in parts, yes, but I really dig O'Meara's no bullshit take on things.
A favorite of the year! Conversational and witty, but chock-full of information. You get a parallel story, and some Hollywood vocab. Truly an excellent read!
One of the primary complaints I see about this book is that it isn't a biography. That is absolutely true, but I find that to be a strength rather than a weakness. And in fairness to the author, while it's placed in that genre, the title and summary are very apt.
Although there is not enough information available on Milicent's life to sustain a book length biography, Mallory O'Meara uses Milicent's life and work as a springboard to talk about her own experiences in the industry, her experience in learning about Milicent's life and misogyny in the film industry. Along the way, there are tantalizing glimpses of other lives I'd love to learn more about.
Definitely recommend the audiobook.
Although there is not enough information available on Milicent's life to sustain a book length biography, Mallory O'Meara uses Milicent's life and work as a springboard to talk about her own experiences in the industry, her experience in learning about Milicent's life and misogyny in the film industry. Along the way, there are tantalizing glimpses of other lives I'd love to learn more about.
Definitely recommend the audiobook.
Listened to this during my long run this weekend and like many of the other reviews that scored it low, I wanted to like this book. I'd never heard of Millicent before this book and was interested in learning more about her. Unfortunately this book is more about the author's experience trying to find out anything solid about Millicent's life than it actually is about Millicent. To make up for the sparse amount of info available on Millicent, we get a barrage of author anecdotes on her own life in the film industry, opinions, and general commentary that starts feeling repetitive fast.
I do appreciate the exposure that this book as given Millicent, and I hope that one day a fully dedicated biography about her (and possibly the other first women in film like the first female Disney animators mentioned in this book) can be written and shared.
I do appreciate the exposure that this book as given Millicent, and I hope that one day a fully dedicated biography about her (and possibly the other first women in film like the first female Disney animators mentioned in this book) can be written and shared.
If you're interested in ANY of the following topics, this book is for you -
- The Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Monster movies
- Universal Pictures
- The Hearst Castle
- Globe-trotting families in the early 20th century
- Film History
- Women's History
- Stories of women working in the horror industry
- Stories of women working in film
- Stories of women working in ANY male-dominated profession
- The golden age of Hollywood
- Disney in the 1940s
- Women artist working for Disney in the 1940s
- 1940s and 1950s fashion and glamour
- A self-inventing woman who happens to look like "a goth Jessica Rabbit"
- The #MeToo movement
- Women combating real-life monsters
- Odd historical quests in archives and libraries
- Uncovering a moment in history from the ground up
- Passion projects
- Parts of a story so lovely and heartfelt they make you tear up
I know that's a lot to take in, but please don't think that just because you are not a horror fan, or don't have any clue who Milicent Patrick is, that this book isn't worth your time. Trust me - it is.
Do you believe in destiny? Like, have you ever started working on a research project and realized that events in your life have made you a vehicle to tell a story in a way that only you can...and to tell it well? I believe that kismit has made O'Meara that person for Milicent Patrick.
Her biography of Patrick is an interdisciplinary weaving that threads together O'Meara's own experience as a woman working in the horror film industry and her lifelong love of creature features (especially The Creature from the Black Lagoon) with Patrick's own story during the golden age of Hollywood. This book is O'Meara's love letter. It is all the things put onto paper that you wish you could tell someone you idolize.
It all started with a picture. A picture of Patrick painting final details onto the costume of The Creature. From that, O'Meara dove head-first into a multi-year research project to figure out who Milicent Patrick was, her artistic career, her family legacy, and finally, what her work has meant to so many people. *Seriously, reading the section of fan mail she received from little girls in the 1950s for her work creating The Creature is just lovely*.
I am so incredibly proud of the work O'Meara has done to bring Milicent Patrick's story to the general public. This is one biography that has truly blown me away and I highly recommend it to anyone.
- The Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Monster movies
- Universal Pictures
- The Hearst Castle
- Globe-trotting families in the early 20th century
- Film History
- Women's History
- Stories of women working in the horror industry
- Stories of women working in film
- Stories of women working in ANY male-dominated profession
- The golden age of Hollywood
- Disney in the 1940s
- Women artist working for Disney in the 1940s
- 1940s and 1950s fashion and glamour
- A self-inventing woman who happens to look like "a goth Jessica Rabbit"
- The #MeToo movement
- Women combating real-life monsters
- Odd historical quests in archives and libraries
- Uncovering a moment in history from the ground up
- Passion projects
- Parts of a story so lovely and heartfelt they make you tear up
I know that's a lot to take in, but please don't think that just because you are not a horror fan, or don't have any clue who Milicent Patrick is, that this book isn't worth your time. Trust me - it is.
Do you believe in destiny? Like, have you ever started working on a research project and realized that events in your life have made you a vehicle to tell a story in a way that only you can...and to tell it well? I believe that kismit has made O'Meara that person for Milicent Patrick.
Her biography of Patrick is an interdisciplinary weaving that threads together O'Meara's own experience as a woman working in the horror film industry and her lifelong love of creature features (especially The Creature from the Black Lagoon) with Patrick's own story during the golden age of Hollywood. This book is O'Meara's love letter. It is all the things put onto paper that you wish you could tell someone you idolize.
It all started with a picture. A picture of Patrick painting final details onto the costume of The Creature. From that, O'Meara dove head-first into a multi-year research project to figure out who Milicent Patrick was, her artistic career, her family legacy, and finally, what her work has meant to so many people. *Seriously, reading the section of fan mail she received from little girls in the 1950s for her work creating The Creature is just lovely*.
I am so incredibly proud of the work O'Meara has done to bring Milicent Patrick's story to the general public. This is one biography that has truly blown me away and I highly recommend it to anyone.
An incredible look into women's place (or lack thereof) in early Hollywood. Absolute new favorite book. In-depth, funny and merciless in calling people on their BS. Loved every word.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced