I hope you're all enjoying your weekend and your Summer so far.
Things are keeping your humble pubkeep quite busy, but I had to make time today for a celebration of one of the most pioneering, legendary makeup and effects masters in the history of television and cinema.
Folks, raise your glasses -- a birthday toast to the one and only
Dick Smith!
Dick is celebrating his 88th birthday today!
Wait, you're not asking 'Dick who?', are you?
This is the man who brought the world such incredible characters, such memorable faces, as:
Dustin Hoffman's Little Big Man (1970)
Max Von Sydow as Father Merrin, and
Linda Blair as Regan, and
Eileen Dietz as Pazuzu/Captain Howdy in The Exorcist (1973)
The incredible Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, and
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972)
Robert DeNiro's insane Travis Bickle, the Taxi Driver (1976)
Scads of gory ghosts in Ghost Story (1981)
Oscar-winning makeup sessions for Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham, as
aging composer Antonio Salieri in the brilliant Amadeus (1984)
Oh, we could go on for days.
He did so much to advance the art of film, television and stage makeup and effects in his long career, not only earning Oscars, Emmys, Saturns and other awards but influencing an entire industry with innovative techniques, new ideas and time-tested methods.
He also advanced the awareness of and enthusiasm for special effects and makeup for kids and young adults in a series of handbooks and makeup products in the '60s and '70s.
I believe I've already told you the story of my history with this revolutionary
magazine. This little '60s tome may have single-handedly created all the
major makeup artists working in the industry since the '70s. No joke.
In the '70s, Smith's line of do-it-yourself makeup kits inspired and excited
every monster and horror geek in Monster Horror Geekdom, and provided
effects and results that had previously been unobtainable to Hallowe'en Kids.
A treasure trove.
The genius of Dick Smith. But for you, so much that makes our Hallowe'en special would be gone. You created monsters and mad men, helped us create them too, and then taught and inspired the makeup masters who gave us so many more monsters and mad men, and aliens, and demons, and...
Again, raise a glass, everyone --
DUMDUMSHREKPOP!
He is the patron saint of every monster kid who messed up their parent's bathroom trying to make themselves look like the creatures in his hand book.
ReplyDeleteThanks to him, I became a regular at the nearest costume shop. I also learned that crepe hair and liquid latex can really clog a bathroom drain!
Happy Birthday Mr Smith
And thanks for all your makeup magic!
So many memorable characters - what a legend! And, an excellent tribute from S&P. Raising my glass!!
ReplyDeleteHe always seems like such a charming man, too. And his philosophy of sharing techniques has really changed things for the better. All hail the king! Happy birthday, Dick!
ReplyDeleteIt is those little things that you discover about each other after you have been married and consolidate your stuff. We both laughed to find out how many monster make up books we both possessed! His stuff was in both of our collections. Definitely a great man, and worth a toast!
ReplyDeleteCheers!