For Shields, being cast as Pierce was a stroke of destiny. “I happen to be a huge Universal Monsters fan and have been a fan of Pierce's work since about the age of 10,” he said. “I was actually looking forward to sitting in the makeup chair. Forry Ackerman and Bob Burns, two men I have known about since I first picked up Famous Monsters hung around the makeup room all day. To look over and see these men while I was being made up is an experience that can never be equaled in my life. That alone prepared me mentally for the show that night. Playing Pierce was ultimately a dream come true.”
For the other characters, one of the first craftspeople on board was award-winning makeup artist Kevin Haney. “His doing Frankenstein was a blessing,” said Burman. “He’s such a talented man that it was really good to be able to just let him go and take care of the character all on his own. The day of the show, I think Kevin worked on him the longest of any of the people in getting ready. But Kevin being the perfectionist that he is, I’m sure that that was not too much for him.”
For Frankenstein’s Bride, Burman created the lab work for the character, meaning doing the sculpture in clay, making a mold of that sculpture, and casting the appliances in synthetic materials by injecting them into the mold and heating them in an oven. When the appliance were finished, the makeup was applied the day of the event by Ve Neill after a coming-and-going of Bride makeup artists. “It was really nice of Ve to be able to step in last minute to be able to pull this off,” said Burman. “I realized we had to change her whole hairline and nose and chin, so I fashioned a three-piece makeup. Her nose tip and chin were made out of foamed gelatin per Ve’s request. The forehead was all foam because it was such a large piece and we had to glue the hairpiece to it. John Norin generously donated the wig and we had Ron Pipes make a new front for it.”
To transform Cale Thomas, in his early 20s at the time, into Ernest Thesiger as he appeared as Dr. Praetorius in Bride of Frankenstein was a major task for Burman and his team. “I think that everybody really came to bat well with that character,” Burman recalled. “We must have re-sculpted his face half a dozen times to make it work right. I really wanted to do the Praetorius makeup myself, but I’m really glad that Darren Jinks and Ned Neidhardt did it. They did a really nice job. I think he’s one of the most changed from his original look of the performer to the made-up character.”
