One of the final major makeup challenges was executed by Todd Tucker, who created a newly envisioned recreation of Pierce’s last original classic character – The Wolf Man from 1941, played by Douglas Meyers. Sculpting in clay with help from his assistant, Chris Gallaher, Tucker created an overhead mask appliance, hands and feet, rounded off with lenses by Dr. Sumner. “It was natural for me to do, since I’ve created many of my own wolf characters over the years,” said Tucker. Marvin Westmore did Claude Rains and Evelyn Ankers as straight makeups from the “Wolf Man” vignette which concluded the character material in the show.
Burman reflected on the project, which finally built up to the June 17 performance we filmed (and was staged only one time). “I barely remember any of it,” Burman stated. “Everything went so fast, and so much had to be done. I mean, we did get sixteen people done in a matter of some six or eight hours. With the amount of work everybody put into these characters, it was a really amazing day.”
The indie film, Jack Pierce – The Man Behind the Monsters is now a 72-minute DVD release with a photo gallery, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, clips, a timeline, and memorabilia. A companion book by the same name chronicles Pierce’s career through rare photos and all-original text. Both are available on Amazon.com.
-Scott Essman
