The Lady from the Black Lagoon, Mallory OMeara
The Lady from the Black Lagoon, Mallory OMeara
2 Rating(s)
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The Lady from the Black Lagoon
Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick

Author: Mallory O'Meara

Narrator: Mallory O''Meara, Mallory O'Meara

Unabridged: 9 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/05/2019


Synopsis

2019 SCIBA Book Award Winner for Biography

A Hugo and Locus Award Finalist

Winner of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award

The Los Angeles Times Bestseller

A Thrillist Best Book of the Year

A Book Riot Best Book of 2019

One of Booklist’s 10 Best Art Books of the Year

The Lady from the Black Lagoon uncovers the life and work of Milicent Patrick—one of Disney’s first female animators and the only woman in history to create one of Hollywood’s classic movie monsters

As a teenager, Mallory O’Meara was thrilled to discover that one of her favorite movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon, featured a monster designed by a woman, Milicent Patrick. But for someone who should have been hailed as a pioneer in the genre, there was little information available. For, as O’Meara soon discovered, Patrick’s contribution had been claimed by a jealous male colleague, her career had been cut short and she soon after had disappeared from film history. No one even knew if she was still alive.

As a young woman working in the horror film industry, O’Meara set out to right the wrong, and in the process discovered the full, fascinating story of an ambitious, artistic woman ahead of her time. Patrick’s contribution to special effects proved to be just the latest chapter in a remarkable, unconventional life, from her youth growing up in the shadow of Hearst Castle, to her career as one of Disney’s first female animators. And at last, O’Meara discovered what really had happened to Patrick after The Creature’s success, and where she went.

A true-life detective story and a celebration of a forgotten feminist trailblazer, Mallory O’Meara’s The Lady from the Black Lagoon establishes Patrick in her rightful place in film history while calling out a Hollywood culture where little has changed since.

Don't miss Mallory O'Meara's upcoming novel, Girly Drinks!

About Mallory O'Meara

Mallory O'Meara is an author, screenwriter and a producer for the independent film company Dark Dunes Productions. Whether it is for the screen or the page, she seeks creative projects imbued with horror and monsters. A New England native, she now lives in Los Angeles.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jess on February 14, 2019

Despite the title, I would not call this a book about the Lady from the Black Lagoon. This is a memoir about O’Meara researching Milicent Patrick’s previously unknown life with a lot of filler to make this into a full-length book. With a few exceptions, the first 85% of this book doesn’t have much a......more

Goodreads review by Jon on July 31, 2024

Have you ever heard of Milicent Patrick? She worked at Disney as one of the first female animators - then went to Universal and designed The Creature From The Black Lagoon...but her boss took credit for everything and had her fired. Mallory O'Meara finds Milicent Patrick for us - and tells her heart......more

Goodreads review by Ross on July 06, 2019

The Lady from the Black Lagoon tells the fascinating story of Milicent Patrick, the designer of the iconic Creature (he of the eponymous Black Lagoon). Milicent's is a name that deserves to be recognized by fans of film, horror and art, and Mallory O'Meara has done a great service by uncovering deta......more

Goodreads review by Emily on June 13, 2020

Update: I'm pretty disappointed that Library Journal named this as one of their Best Arts Books of 2019. I wanted to like this book, but the book I read and the book of my expectations were wildly different creatures. My expectations said, "Biography of a lost Hollywood monster designer." The book sa......more

Goodreads review by Paul on November 23, 2018

The Lady from the Black Lagoon is a celebration of the life and shamefully overlooked work of Milicent Patrick. It's also an unflinching, from-the-front-lines recounting of Hollywood's toxic patriarchal culture, a history of all manner of monsters. You'll be infuriated at the legacy of continuing in......more