Another star in Jack Pierce's crown

[Illoman]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this or not, but with all the deserved hubbub concerning the new Batman film, a lot of attention has been given to the character of the Joker. It is well documented that Bob Kane's original inspiration for the look of the Joker came from Conrad Veidt's character in the film the Man Who Laughs. Jack Pierce was the make up artist for that film, uncredited as he was. So in essence, besides all the iconic monsters he created, Jack inadvertently was responsible for an iconic comic book villian as well!!

Mike

[Nicole]

Yep, that Glasgow smile in my avatar does have a horror connection of sorts.

A comparison between Veidt as Gwynplaine and the Joker:

[Monsterkid71]

Well how bout that! I had never made the connection before. Thanks Nicole!

[fibbermac]

Mike rightfully pays homage to Jack Pierce. All of us monsterkids are deeply indebted to Pierce for his makeup creations at Universal.

On a vacation to Hollywood a few years ago I was in the "Hollywood Television and Film Museum" giftshop and stumbled across a DVD called "JACK PIERCE - THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTERS". It was great! I just checked and it is available on Amazon. This is a must own DVD for all Jack Pierce fans. Its a recording of a one-night-only theater production that tells Pierce's life story and recreates scenes from many of Universal's classic monster films. If you've never seen it, I would HIGHLY recommend it.

-fibbermac-