The Lady from the Black Lagoon

Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick

By: Mallory O'Meara

Narrated by: Mallory O'Meara

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 Best Seller

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, The 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!

©2019 Mallory O'Meara (P)2019 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.

Critic reviews

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 best seller

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

love this femenist history

Mallory O'Meara's voice is passionate and real. I enjoyed the way she interspersed her own story with that of Milicent Patrick. I appreciate her dedication to the truth of Patrick's story and life. I also admire her tenacity in writing this book at all with what she faced even to start it...way to go! I read and then listened to the book. I consider it all time well spent.

Fierce and fascinating

A great bio filled with tidbits of California and Hollywood history as well as Universal Monster love. A must read for not only those interested in the title topic, but any feminist geek or creative.

Empower Us

I found Milicent’s story to be an incredible journey. She is an inspiration to all women as she navigated the treacherous place called Hollywood. I highly recommend reading or hearing this story - then see the films - both Creature and Shape of Water.

Reveling look at backstage Hollywood

A unique perspective on the mechanics of filmmaking that I not taken the time to consider, as well as a window on a great artist and the well upon which her masterworks were drawn.

An honest bio about a fascinating talent

As an unapologetic fan of The Creech and its creator, Ms. Patrick, I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed this bio by Ms. O'Meara. She presents a rounded story of a woman who not only survived at a time when females were viewed as helpers and gofers for the male movie makers if the era, but because of her talent and will she prospered.
A truly wonderful, fast and satisfying read.

Engaging Story, Great listen

Loved my experience with this book. While I am not necessarily a mo.ster movie fan, this is a human story. Love the interspersed memoir with the biographical history of Millicent.

Started out Like a House Afire - Enjoyable

Mallory O'Meara is a movie maker who grew up loving horror movies. She discovers Milicent Patrick, who worked in the makeup department at Universal during the 1950s and created (but was not given credit for creating) the costume for "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." Born Mildred di Rossi, Milicent's childhood and young adulthood were dominated by her temperamental and controlling father. He was an important engineer at William Randolph Hearst's "Castle" (but ultimately lost the job, perhaps because of his domineering ways). Her father controlled every aspect of Mildred's life -- from clothing (big shroud-like dresses she had to sew for herself) to a prohibition on makeup to not being allowed to have male or female friends. Acceptance in an art college opened a door to freedom. She subsequently became one of Disney's first female animators. In a time when women were expected to follow traditional roles, Milicent pursued a career. But she picked the wrong man for her first serious relationship, and this resulted in her permanent estrangement from her family. (Here a line in the book rang true for me: "Milicent, just like many people who are prevented from being in healthy romantic relationships while they are growing up, was about to start a lifetime habit of making poor romantic decisions.") Banished, she became her own woman and followed her heart and her dreams. She possessed outstanding artistic talent and was also a tall, exotic beauty who changed her name to Milicent (after Mrs. Hearst) and reveled in the accouterments her father had denied her: high heels, makeup, and flamboyant fashion. (Me too!) She literally stood out in a crowd.

Near the beginning of the book, author,Mallory O'Meara explains that Milicent created the costume for the movie "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" and she was then sent on a tour (six weeks, I think) to promote the film. Even though SHE designed the costume and got NO credit in the film credits and she went along with saying her BOSS had designed the costume, in her absence, he lobbied against her, and when she returned she lost her job. She never was credited for any of her costume/makeup work before or after, and she never designed another movie monster costume.

A early passage in the book literally gave me goosebumps. O'Meara writes: "When I first heard Milicent's story, my heart lurched with a terribly familiar ache....I could easily put myself in her shoes. I have the same pair. Every woman in film has them They're standard issue and they're uncomfortable as hell. Almost every day of my life as a filmmaker, I face the same kind of infuriating misogynistic bullshit that Milicent faced in 1954. I didn't have to imagine what it felt like for her because I constantly feel it myself."

O'Meara continues: "So many women share this experience, women in every profession. We're ignored, sexually harassed, talked down to, plagiarized, and insulted in and out of the workplace.... I don't know a single woman working in my field or in any creative field or any field at all, who cannot relate to Milicent Patrick. It's not just her story. It's mine too."

I just watched the movie "On the Basis of Sex" about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and, maybe I'm giving O'Meara too much credit, but I think this passage could stand up there with some of RBG's inspiring court arguments.

Several times in the book I was similarly struck: it's not just what O'Mara says, it's the way she says it: the PERFECT words.

One flaw I found in the book is that it jumps around a lot chronologically. If I were writing a book, I guess I'd do the same. In fact, I am writing a book and I am doing the same -- sometimes my information is associated topically although the main organization is chronological. A second flaw is that sometimes the book is about the author's quest for information about Milicent rather than about Milicent herself. I could have done without that.

However, on the whole I highly recommend this book. I always hated monster movies (because they're scary!) but the book convinced me to try one again. Swayed by the author's argument that women are a big part of the audiences for horror movies because we are threatened in real life and movies give women a safe way to experience fear I tried to watch a recent monster movie. It wasn't terror that made me turn it off but aggravation; I found a recent Godzilla movie God-awful....(Great special effects though. Just didn't like the main female character....)

This is a great book for feminism.

this book is very entertaining. it is good to know others care about role models

Fabulous account of an artist almost erased.

Mallory O'meara gives a thoughtful piece of work on the life of Milicent Patrick and the realities of female identifying arts practitioners everywhere.

Fantastic! I completely loved this book!

I absolutely loved this book and really loved hearing the author read it. I listen to Mallory’s podcast called “Reading Glasses” and this audiobook felt like an extended conversation of that podcast in the absolute best way. I learned so much from this story about the history of Hollywood in general and it was fantastic to hear about Mallory’s own experiences in the business as well. By the end of the book I was in tears thinking about Milicent’s life and how much has changed in society and also how far we still need to go. I also felt the cathartic release that Mallory must have experienced when this book finally was released to the world after so many years of research to learn about Milicent’s life, with everything coming full circle for Mallory. It’s just such a great book!!!! I highly recommend the audio version, but truthfully I have it on kindle as well so I could jump back and forth from my paperwhite to the audio version. Such a cool immersive experience.