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Monday, January 28

Jack Pierce Deserves a Star

I received word today of another campaign to grant a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, and this one is much more deserving than some of late (see my previous post about this topic). This time the proposed star would honor make-up legend Jack Pierce, someone who had a huge hand in shaping the horror landscape as we know it today. Pierce created some truly iconic makeup designs, from Chaney's Wolfman to Karloff's Monster and many more. Universal owes a debt of gratitude to Jack Pierce, and there is a proposed campaign to make this happen.



Spearheading the effort is Scott Essman, who is a Jack Pierce expert, and in fact produced a documentary on Pierce that Universal will include in the soon to be released DVD of THE MUMMY. Universal came close to following through on raising funds for a star in the past, but for various reasons something has always arisen that was a “higher priority” for the Publicity department, and the money earmarked for Pierce’s star was shifted to other purposes.

Scott has offered a solution to raise the money for this star and is presenting it to Universal. Whatever the price set for the new MUMMY DVD, he suggests Universal increase the amount by $1.00, and earmark these funds for the well-deserved recognition of Jack Pierce. This would allow fans to show their appreciation for Pierce and the star would be funded by proceeds from a film that contains not one but TWO Pierce masterpieces – what could be more perfect?

So Universal, how about it? Without the artistry of Jack Pierce, Universal as we know it would not in all probability exist today. It’s time to say thank you to Jack. It’s time he had a star. (For more information, please go to http://www.jackpierce.com/, Scott Essman’s website.)