NINA
Shooting in Astoria, NY at night is tough. Filming the fight scene near a neighnorhood bar prsented special problems. At one point a patron, who was stumbling out of the bar, walked up to Derek and asked if he needed an ambulance. It took him a while to grasp the concept that it was fake and that we were filming a movie.
I had to make this healthy young girl look as though she had been living on the streets and hadn't eaten for days. Her rosy cheeks were painted with a very pale and sallow foundation. Her blonde hair was weighed down with powder and petrolium jelly to make it look dirty.
Will Stutts' Tallulah!
Tallulah Bankhead (January 31,1902 - December 12, 1968) Outrageous, outspoken and uninhibited are just a few of the adjectives used to describe this American Actress. She was primarily a stage personality and radio talkshow host. She is best known by many from her film, "Lifeboat", her best filmwork. Her final film appearance was in "Die, Die My Darling" in 1965.
Will Stutts is Tallulah Bankhead's second counsin. A brilliant actor and director, he wrote a one woman play about his famous cousin. The challenge was how to make this man who is six feet three inches tall and make him look like a the dimunitive bigger than life actress!
About forty minutes later... Tallulah lives! The wig, made entirely of human hair, was designed by Bob Kelly (NY). I set and styled it before every performance. And on off days, it was washed and conditioned just as you would a real head of hair. I mixed a couple of lip paint colors to achieve the "Victory Red" lipstick that Tallulah wore, which Elizabeth Arden had discontinued.
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| This is the publicity shot that I took and was used for press releases and poster. |
