HALLOWEEN 1998

Rick as ape
I confess, Halloween is one of my great obsessions. For 1998, I wanted to try using foam latex appliances for the first time, and in tribute to the 30th anniversary of the film "Planet of the Apes," I decided I'd go as the chimpanzee Cornelius. As soon as I had gathered all the materials, my work calendar got pretty intense, and I expected to have to abandon the project. Then Roddy MacDowall, the wonderful actor that had done such a great job as Cornelius in the "Apes" movies, died of cancer, and I felt I simply had to go through with it. A photo of the result of my efforts appears at right.

Remember, it's not a mask, it's a fully articulated makeup. Altogether it took me about 6 hours to glue it all on, color it with makeup and apply the facial hair and wig, etc. I was very pleased with the way it turned out for a first try. My thanks to all those who helped, including Brad Pope, who did my face cast; Patrick Ahearn, who helped me with the foam process; and Carole and Robyn Simms, for their assistance in applying the makeup and their tolerance with my hogging the bathroom while I got ready (Carole also helped stitch the tunic).

I documented the arduous process of creating the foam latex pieces pretty thoroughly on video, and someday in this lifetime, I hope to share some of the steps of that process with you here -- but don't hold your breath.

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[All Photos from the Private Collection of Rick Lyon]
[All images Copyright by Rick Lyon. Unauthorized Reproduction in any form Strictly Prohibited.]