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Harry Thomas Personal Make Up Kit

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia / Movie - Memorabilia Start Price:300.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 2,500.00 USD
Harry Thomas Personal Make Up Kit
The original pioneers of special effects makeup literally began at the birth of the motion picture, inventing an entire industry as they went. One of the all time greats was Harry Thomas. He started on scores of classics, including "The Wizard of Oz", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "The Mummy" , "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Ten Commandments". However his claim to fame was his ability to create amazing effects sometimes "out of thin air" in ultra low budget films, which have become grand iconic masterpieces in their own right, including those of celebrated Ed Wood, Jr., ("Plan 9 From Outer Space"), and Roger Corman ("Little Shop Of Horrors"). And who can ever forget his "Tor Johnson" ghoul (the mask of which is still the biggest seller at Halloween) and the bulging eyes of the aliens from "Killers From Space" (made from ping-pong balls!). His work continued in such TV classics as "Superman", "Star Trek", "The Outer Limits", and "The Munsters". He even became the official make-up artist for President Reagan! Thomas became a legend to a new generation of filmmakers who loved to visit with him, and be inspired. The likes of John Carpenter and Tim Burton (who immortalized him in "Ed Wood"), give Thomas credit for many of their own creations. This is a rare and fascinating piece of Hollywood history: One of Harry Thomas' personal make up kits used during his heyday. It is housed in his original custom metal wing-door compartmentalized case, and includes literally dozens of make up supplies to create most anything. Included are actual Thomas hand made mustaches and eyelashes (of human hair), and extremely rare and collectable pieces of makeup from such luminaries as Ben Nye, Max Factor and Joe Blasco. Most of these are no longer available and have enormous value on their own. it even includes the controversial make-up solvent trichloroethylene (used to remove elaborate prosthetics and make up appliances ) , which the Government removed from the market, but make-up artists horded for years because it worked so well! Also included are various specialized colorations (like a jar of "Death Purple" used by "Vampira" in "Plan 9"). It even has some interesting paperwork, including an aspiring make-up artist's Qualification Test (Thomas was one of the main judges for such tests that one had to pass in order to get into the union). Like the "magic box" it is, when opened, this treasure chest truly brings back a special time, when movies depended more on genius than CGI! (Approx 18"x12"x12").