This Day in Horror History: Happy Birthday Willis O’Brien
Josh Millican
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While special effects have come a long way since the 1930s, King Kong was a cinematic and technical triumph when it was released, and Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion animation was an integral component. In addition to King Kong, O’Brien lent his talents to The Lost World, Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young, and The Black Scorpion.
At the 1950 Academy Awards, O’Brien was awarded an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for Mighty Joe Young. This along with King Kong, are often considered his greatest achievements.
Family:
His first marriage, to Hazel Collette, was a troubled and uneasy affair. By 1930, it had been dissolved but not before having produced 2 sons, William and Willis Jr. She suffered from tuberculosis and was often heavily sedated. The disease spread to William and blinded him. In the fall of 1933, during the production of Son of Kong (1933), Hazel shot and killed her two sons and turned the gun on herself. She survived the incident but died from cancer and tuberculosis soon afterward. (Source)
Trivia:
On the day he received back the first printed footage of King Kong (1933) in motion he noticed that the fur covering the puppet moved because it was disturbed by his fingers during filming. He had to show the footage to the film’s producer that day and was worried his boss would notice this supposed mistake and fire him. However, upon showing the producer this footage, the man applauded his ability and fine attention to detail, exclaiming that he was amazed that he even managed to make Kong’s fur blow about in the wind. (Source)
Willis O’Brien was born on March 2nd, 1886 and passed away on November 8th, 1962. Today, on what would have been his birthday, we remember his contributions to horror cinema.
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
