This month marks Halloween time. So I thought I'd weave in some related
Hollywood...and caricature...trivia.
Welcome to the October edition of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.
William Henry Pratt logged a number of years as an extra and
bit-part player in the silent and early "talkie" years of film. His
family claim to fame was as the great nephew of Anna Leonowens, whose true-life
biography was the inspiration for the book, dramatic movie and finally,
Broadway musical "The King and I." Finally, at the advanced age of
44, his own moment of glory arrived when he was selected to play a character
that he helped turn into a seminal fixture of horror films.
It was a character that, through the years, has since been lovingly lampooned,
along with other creepy icons, by some great caricaturists.
Apropos, here are some by Mad magazine stalwart Jack Davis, and a
UK-based caricaturist with whom I was unfamiliar, Paul Garner.
I'll be doing my
thing once again at the Halloween festival thrown by Trump National Golf Club
in Mooresville (formerly known as The Point), mainly drawing little kids in their costumes and makeup...always cute and fun.
Of course, October is also a great time in general for
outdoor events, private and corporate. Here are some happy campers from similar
occasions at which I put pencil to paper:
Oh, and as for William Henry Pratt? He wisely decided to change his name to something more exotic, more sinister, more memorable:
Boris Karloff.
See you again the first Tuesday of next month for another bone-chilling entry from Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.
