Famous Monsters of Filmland
                             issue # 102.



I was fourteen when I got my copy hot off the magazine rack at Bell’s Bookstore, 204 Broad street, in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It’s a rural area, and newsstands with monster magazines for sale are rare. Adding this issue to my collection of two other Famous Monsters magazines, would make my three mile bike trip into town well worth the ride.  Actually, when I laid eyes on the back cover, and saw the incredible pebbled green face of Verne Langdon’s ZOMBIE staring coldly back, I knew this was the coolest mask I could ever own.
I vowed that I would have ridden the long, twisty, twelve miles, all the way to downtown Lancaster and back, just to own this gem. I had to acquire this mask!.................But where would I get the $39.50, plus postage to pay for it?!












My folks owned a little Mom & Pop grocery store in an even littler town, and I didn’t get much of an allowance. The money I did get, I usually blew on theatrical make up. I knew that by the time I'd manage to scrimp and save that great an amount, they probably wouldn't even be offering the mask for sale. Over the next month, as I eagerly awaited the next issue of FM to appear at Bells, my desire grew to really possess one of those ZOMBIES!
Time passed slowly, as it does for a kid. The next five issues never came to my favorite little bookstore. I saved as I could, all the while revisiting issue #102, reading and re-reading the article inside, over and over, about Verne.
Then, to my glee, FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND issue #107 appeared!
It offered the usual rare fare of Universal monsters, Aurora monster hobby kits, Frankenstein Monster and Vampirella posters, Music for Robots and Phantoms of the Organs, and even real live squirrel monkeys! But, alas, no ZOMBIE MASKS! But...I just HAD to own a ZOMBIE! By next month, Issue #108 confirmed my fear. The ZOMBIE ad had re-appeared, but with a bold black "SOLD-OUT" printed across it’s face.













Since that time in 1974, I've done stage work in Pennsylvania, moved to Los Angeles in 1985, worked in film, and even designed theme park projects for Disney and other studios. But, sadly, I never owned a Verne Langdon ZOMBIE mask.









In 2001, I decided to leave the LA rat race. I moved to peaceful Florence, Arizona. Out here in the desert solitude, an idea popped into my mind, so I phoned a good friend in LA, Dante Renta. I remembered Dante was one of Verne Langdon's pals, so I asked Dante if he would talk to Verne and see if I could license the ZOMBIE mask character, re-sculpt it, and make and sell redux ZOMBIE masks, staying as faithful to his original as possible, so that people like me who didn’t get one thirty years ago had a second crack at it!
On February 11, 2002, I received an e-mail from Verne! He liked my idea, and I was thrilled! He accepted my offer to work with him on the project via the Internet, saying he trusted me do a good job! We agreed on terms of license and sales, and began the project immediately. We e-mailed almost every day from the 11th through the beginning of March, hammering out the details via digital photos. According to Verne:
"Dante Renta was over for dinner and brought up the question as to whether or not I'd be interested in having The Zombie re-created in a limited edition. I liked the idea, and so Dante put me together with Kelly Mann, who is just sensational!"
Verne and I agreed that we would offer a limited edition of thirty masks. All with Certificates of Authenticity, signed by the both of us. And when we sold the final mask, #30, the mold would be destroyed, and no more would be made!


I began the sculpture in water-base clay. Verne was very particular in his e-mails as to how the sculpture should look.
 

          -Just blocking in the shape...









"From the photos, it looks like the mouth should be a hair longer at it’s ends. I realize you’re still in the early stages; whatever tricks the lighting plays in these pics may negate my comments to you, but you will know."











"Be that as it may, I enjoy 'watching' your progress, and wish I were there,
perched on a stool, looking over your shoulder!"
 











Not only was the sculpture on-going, but we were also designing the ads together, and I suggested that a "Certificate of Authenticity" should be included with each mask delivered. Verne agreed, so I designed and printed those as well.


On march 5th I e-mailed Verne;

"So, now we have:
A certificate of authenticity,
A hair color,
A temporary ad,
And some advance orders.
All we need now is the mask. I sent you a "snap" this morning.
It should arrive in a timely manner. Till then I will not touch the sculpture, So it will be a good representation..."

What I had done was to effectively make a 'life mask' ("mask-mask?!!") of my sculpture, and cast it in thin plaster. I sent this "snap mold" casting to Verne so he could see, as exactly as possible, how the face looked. He told me he was very happy with it, and that I should proceed with the mold. So, while he had the snap, I asked him to paint it so that I might use it as a guide to hand-finish all our collector issues.
So, while Verne was painting the plaster snap, I was making the mold.






A few days later the painted snap arrived. It was cool!
 







I began pouring the first orders for the re-issue of the mask I had coveted for thirty years!
 


  - These are raw,
    unpainted pulls









Following Verne’s paint scheme, I hand-finished our maiden issue of ZOMBIES.


     First the paint...
                                       Then the hair!











During the sculpting and other processes, I built a website to advertise the ZOMBIE, in order that the masks could be pre-ordered on a first-come, first-served, system. I reserved the edition's numbered masks for each customer at the time I received payment. When the mask was finished, I shipped it to them.
The number of the mask matched the number on the certificate they received with the mask.
In the last week of April, 2002, with the prototype finished, and the pre-ordered masks done, I drove from my home in Arizona, to Los Angeles, with Verne’s prototype copy of the finished ZOMBIE, as well as a mask for Dante Renta, who was the man responsible for making the entire ZOMBIE project possible.







On April 30th, Valpurgisnacht, which is the European celebration of the yearly opposite of Halloween, (and one of Dante Renta's favorite holidays,) Dante and I drove to Montectio, to finally meet with Verne Langdon, and present him with his prototype mask.
This was a big thrill for me. Even though I felt I had come to know Verne somewhat through my correspondence with him during the past two and a half months, I was finally getting to meet the guy who was the major reason for my hobby, and for my chosen career - Monsters and make up.
Upon our arrival, Verne welcomed us into his seaside abode, situated handily on the beach, and we got right down to the fun business of awarding him his very own, first-one-made, copy of the Verne Langdon ZOMBIE. Dante photographed the event for posterity.


Verne receiving the prototype ZOMBIE.
 











I brought the Certificates of Authenticity,
which we signed over drinks.
      ( Zombies, of course! )














Verne even served a celebratory cake, custom made for the occasion!















We three talked the day away. Over good food and drink, we reminisced about masks, the movie business, and remembered people we didn’t realize we knew in common ‘til just then.
















After a fine dinner, and more talk, the hour grew late, so Dante and I left our host and went to nearby hotel rooms.





For me, meeting Verne Langdon was not only a sort of fulfillment of my wanting to get that mask I desired for the last thirty years, but also being afforded the opportunity to collaborate with a person who was a major influence in my life. It has yielded a very creative partnership, and a true friendship, one that has spawned not only the re-dux ZOMBIE, but an original ZOMBIE Tiki mug, a (Yecch!) ZOMBIE T SHIRT, the "Music For ZOMBIES" CD, and other masks, CDs, and projects as well. (There are more horrors yet to be, so stay tuned!)













                     We have held true to our word. We have reached our full edition of thirty
                     collectors’ masks, and on July 11th 2004 the mold was destroyed.

                                                              
...Not by a longshot!
See what we're up to NOW!

Verne Langdon .com            Kelly's Mask Dr. site
Read this SHOCKING article!