More exquisite corpse nonsense done in collaboration with Paul Komoda and others.
Monday, June 1, 2015
R.I.P. Sharon Compton-- "The Haunted Palace's" portraitess
I am shocked and saddened to report the passing of my friend Sharon Compton, a veteran of many Roger Corman and Chuck Griffith movies. She was a lovely, sunny person and I had lunch with her (usually in the company of some other Corman vets) whenever I could. Her stories were never dull and she was always a pleasure to be around. I'm relieved that I was able to interview her about her work with Chuck for my second book, "Interviews Too Shocking to Print!"-- I made sure that Sharon got one of the first copies of it.
Sharon's first movie job was painting Vincent Price's portrait for Corman's H.P. Lovecraft adaptation "The Haunted Palace." Sharon lamented not having photographed the painting before it went up in flames in the film's finale. To this day, she has never been properly credited for the painting. She revealed to me that the painting has hidden beastly faces scattered throughout it, including a gargoyle-like one in Price's cravat and a piranha-like creature at the bottom of his waistcoat, the lowermost button its eye.
Sharon also worked on the spacesuits, among other things, for Curtis Harrington's "Queen of Blood," and in various capacities on Corman productions like "The Wild Angels," "The Trip," and "Battle Beyond the Stars."
Probably Sharon's most memorable role was in the obscure "Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype," in which she played Heckyl/Hype's (Oliver Reed) landlady, Mrs. Quivel, who Reed first seduces, then electrocutes. Sharon got to do some wacky histrionics during her big death scene, including darting her tongue wildly in and out. After a screening of the film, she told me, a young girl recognized her, walked up to Sharon, and started imitating her lizard-like tongue gyrations. Sharon took this as a compliment, as she should have.
I will miss Sharon very much.
Sharon's first movie job was painting Vincent Price's portrait for Corman's H.P. Lovecraft adaptation "The Haunted Palace." Sharon lamented not having photographed the painting before it went up in flames in the film's finale. To this day, she has never been properly credited for the painting. She revealed to me that the painting has hidden beastly faces scattered throughout it, including a gargoyle-like one in Price's cravat and a piranha-like creature at the bottom of his waistcoat, the lowermost button its eye.
Sharon also worked on the spacesuits, among other things, for Curtis Harrington's "Queen of Blood," and in various capacities on Corman productions like "The Wild Angels," "The Trip," and "Battle Beyond the Stars."
Probably Sharon's most memorable role was in the obscure "Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype," in which she played Heckyl/Hype's (Oliver Reed) landlady, Mrs. Quivel, who Reed first seduces, then electrocutes. Sharon got to do some wacky histrionics during her big death scene, including darting her tongue wildly in and out. After a screening of the film, she told me, a young girl recognized her, walked up to Sharon, and started imitating her lizard-like tongue gyrations. Sharon took this as a compliment, as she should have.
I will miss Sharon very much.
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