McDowall had a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, both to co-stars and especially to his fans. They don't make many like him anymore, RIP to one of my favorite actors and overall just a class act of a human being.
RIP Roddy McDowell, the soft-spoken & underrated legend 👏🏻 (Fright Night's Peter Vincent - Vampire Hunter🧛🏻♂️🦇, Black Hole's V.I.N.cent🌀, Planet of the Apes Cornelius [& Galen]🦍🦍, Batman's Bookworm📚 [&Batman TAS's Mad Hatter🎩!], The Invaders Lloyd Lindstrom👽🛸, Buck Rogers Govoner Soroyan🚀& Hell House's Ben Fischer🏚️)... my fav roles of his... 👏🏻👍🏻🙂
@@porschefoster999 was he a huge actor in his day? I've only recently gotten into the series, and Roddy seems to have so much charm, that the ape himself is also charmful.
This was the true original. One of the best science fiction films ever made. I will never forget when I saw it the first time and that shock ending seeing the statue of liberty almost buried in the sand. The performances were all outstanding.
@@jonnybirchyboy1560 They did. But it looked strangely bright and sunny....certainly nothing like a nuclear winter. The sun was visible or identifiable...Just the fact that it rose and set where it did , its approximate size and approximate length of the day should have been a red flag to astronoughts that they were still on earth. Plus the foliage, animals, horses, oxygen....and of course the dead give away....all the apes spoke English!! I mean imagine...if their craft had landed in what was France all Apes would be speaking in French !
They haven't been overlooked since Rick Baker got the first Oscar of the new category. They've been rightfully lauded ever since. Even POTA's John Chambers got a "Special" Oscar for his makeup creation at the 1969 ceremony.
The guy with the thin moustache you see in many of the sit downs was Don (Dorance) Cash, my grandfather. I've only recently been made aware of this video, and he's prominent in it. He was a circus clown in the 30's, and did makeup prosthetic work for wounded and disfigured servicemen in WWII. After the war, he went on to a long career in Hollywood. His sons, my uncles, followed him into the makeup business. All three made careers at this until retirement. He died around 1980. I wish I knew enough about him to fill a book, it would have made a great biography.
A treasure of a film. Who could forget the lovable characters Cornelius and Zira? They brought the apes to life. One of the first doomsday movies forever etched in my mind. Acting, wardrobe and sets made it a classic.
The make up artist are amazing. No special effects like today. Love Roddy McDowall, I don't think he gets enough credit. Hey really is an amazing actor!!
I did wonder, when watching it just now, is this something he did all the time, or just for this movie? Either way this is an amazing record of the transformation.
@James Donnelly The way you watch these things matters as well. Movies were meant to be projected. TVs are backlit, so that screws a lot of early practical effects like wires and mats.
I am not surprised. He had a reputation of being very nice--genuinely nice-- to everyone he met and worked with. It never seemed to be an act. I loved him in so many roles and had a big crush. He also, as the story goes, "borrowed" so many master reels of movies that were not the most famous... and forgot to return them. His film library was legendary and... thanks to his collecting, we have so many films from the Golden Age available. If not for him, the studios would have thrown them away. He was the savior of so many movies. God bless him.
@@ElizabethBrewster-cw4mx Roddy had lots on movie memorabilia in his house. And in the backyard, he had a guest house that was full from ceiling to-floor with Pictures and souvenirs of this whole career. he also had a statue in his backyard from the planet of the apes He had a very good sense of humor. I could tell you a couple stories, but take too long and text he was just a genuine, nice guy. Some people don’t deserve to die.
Fascinating, and not just the painstaking makeup process itself, but also Mr. McDowell's concern for cinema history in recording it. He was a many-faceted artist. Thank you very much for sharing.
This is what women are pressured into doing every morning - putting on their makeup wherever they go. If they don't put on make-up at work they get into trouble or don't get the job from interview. And get picked on even just going into town without it. In fact they're expected to wear it at home too by some. Men don't have to put it on. Now surely you can see how long it takes and how irritating putting on makeup is lol! 😅😆
Roddy McDowall could literally play any type of character - he was very versatile and had a style which was all his own, which is what I would want in an actor. I first heard of him through Planet of the Apes, and I will always remember when, one day when my mother came through and heard the voice of Roddy McDowall in Planet of the Apes she said his had a very distinctive voice and was a famous actor who was around as a child star when she was young.
Roddy was one of my favorite actors and voice actors. I dont know but he had such a soothing voice, very calm when he spoke, what ever came out of his mouth his tone was just ...very calm. Greatly missed!!!!
Roddy was amazing in everything that he did. Loved him in Columbo. Roddy loved acting in the Planet of the Ape movies so much that he asked to be in all 5 of them, and he did star in them all. Even played his character Cornelius' son.
Roddy was not in Beneath The Planet of the Apes! Unless you count his voice, which opens the film. The character of Cornelius was recast due to Roddy being unavailable (he was in the UK filming The Ballad of Tam Lin - his only feature directing effort).
@@rookmountain He wanted to star in 'Beneath the Planet of Apes', but as you say, he was tied up making another film so they ensured to put a short speaking role from him into the film from the first one, which I understand he did not get paid for. So I do count him being in all 5.
@@MilkyWhiskers well, ok - but, Roddy never did anything for 'free' - and the dialogue you refer to was lifted from a scene in the first film. Roddy did not participate in BTPOTA. BTW, I knew Roddy and worked closely with him for many years. We met at MGM!
@@rookmountain I read that they didn't pay him because he had already been technically paid for it being used in the first film. I hate when people name drop that they've known or worked with someone. Unless you're family or a partner, you never truly know a colleague.
@@MilkyWhiskers just trying to help you with your info. I dislike misinformation and those that spew it. I can name drop because this is my wheelhouse. I'm pretty much an expert on Roddy and POTA. GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT FIRST before randomly posting nonsense. And, I lived with the man! Read that again.
I wish the new movies had this instead of cgi, i prefer this, make up, masks, practical effects... it can be done, movies don't need to be cgi all the time.
Ever since I was just a kid I admired this guy so much. My dad used to worry I'd grow up and marry him, but I didn't like him like that. It was more that he was my hero. I collected his films and his photography books. He was a great photographer, actor, filmmaker, party thrower, and best friend to everyone in Hollywood. Here he is videoing the makeup guy doing his make-up for Planet of The Apes and then after that he gets in a helicopter and takes areal video as they fly to the location...and then more footage backstage! Roddy captured it all with his camera and mastered being on both sides of the camera at once. Throughout my own artistic journey and growth Roddy's accomplishments have remained relevant to me. He was a pretty special dude. I wish I had met him. He might not have been in everyone's household encyclopedia of favorite actors, but he was in everything, he was a character actor since he could talk, and he was one of the most important people to have lived in our city because he had everybody's back. A good childhood hero to have.
@@johnedwards1321 John Edwards Roddy, aside as an actor, was a professional photographer. No wonder He was way more than a domestic consumer, and probably he was using wider non standard formats like 16mm. Despite the fact of using professional tier film, which nowadays is very rare to find (i.e. if you're using 70s film cameras today, you're looking for grainy results, not high quality image, so most film you can find today is grainy as hell)
I transferred a lot of film to video professionally and I have a hunch this was likely a Fujica single-8 film camera. There's a bit of leader tape footage in here that reminds me of that format and the camera that appears in the mirror suggests the thinner upright design that the Fujica format allowed. If anyone knows for sure I'd love know. Great record.
This is an example of something we have lost in movies. We used to have makeup with charismatic actors, practical effects, now it`s all after effects and cgi. The make up taking 3-5 hours, more time for an actor to become the character as he looks into mirror.
I know how much Roddy loved films. It was a genius move ahead of it's time to make a behind the scenes make-up video. Roddy's being cast in Planet of the Apes really helped bring the Apes to life. Roddy McDowall was a treasure. I have never heard a bad word spoken by his peers or anyone else. Three of his movies were selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. One them was The Planet of the Apes.
I had heard about these homemovies. When Roddy McDowell did an interview in Planet of the Apes magazine. Yes that was a real thing. I really didn't think I would ever get to see these movies.
THIS IS ART! ... if today's movies were produced with this kind of attention to detail instead of using special effects that are often of poor quality, the movies would be much more successful!
@@georgemartin1436 I fact I think nowadays they would do it, if the contract lets them so, because they need to feed their social profiles. Roddy did it because he wanted to keep it as a document.
This is really cool to be able to see what being on the set of one of my all time favorite films was like. Plus, Roddy McDowall is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated actors of all time. Thank you so much for uploading this gem!
+David Harrison And who said selfies are a thing of the present? This is proof that selfies, just like the moonwalk, have been around for decades! They're only being rediscovered. :)
Karen Borland I love that moonwalk statement you made xD But yeah it's true, even when cameras were new, even princess Anastasia did a mirror selfie and she died 98 years ago. Pretty cool.
Roddy McDowell was an actors actor. I loved everything he was in. His eyes were beautiful if not mesmerizing. RIP TRUE ACTOR. Handsone man. I dont know his history is there a good biography show.
Roddy McDowall is one of my favorite actors! I loved him in Planet of the Apes, Fright Night, and many other projects he did. I named my cat "Galen" after Roddy's character's name from the Planet of the Apes television series.
I can’t imagine doing that every day they were shooting. Hours of sitting in the makeup chair,then being on set for even more hours,16 hour days. And they got paid nothing compared to what they make today!
Paul Noyb And James Garner this week... Goddang it... Please take a look at my channel- Roddy left me 80 minutes of the most beautiful footage that he shot in the summer of '65- Kodachrome 16mm, in a Bolex R-16... "Hollywood 1965" Offline Assembly
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. McDowell at a convention once. He was there mostly to talk about Fright Night, but when I met him, I told him, 'Thank you for your terrific work in the Planet of the Apes films!" he says, "No, no... Thank YOU. If it weren't for fans like yourself, we wouldn't have gotten to do all the work we got to do." He was incredibly kind and witty. What a thrill!
it is amazing how they did what they did without so many special effects that we have these days. they sure don't make them like they used too. amazing behind the scenes on how they did the makeup and the shots.
And I would add, that today's movie special effects appear fake. They're so realistic, you know it's fake. Back then, special effects were limited in quantity and quality so it was a treat to see them. Nowadays, special effects are ad nauseam in movies.
This film is still my favorite version! It's all because of the actors and the make up effects! We are fascinated by it. I get chills just watching it go on. I remember as a kid seeing articles on the actors wearing their costumes and makeup and freaking out! Sooo cool! Sooo frightening!!!!😲
the makeup and costumes were fantastic in the original movie and the 3 sequels . the apes looked much better than the cgi fake apes in the modern trilogy movies .
Give me practical effects over this CGI nonsense that is INFESTING movies today. I want to see REAL characters. Not an army of computer generated apes. No emotional attachment whatsoever. I absolutely love the original film.
I completely agree with both of you. I'm not a fan of cgi. Love all original planet of the apes. Love the actors in them too especially Kim Hunter as Zira, Roddy McDowall as Cornellius/Caesar and Charlton Heston as Taylor
@@davidkane6145 Well when you combine CGI and Andy Serkis it's hard to complain about the results, Having said that though I still prefer the original makeup for the 1968 Planet of the Apes even over the new trilogy.
I love the original, but you're crazy if you think the visual impact, and emoting that Andy Sirkus does with Caesar is not an improvement. I am not talking about quality of story, just CGI vs practical. Tim Burtons remake with Wahlberg was even better than the original, but it was practical. Difference was, Rick Baker. Nuff said.
Thanks Roddy and Kim and all apes for going through the many hours in make up and the long days actually acting and making the story come alive. Even today 2022 it’s still a great piece of work from all involved. Thank you All.👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️🏴👍✌️
Well actually they all do have a good number of practical special effects, but I reckon you were referring to modern digital effects such as CGI. These prosthetic ape masks are a technique of old practical special effect themselves.
I saw the film when it came out. I was young, perhaps 9 or so. I was shocked at the end like everyone. It still holds up as the best sci-fi ape film of them all through 2024. The new ones are good, but nothing like practical sets, makeup, etc. The sequels were increasingly more silly, but the first one, wow. Rod Serling screenplay man!
I was 7. I remember walking to the theater with my older brother and a friend. It's a great movie. None of the others since can compare. I've always wondered where George and Nova ended up.
Thanks for sharing! Pure History on the making! Roddy McDowall was a genius! I will always treasure these original motion pictures of Planet of the Apes which I was lucky enough to watch at the movies.
Have you even seen Rise, Dawn, or War? Weta Workshop did an amazing job on all of those films, especially the third one. I'm all for practical effects but VFX can be just as good, if not superior, when put in the right hands.
@Potwheelz its also for the sake of the story dude. Dawn is about the origin of them, obviously they won't be fully evolved yet. The OG trilogy takes place a thousand+ years later. CGI isn't bad, if done right and fits the story. Avengers Endgame would never have happened, same with other major action movies.
I absolutely LOVED this movie! There was nothing like it in 1968 - not even close! The shocking scene was the last one where there was the broken down Statue of Liberty but my favorite scene was when George Taylor says to Zira, "I'd like to kiss you" and she replied, "Al right but you're so damned ugly!". I think the entire audience laughed for a few minutes. Charlton Heston, ugly?? Never!. This was made during a time when movies were either very good or very bad and this one was very good.
Fascinating footage of the application of this now classic makeup. The opening shot of Maurice Evans in ape face smoking at the makeup mirror is wonderful! The helicopter ride to the set and being behind the scenes on the beach are so satisfying, you are there! Thank you Roddy McDowall for all you did to contribute to this role and preserving this great footage!
So glad RU-vid finally gave me good suggestion. I am a huge fan of Roddy's work. The Planet of the Apes had some of the best make up artists. It's timeless and can go head to head with what artists can do now. Perfection.
His sweet sensitivity still shone rough all the those layers of make-up. My goodness it must have been hot to wear and hard on the skin. He's been in a lot of great movies but I love to watch him in Fright Night 1 and 2. He seemed to be having fun. Thank you for sharing his movie.
I remember in an interview. Roddy McDowall had to over exaggerate every facial movements - to make his character come alive. Cheeks, lips, talking. He said his whole face was sore and tired at the end of the day. Exhausting. Practiced in front of a mirror while studying his lines..
Roddy.....such an absolute joy to watch, whatever programme or film he was in. Such a great actor, who went over and above what was required of him. Loved his voice, his facial expressions. For me he will always be Cornelius, and also Peter Vincent from Fright Night. Love, love, love him. ❤
I just love Roddy McDowell, and I love his home movies, and I'm always fascinated by BTS footage, and yet it reminds me once again how I could never do this, especially the sitting around for hours on end...I would go NUTS!! Or, ape-sh*t, lol 😅 Thanks for posting!
Roddy McDowell is awesome in everything he stared in, I loved Plant and the Apes and him in Fright Night which is my favorite. He also voiced several animated series. I am a Batman fanatic and his voice for Mad Hatter in the Animated Batman Series just brought memories of an awesome actor that loved what he did.
I’m so glad Roddy McDowall had the foresight to film his process and catch the BTS moments while making the movie. He knew it would be special and capturing a glimpse of it would be very valuable over time.
