Thursday, August 25, 2011

Bert Wheeler Hollywood Magic Catalog - Ellis Burman Masks

The normal pre-work morning email routine was ramped up to near heart attack moment this morning with an email from the Green Ghoul. I opened it up and there was the holy grail of catalogs... the Bert Wheeler Hollywood Magic Catalog! Let me explain my excitement...

The Bert Wheeler Hollywood Magic Shop was the place to go for the highest quality latex monster masks in the early 1960's. Before the advent of the Don Post Studios calendar masks, Ellis Burman Sr. created a high quality line of monster masks. These masks were on proud display at the Wheeler Magic Shop on Hollywood Boulevard. 

The masks themselves are the stuff of pure legend. Like most mask collectors, I have never seen the Burman masks in person, and have only caught glimpses through pictures like the two shots in Dr. Lady's Monster Mask Book, or a slight glimpse in a low res photo. So for the ol' Phantom, today's attachment was a look at a lost world of maskdom. A wonderful world filled with old school masks that have only existed in headhunter lore. Old school masks with a charm unmatched in monster mask history.

It's crazy that the fun and random "Good Time Frankie" posts of the last two days led to today's post!  With that another BIG thanks go out to the Green Ghoul...

Image Source: The Night Owl Green Ghoul

6 comments:

  1. More vintage goodness! Love this stuff. BTW, thats a Tattoo parlor now, I'm in that area quite often these days. The "666 0" address is one that stands out, especially in Hollyweird.

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  2. Good to know the old building is still there :)

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  3. is Bert any relation to Gordon Wheeler ?? Gordon used to make the latex facial appliances for Morris Costumes...in the early 80's

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  6. Lucky enough to meet Harry Blackstone there when I was a kid.

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