16489

Leatherface "Pretty Woman" mask from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Bryanston, 1974).

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Leatherface  Pretty Woman  mask from  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Bryanston, 1974).
<B>Leatherface "Pretty Woman" mask from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Bryanston, 1974).</B></I> - In the annals of film history, there are several masks that can be considered classic: the mask worn by the Phantom of the Opera to hide his disfigurement, or that worn by Zorro to conceal the identity of the wealthy Don Diego de la Vega. Batman's mask is known to million's worldwide, while Jim Carrey's verdant visage in the aptly titled 1994 feature, "The Mask", is similarly well-known. Of all the masks ever worn upon the silver screen, however, the most disturbing and possibly the most unforgettable, are the faces worn by actor Gunnar Hanson in director Tobe Hooper's classic horror film, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Created by art director Bob Burns for the low-budget classic, this is the "Pretty Lady" mask (so named because it is decorated with grotesque lipstick, eye shadow, and a horrendous black wig) worn by the character Leatherface during the dinner scene in the latter part of the movie. Art Director Bob Burns reportedly made the mask from a fiberglass material (which is no longer manufactured) and latex. One of only two masks used in the film (the other is the infamous "Killing Mask"), Burns has claimed that there were no duplicates made of either prop, making this a unique piece of film history. In an e-mail received shortly before Burn's death, the artist said, "I was amazed to find out this mask was still in existence. I had thought it had been discarded 25 years ago. It's always a thrill when my work pops up somewhere like this." The mask, along with several other key props, was kept in a storage room in Austin Texas until the unit was abandoned by the renter. At that point, the contents of the storage room were sold on a blind bid basis to a furniture store in Austin. From there, the contents were acquired by Ed Neal (the "Hitchhiker" in the film), who has kept possession of them until consigning them to this auction. According to Neal, "This mask really creeped me out the first time I saw it on the set. Bob Burns did such a great job creating it, and Gunnar Hansen really brought the thing to life. Even more than the Killing Mask, this is the face that still gives me nightmares. I hate to part with this, but I have faith that it will find a good home with some devoted fan." The mask, which is mounted on a styrofoam head form, is in delicate condition, and has not received any conservation or restoration work of any kind. It has been authenticated by both the creator, Bob Burns, and by Ed Neal. <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid.