Agnes Moorehead Looks 105, Via Make-Up Master Buddy Westmore

“Next!” Says Make-up Artist Buddy Westmore
Screen and radio character actress Agnes Moorehead has been properly aged for her role of a 105-year-old woman in Walter Wanger’s “The Lost Moment,” by Buddy Westmore, Universal-International make-up head. The transparent lightweight facial appliance required four hours to apply and one hour to remove. The Lost Moment stars Robert Cummings and Susan Hayward and was directed by Martin Gabel. Photo: Universal International June 30, 1947

Maybe Moorehead’s face looks 105, but not her legs.

Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974) did not gain movie notoriety until she was 41. Her first film was quite memorable –  Citizen Kane. Moorehead’s enduring fame to a younger generation was for playing Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) mother Endora on the television show Bewitched.

In a strange twist, Agnes Moorehead’s mother Mary Mildred McCauley Moorehead died June 8, 1990, sixteen years after her daughter. She was 106-years-old.

If you look at the credits on classic films you may notice the name Westmore appearing frequently.

Bud Westmore’s (1918-1973) family was an integral part of Hollywood.

George Westmore. (1879-1931) Bud’s father was a wigmaker who worked at  many studios in the teens and twenties. All six of George Westmore’s sons would lead or work in the make-up departments at various studios.

Monte Westmore (1902-1940) headed up Selznick Studios and worked on Gone With With The Wind.Monte died prematurely of a heart attack after a tonsillectomy.

Percival “Perc” Westmore’s (1904-1970) career saw him work on almost 600 productions and became chief of Warner Bros. make-up department.  Ern Westmore, (1904-1967) Perc’s twin was at RKO, 20th Century Fox and later Warner Bros..

Wally Westmore (1906-1973 ) was at Paramount, creating the dazzling make-up for Frederic March’s transformation in Dr, Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931) and worked on 300 films.  Frank Westmore (1923-1985) was also at Paramount and would work after the decline of the studio system on films such as The Ten Commandments and The Towering Inferno.