|
|
|
|
Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story... |
|
Journal | Press | New Profession | Blog |
Carmen Dirigo styled hair for film and television stars from the 1930's to the 1970's. Provided by: Scott Essman 
At 99 years of age, Carmen had a wealth of stories that accumulated during her lifetime. Historian and Visionary Media Producer Scott Essman, who has an ability to find treasured stories, met with Carmen several times at her home in the Valley while researching a story on make-up artist Jack Pierce. "Jack did all of the incredible make-up for the great monster movies such as 'Frankenstein' with Boris Karloff. While researching Jack as the head make-up artist at Universal, his story led me to Carmen," Essman explained. "She was so nice, she became a friend inviting me into her home. She'd share a story, go into a filing cabinet in another room and return with her original Universal contract or a picture from 1940. Chances are, if you saw a movie with one of the stars of the 1930's or 1940's, her hair was done by Carmen Dirigo." Carmen's story started in New York. Her grandmother had a beauty shop and taught her mother, Lilley Dirigo, how to be a hairdresser. It was also a talent that was passed down to Carmen. When Carmen was 12, her father died unexpectedly. The three generations of women moved to Los Angeles together. Her mother quickly gained work at the studios as a hairstylist, but she was known as Carmen's sister because honesty about being a single widowed mother could have led to unemployment. "Lilley Dirigo was the first to tell the studios that the hair in their films looked inconsistent. She urged the studio to give her a contract as the head hairstylist. Universal agreed and Carmen's mother was the very first studio hairstylist during the silent film era," Essman said, noting history. "Carmen first entered the hairstyling field at United Artists working with stars such as Joan Fontaine and Frederic March. Eight years later, she became the head of hairstyling at Universal, where her mother had broken ground." In talking with Essman, Carmen remembered the structured approach to the work. "They didn't have time to talk about stuff then," Carmen said to Essman. "We would get there early, and have to rush to get people out on time. If I had wigs to do, I'd have to be there at 6:30 a.m. and take the wigs off the block. Max Factor's on Highland and three wigmakers out of Universal would ventilate the wigs. Then, I would style them the night before." Carmen Dirigo earned nearly 100 film and television credits working on projects such as House of Dracula, starring Lon Chaney Jr. As a studio hairstylist she styled hair on dozens of films including "This Love of Ours," "Dressed to Kill," "LittleGiant," "Ivy," "Lover Come Back," "The Life of Riley" and "Secret Beyond the Door." Famous names decorated her resume such as Yvonne DeCarlo, Lucille Ball, Ava Gardner, Olivia de Havilland, Shelly Winters, Claudette Colbert, and Joan Bennett. In fact, she was so friendly with the stars; Joan Bennett was her maid of honor for a brief marriage. "Carmen was particularly proud of her work on 'Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid,'" Essman said. "It was a film released in 1948 in which Ann Blyth played the mermaid. Carmen was responsible for making her hair look good, even when it got wet." "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" was challenging as it featured underwater photography. Carmen took on the challenge, sharing details of that project with Essman. "The producer wanted her hair to look as beautiful underwater as out of the water," Carmen recalled to Essman. "I had to get together with a chemist to figure out what we could use that would be pliable in the water. For days, before the picture started, I would be in my department with a fishbowl, and I'd have a hunk of hair which I waved first and sprayed with this chemical. I'd plunk it in the water and swish it around and see if it held the curl. When it did, I knew that it was okay." Carmen went on to work in television on "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Petticoat Junction." While her final credit came in 1972 on the film "1776," she had other interests that reached beyond the studios. From 1947 until her passing in 2007, she had a male companion in flm and television wardrobe supervisor Bob Lawson. Donna Wolff, Lawson's daughter, spent many holidays with Carmen. "My mother passed away in 1945. Since 1947, my father and Carmen had an off-and-on relationship for 60 years. They had the studio work in common, but they were also very fond of each other," Wolff explained. "They passed away only weeks apart. He was 97 and she was 99." Over the course of her lifetime, Carmen had many hobbies. She led an active life by swimming fifty laps in her pool every day until she was 91. As a charter member of Equestrian Trails she also loved horseback riding and owned two horses. Later in life, she took painting classes at the North Hollywood Park. "While at Universal, Carmen served as president of the Cinema Hairstylists, an elite association. She was the first hairstylist in the business to get screen credit as she helped to transform an actor into a character through the styling of their hair," Essman added. "She earned her place in film history." Celebrant funeral services focused on Carmen Dirigo's life story that included memories shared by friends and her favorite hymns presented by soloist Charissa Burris. Carmen was laid to rest next to her mother at Forest Lawn. For related information on make-up artist Jack Pierce link to www.JackPierce.com.
|
|
Copyright © 2005- Pam Meily Vetter. All rights reserved. ADA Compliance Page Privacy and Cookie Policy |