TPS produced a special feature for the 1987 feature film Harry and Henderson’s. This was a surprise opportunity for us to meet one of the industries most influential artists Rick Baker.

Rick is an eight-time Academy Award winner for Special Make Up FX. His resume extends from An American Werewolf In London, Planet Of The Apes, The Nutty Professor, Men In Black and of course Harry and the Henderson’s.

Here’s our approach to the segment: We managed to get our hands on some old VHS footage of Rick designing Harry back in 1986. This footage is classic and highlights Rick’s artistry, design and mechanical engineering skills along with great footage of Kevin Peter Hall who played Harry and John Lithgow on set shooting scenes. We then met with Bill Dear director of Harry and Henderson’s at his Santa Barbara ranch. Bill talked about how Harry came about and how he searched out Rick to design Harry. We then contacted Rick and arranged a meeting at his studio. When we arrived Rick lead us into the trophy room were his prized creations are on display. There were set scenes with characters from Men In Black, a life size Ed Wood that looked like he would move at any moment and Mighty Joe Young was sitting, all 15 to 20 feet of him. When we asked Rick about some of his favorite characters and designs, in the back of the room surrounded by Planet Of The Apes was “Harry” from Harry and The Henderson’s. Rick won the Academy Award in 1987 for Harry’s design and says it’s always been one of his favorite characters. It was inspiring for our crew to have had the opportunity to sit and talk with someone who has given so much to the industry. Thanks Bill and Rick!

A note on our intro into the segment: We thought it would be a great idea to spoof the mythology of Sasquatch, so we did. We rented a gorilla suite and shot footage of Sasquatch appearing around town cut with sound-bites from neighbors who spotted to the creature. We then hired a couple of comedy actors that Bill Dear knows to do a doctor / newscaster bit and there you have it, fun, light and a good intro into a warm hearted story.

The following are a couple of excerpts from the segment.