GALLERY 4: THE MASQUERADEWALLY WEBER (in CRY):Costumes were fewer in number than most American conventions by virtue of the fact there were fewer people to begin with. The percentage looked about the same. And the elaborate costumes were every bit as elaborate as those at previous world cons. Frank and Belle Dietz won prizes as Denebians, Norman Weedall the Executioner also got a prize, as did Dave and Ruth Kyle (appropriately as the Honeymooners) and Marjorie Keller and John Brunner (as Krishnans). Frank and Belle had their problems with the vast quantity of grease paint they had used on their faces. It kept rubbing off on their fancy collars. Ruth Kyle was so happy at having won that it was all Dave could do to keep her feet on the floor. She could have picked up another prize as the Flying Young Lady Without A Trapeze. All the prize winners seemed to be considered equal - no first and seconds - and the prizes were not awarded until later when the committee had a chance to decide on suitable awards. Some of those in costume that got side-tracked by BBC TV didn’t even get to the Ball to be judged. One of these poor souls was Jean Bogert, whom we must mention now and then to keep her subscribing to the CRY. She was dressed (she claims) as a (I hope I have this right now) Marsupial Humanoid From The Ninth Planet of Betelgeuse. Her costume was primarily red, as you might have expected, and her pouch contained a fantastic little critter named (she claims again) Squidge. It gives me chills to think it will grow up to look like her. Jean also has a beef with the BBC employee who never did return her zap gun.
Michael Moorcock: John and Marjorie wore L. Sprague de Camp 'Krishna' costumes, with antennae and green skins. I remember seeing them a week or so later and the green dye still hadn't come out. Dedication, that. | ||||||||
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