There are a lot of reasons why the 1954 monster movie Creature From The Black Lagoon is a classic, not the least of which is the Creature itself. Sadly, the real-life origins of that iconic character were made even murkier than his fictional home by sexism. In The Lady From The Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters And The Lost Legacy Of Milicent Patrick (hardcover, Kindle), writer Mallory O’Meara — herself a screenwriter and movie producer — explores the influential life of the titular special effects pioneer.