Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Costume Design by Morton Haack

Note: Originally, the sequel's costumes were included in my article on the original film, but I have recently redone that article and decided the sequel should be in its own article! Some 'new' articles coming up very soon will just be older articles being split apart as this blog's being slowly refurbished!

Morton Haack's returned as costume designer the first sequel to Planet of the Apes, and yet again had the costumes fabricated at Western Costume Company.

Haack's biggest task designing the outfits of the mutated humans dwelling underground. Haack had to take into consideration that not only were the mutants the remnants of a future human civilization, but were also religious fanatics. Thus, the mutant costumes followed a sterile colour palette.

Several robes, similar in design to priest vestments and composed of synthetic material, were made for the scenes of the mutants at prayer.

A robe, with a tabard-like garment, was made for the lonely organ player first encountered in the mutant's underground lair. The robe is made of a mesh-like material, and resembles those of clergy.

The mutant elders wear futuristic jackets with tubed lining, worn with hoods also coated in tubing. Each of the male mutant leaders have a different arrangement of tubing, though Victor Buono and Jeff Corey's jackets seem to be the same design, Buono's just being open.

Each elder wears a cape over their uniform, in a different colour, with chain-like silver jewellery on one shoulder.

A feminine version of the uniform was made for Natalie Trundy as 'Albina', consisting of a unitard and tabard-like gown worn over it, with the coloured cape also worn over it.

Several futuristic uniforms were made for the extras playing the soldiers guarding the mutants' lair. These uniforms consist of a hooded headpiece with tubing around the designs, a white jacket with tubed panelling on each shoulder and the waist. Underneath the jacket is a yellow vest.

The soldier uniforms, as well as the elders' costumes, seem very in line with the 'space age' fashions designed by Pierre Cardin at round about the same time that the Planet of the Apes films were being made. The Cardin influence is much more apparent in Haack's costume sketches for the mutants.

Costume Reuse note; One of the mutant soldier jackets was reused in an episode of the short-lived 1993 scifi TV series Space Rangers.

A futuristic prison uniform was designed for Charlton Heston to wear, as the imprisoned Taylor.

Interestingly, the sequel was intended to have a subplot of an ape-human hybrid child. One futuristic jumpsuit was made for Tom Doran to wear, as seen in preliminary wardrobe tests.

Costuming the primitive humans and apes was an easier task, as Haack could reuse the first film's costumes. Linda Harrison continued wearing the tattered dress she wore in the previous film. A new loincloth, made of the same material as Charlton Heston's was made for James Franciscus in his leading role.

A new jacket was made for Maurice Evans in his returning role as Dr. Zaius. Similar in design to the jacket he sported towards the end of the first film, the sleeves are adorned with leather panelling.

A new gown was also made for orangutan minister, having larger lapels than the minister gown made for the first film.

A new gorilla uniform was made for James Gregory as General Ursus, consisting of a leather vest, collar,shoulder pads and gloves coated in metallic strips, and a domed leather helmet.

Costume Reuse note; The Ursus costume was reused in Battle for of the Planet of the Apes, and the Planet of the Apes TV series. It also briefly appeared in the opening sequence of 1986's Critters, worn by an extra.

At least three more sequels followed Beneath, despite the film ending with Earth being blown up! A a way to get round this, the sequels were set in then-contemporary Earth, meaning that it saved on the budget too.

I don't know if Haack made any costumes for Escape from the Planet of the Apes, but I assume everything in the film was bought clothing. Even the spacesuits were reused from 1966's Way, Way Out but repainted white.

Definitely, Haack made the leather tunic worn by Roddy McDowall as Caesar in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, as it matches the general design sense of the chimp costumes. Though I don't know if it was made *for* Conquest, or just an unused costume made for either of the first two Apes films.

All the other costumes in Conquest were either bought clothes, or reused wardrobe stock, such as the police extras wearing stock SS uniforms originally made for assorted WWII movies.

Similarly, all the costumes in Battle for the Planet of the Apes was either bought clothing (lots of balaclavas were cut up to be shorter, and the villain always wearing a jacket with its collar popped!) as well as plenty of reused ape costumes made for the first two films.

This was also the case for the 1974 Planet of the Apes TV series. The ape costumes made for the first two films, including many unused or briefly seen pieces, were reused or minimally altered. The human cast wore either distressed bought clothes, or reused wardrobe stock made for period productions.