Cedric Gibbons
Born Austin Cedric Gibbons
(1893-03-23 ) March 23, 1893Died July 26, 1960(1960-07-26) (aged 67) Occupation(s) Art director, set decorator Years active 1919 – 1956 Spouse(s)
Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1893 – July 26, 1960) was an Irish art director and production designer for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. He is credited as the designer of the Oscar statuette in 1928. He was nominated for thirty-eight times for the Academy Award for Best Production Design and won the Oscar eleven times.[1]
Career
Gibbons was born in Dublin , Ireland and studied at the Art Students League of New York and worked for his architect father. While at Edison Studios from 1915, he first designed a set for a film released in 1919, assisting Hugo Ballin . But, after this first foray, the studio closed, and he signed with Samuel Goldwyn in 1918. This evolved to working for Louis B. Mayer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1924 to 1956—a 32-year career.
Gibbons was one of the original 36 founding members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and oversaw the design of the Academy Awards statuette in 1928, a trophy for which he himself would be nominated 39 times, winning 11.[2] [3]
He retired in 1956 with about 1,500 films credited to him: however, his contract with MGM dictated that he receive credit as art director for every MGM film released in the United States, even though other designers may have done the bulk of the work. Even so, his actual hands-on art direction may have been on about 150 films.
Private life and death
In 1930, Gibbons married actress Dolores del Río and co-designed their house in Santa Monica, an intricate Art Deco residence influenced by Rudolf Schindler . They divorced in 1941; three years later [4] he married actress Hazel Brooks with whom he remained until his death at the age of 67.
Gibbons's grave is in the Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles .
Gibbons' second cousin, Frederic Royal Gibbons and his wife Lorraine (nee Duffy) Gibbons were parents to Billy Gibbons , guitarist/vocalist for the rock band ZZ Top .
Legacy
Gibbons's set designs, particularly those in such films as Born to Dance (1936) and Rosalie (1937), heavily inspired motion picture theater architecture in the late 1930s through 1950s. The style is found very clearly in the theaters that were managed by the Skouras brothers , whose designer Carl G. Moeller used the sweeping scroll-like details in his creations. Among the more classic examples are the Loma Theater in San Diego , The Crest in Long Beach and Fresno, and the Culver Theater in Culver City , all of which are in California and some extant. The style is sometimes referred to as Art Deco and Art Moderne . The iconic Oscar statuettes that he designed, which were first awarded in 1929, are still being awarded to winners at Oscars Awards ceremonies each year.
Academy Awards
Wins for Art Direction
Nominations for Art Direction
See also
Bibliography
"Cedric Gibbons Architect of Style", LA Modernism catalog, May 2006, pp. 16–17 by Jeffrey Head
References
External links
1927–1939 Interior Decoration 1940–1946 Black & White / Color separate
1940 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Paul Groesse / (c): Vincent Korda
1941 (bw): Richard Day , Nathan Juran , Thomas Little / (c): Cedric Gibbons , Urie McCleary , Edwin B. Willis
1942 (bw): Richard Day , Joseph C. Wright , Thomas Little / (c): Richard Day , Joseph C. Wright , Thomas Little
1943 (bw): James Basevi , William S. Darling , Thomas Little / (c): Alexander Golitzen , John B. Goodman , Russell A. Gausman , Ira S. Webb
1944 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , William Ferrari , Paul Huldschinsky , Edwin B. Willis / (c): Wiard Ihnen , Thomas Little
1945 (bw): Wiard Ihnen , A. Roland Fields / (c): Hans Dreier , Ernst Fegté , Samuel M. Comer
1946 (bw): William S. Darling , Lyle R. Wheeler , Thomas Little , Frank E. Hughes / (c): Cedric Gibbons , Paul Groesse , Edwin B. Willis
1947–1956 renamed Art Direction - Set Decoration Black & White / Color separate
1947 (bw): John Bryan , Wilfred Shingleton / (c): Alfred Junge
1948 (bw): Roger K. Furse , Carmen Dillon / (c): Hein Heckroth , Arthur Lawson
1949 (bw): Harry Horner , John Meehan , Emile Kuri / (c): Cedric Gibbons , Paul Groesse , Edwin B. Willis , Jack D. Moore
1950 (bw): Hans Dreier , John Meehan , Samuel M. Comer , Ray Moyer / (c): Hans Dreier , Walter Tyler , Samuel M. Comer , Ray Moyer
1951 (bw): Richard Day , George James Hopkins / (c): Cedric Gibbons , E. Preston Ames , Edwin B. Willis , F. Keogh Gleason
1952 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Edward Carfagno , Edwin B. Willis , F. Keogh Gleason /(c): Paul Sheriff , Marcel Vertès
1953 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Edward Carfagno , Edwin B. Willis , Hugh Hunt / (c): Lyle R. Wheeler , George Davis , Walter M. Scott , Paul S. Fox
1954 (bw): Richard Day / (c): John Meehan , Emile Kuri
1955 (bw): Hal Pereira , Tambi Larsen , Samuel M. Comer , Arthur Krams / (c): William Flannery , Jo Mielziner , Robert Priestley
1956 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Malcolm F. Brown , Edwin B. Willis , F. Keogh Gleason / (c): Lyle R. Wheeler , John DeCuir , Walter M. Scott , Paul S. Fox
1957–1958 1959–1966 Black & White / Color separate
1959 (bw): Lyle R. Wheeler , George Davis , Walter M. Scott , Stuart A. Reiss / (c): William A. Horning (posthumous award ), Edward Carfagno , Hugh Hunt
1960 (bw): Alexandre Trauner , Edward G. Boyle /(c): Alexander Golitzen , Eric Orbom (posthumous award ), Russell A. Gausman , Julia Heron
1961 (bw): Harry Horner , Gene Callahan / (c): Boris Leven , Victor A. Gangelin
1962 (bw): Alexander Golitzen , Henry Bumstead , Oliver Emert /(c): John Box , John Stoll , Dario Simoni
1963 (bw): Gene Callahan / (c): John DeCuir , Jack Martin Smith , Hilyard M. Brown , Herman A. Blumenthal , Elven Webb , Maurice Pelling , Boris Juraga , Walter M. Scott , Paul S. Fox , Ray Moyer
1964 (bw): Vassilis Photopoulos /(c): Gene Allen , Cecil Beaton , George James Hopkins
1965 (bw): Robert Clatworthy , Joseph Kish /(c): John Box , Terence Marsh , Dario Simoni
1966 (bw): Richard Sylbert , George James Hopkins / (c): Jack Martin Smith , Dale Hennesy , Walter M. Scott , Stuart A. Reiss
1967–1980
1967: John Truscott , Edward Carrere , John W. Brown
1968: John Box , Terence Marsh , Vernon Dixon , Ken Muggleston
1969: John DeCuir , Jack Martin Smith , Herman A. Blumenthal , Walter M. Scott , George James Hopkins , Raphaël Bretton
1970: Urie McCleary , Gil Parrondo , Antonio Mateos , Pierre-Louis Thévenet
1971: John Box , Ernest Archer , Jack Maxsted , Gil Parrondo , Vernon Dixon
1972: Rolf Zehetbauer , Jurgen Kiebach , Herbert Strabel
1973: Henry Bumstead , James W. Payne
1974: Dean Tavoularis , Angelo P. Graham , George R. Nelson
1975: Ken Adam , Roy Walker , Vernon Dixon
1976: George C. Jenkins , George Gaines
1977: John Barry , Norman Reynolds , Leslie Dilley , Roger Christian
1978: Paul Sylbert , Edwin O'Donovan , George Gaines
1979: Philip Rosenberg , Tony Walton , Edward Stewart , Gary J. Brink
1980: Pierre Guffroy , Jack Stephens
1981–2000 2001–present
1927–1939 Interior Decoration 1940–1946 Black & White / Color separate
1940 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Paul Groesse / (c): Vincent Korda
1941 (bw): Richard Day , Nathan Juran , Thomas Little / (c): Cedric Gibbons , Urie McCleary , Edwin B. Willis
1942 (bw): Richard Day , Joseph C. Wright , Thomas Little / (c): Richard Day , Joseph C. Wright , Thomas Little
1943 (bw): James Basevi , William S. Darling , Thomas Little / (c): Alexander Golitzen , John B. Goodman , Russell A. Gausman , Ira S. Webb
1944 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , William Ferrari , Paul Huldschinsky , Edwin B. Willis / (c): Wiard Ihnen , Thomas Little
1945 (bw): Wiard Ihnen , A. Roland Fields / (c): Hans Dreier , Ernst Fegté , Samuel M. Comer
1946 (bw): William S. Darling , Lyle R. Wheeler , Thomas Little , Frank E. Hughes / (c): Cedric Gibbons , Paul Groesse , Edwin B. Willis
1947–1956 renamed Art Direction - Set Decoration Black & White / Color separate
1947 (bw): John Bryan , Wilfred Shingleton / (c): Alfred Junge
1948 (bw): Roger K. Furse , Carmen Dillon / (c): Hein Heckroth , Arthur Lawson
1949 (bw): Harry Horner , John Meehan , Emile Kuri / (c): Cedric Gibbons , Paul Groesse , Edwin B. Willis , Jack D. Moore
1950 (bw): Hans Dreier , John Meehan , Samuel M. Comer , Ray Moyer / (c): Hans Dreier , Walter Tyler , Samuel M. Comer , Ray Moyer
1951 (bw): Richard Day , George James Hopkins / (c): Cedric Gibbons , E. Preston Ames , Edwin B. Willis , F. Keogh Gleason
1952 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Edward Carfagno , Edwin B. Willis , F. Keogh Gleason /(c): Paul Sheriff , Marcel Vertès
1953 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Edward Carfagno , Edwin B. Willis , Hugh Hunt / (c): Lyle R. Wheeler , George Davis , Walter M. Scott , Paul S. Fox
1954 (bw): Richard Day / (c): John Meehan , Emile Kuri
1955 (bw): Hal Pereira , Tambi Larsen , Samuel M. Comer , Arthur Krams / (c): William Flannery , Jo Mielziner , Robert Priestley
1956 (bw): Cedric Gibbons , Malcolm F. Brown , Edwin B. Willis , F. Keogh Gleason / (c): Lyle R. Wheeler , John DeCuir , Walter M. Scott , Paul S. Fox
1957–1958 1959–1966 Black & White / Color separate
1959 (bw): Lyle R. Wheeler , George Davis , Walter M. Scott , Stuart A. Reiss / (c): William A. Horning (posthumous award ), Edward Carfagno , Hugh Hunt
1960 (bw): Alexandre Trauner , Edward G. Boyle /(c): Alexander Golitzen , Eric Orbom (posthumous award ), Russell A. Gausman , Julia Heron
1961 (bw): Harry Horner , Gene Callahan / (c): Boris Leven , Victor A. Gangelin
1962 (bw): Alexander Golitzen , Henry Bumstead , Oliver Emert /(c): John Box , John Stoll , Dario Simoni
1963 (bw): Gene Callahan / (c): John DeCuir , Jack Martin Smith , Hilyard M. Brown , Herman A. Blumenthal , Elven Webb , Maurice Pelling , Boris Juraga , Walter M. Scott , Paul S. Fox , Ray Moyer
1964 (bw): Vassilis Photopoulos /(c): Gene Allen , Cecil Beaton , George James Hopkins
1965 (bw): Robert Clatworthy , Joseph Kish /(c): John Box , Terence Marsh , Dario Simoni
1966 (bw): Richard Sylbert , George James Hopkins / (c): Jack Martin Smith , Dale Hennesy , Walter M. Scott , Stuart A. Reiss
1967–1980
1967: John Truscott , Edward Carrere , John W. Brown
1968: John Box , Terence Marsh , Vernon Dixon , Ken Muggleston
1969: John DeCuir , Jack Martin Smith , Herman A. Blumenthal , Walter M. Scott , George James Hopkins , Raphaël Bretton
1970: Urie McCleary , Gil Parrondo , Antonio Mateos , Pierre-Louis Thévenet
1971: John Box , Ernest Archer , Jack Maxsted , Gil Parrondo , Vernon Dixon
1972: Rolf Zehetbauer , Jurgen Kiebach , Herbert Strabel
1973: Henry Bumstead , James W. Payne
1974: Dean Tavoularis , Angelo P. Graham , George R. Nelson
1975: Ken Adam , Roy Walker , Vernon Dixon
1976: George C. Jenkins , George Gaines
1977: John Barry , Norman Reynolds , Leslie Dilley , Roger Christian
1978: Paul Sylbert , Edwin O'Donovan , George Gaines
1979: Philip Rosenberg , Tony Walton , Edward Stewart , Gary J. Brink
1980: Pierre Guffroy , Jack Stephens
1981–2000 2001–present
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