John DeCuir (June 4, 1918 – October 29, 1991) was a Hollywood art director and

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

known for his elaborate set designs that were illustrated with his own watercolor paintings.http://www.adg.org/?content=cm§ion=14 www.adg.org DeCuir studied at the

Chouinard Art School Chouinard may refer to: Surname * Bobby Chouinard, baseball player * Eric Chouinard, hockey player * Guy Chouinard, hockey player * Josée Chouinard, Canadian figure skater * Julien Chouinard, Puisne Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court * Ma ...

, joined

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

in the late 1930s, and by the mid-1940s was designing sets. In 1949, he signed with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

where he worked on productions with elaborate sets. These included dramatic material such as '' The House on Telegraph Hill'' (1951), musicals including ''

There's No Business Like Show Business "There's No Business Like Show Business" is an Irving Berlin song, written for the 1946 musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' and orchestrated by Ted Royal. The song, a slightly tongue-in-cheek salute to the glamour and excitement of a life in show b ...

'' 1954), and comedy ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'' (1984). DeCuir earned eleven

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

nominations, winning three: ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...

'' (1956), '' Cleopatra'' (1963), and '' Hello, Dolly!'' (1969). DeCuir designed the short-lived exhibit devoted to horror film at Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, CA called The Black Box. His son, John DeCuir Jr. is also a

Partial filmography

* ''

The Naked City ''The Naked City'' (aka ''Naked City'') is a 1948 American film noir directed by Jules Dassin, starring Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart and Don Taylor. The film, shot almost entirely on location in New York City, depicts the poli ...

'' (1948) * '' The House on Telegraph Hill'' (1951) * '' My Cousin Rachel'' (1952) * '' The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' (1952) * '' Diplomatic Courier'' (1952) * ''

Call Me Madam ''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to ...

'' (1953) * ''

There's No Business like Show Business "There's No Business Like Show Business" is an Irving Berlin song, written for the 1946 musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' and orchestrated by Ted Royal. The song, a slightly tongue-in-cheek salute to the glamour and excitement of a life in show b ...

'' (1954) * '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (1954) * '' Daddy Long Legs'' (1955) * ''

'' (1956) * '' South Pacific'' (1958) * '' A Certain Smile'' (1958) * ''

The Big Fisherman ''The Big Fisherman'' is a 1959 American historical drama film directed by Frank Borzage about the life of Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus. Starring Howard Keel, Susan Kohner and John Saxon, the production is adapted from the 1948 n ...

'' (1959) * ''

Seven Thieves ''Seven Thieves'' is a 1960 American film noir heist crime drama film shot in CinemaScope. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins and Eli Wallach. Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for th ...

'' (1960) * '' Cleopatra'' (1963) * '' Circus World'' (1964) * '' The Agony and the Ecstasy'' (1965) * ''

The Honey Pot ''The Honey Pot'', also known as ''The Honeypot'', is a 1967 American crime film, crime comedy-drama film written for the screen and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Rex Harrison, Susan Hayward, Cliff Robertson, Capucine, Edie Adams, an ...

'' (1967) * ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' (1967) * '' Hello, Dolly'' (1969) * ''

The Great White Hope ''The Great White Hope'' is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in October 1 ...

'' (1970) * ''

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on ''Berkeley Square'', written in 1926 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been re ...

'' (1970) * ''

The Other Side of Midnight ''The Other Side of Midnight'' is a novel by American writer Sidney Sheldon published in 1973. The book reached No. 1 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list. It was made into a 1977 film, and followed by a sequel written by Sheldon titl ...

'' (1977) * ''

'' (1984)

References

External links

*
John DeCuir Senior webpage
(archived) *http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/46021%7C85501/John-De-Cuir/

Partial filmography

References

External links

See also