William Cameron Menzies
William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American film production designer (a job title he invented)[1] and art director as well as a film director and producer during a career spanning five decades. He began his career during the silent era, and later pioneered the use of color in film for dramatic effect.
William Cameron Menzies | |
|---|---|
 William Cameron Menzies in 1925 | |
| Born | July 29, 1896 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1957 (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University, University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation(s) | Production designer, film director |
| Years active | 1917–1956 |
| Awards | Best Art Direction 1928 The Dove ; Tempest Academy Honorary Award 1939 Gone with the Wind |
Early years
Menzies was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Scots immigrant parents, Charles A. and Helen originally from Aberfeldy, Scotland. He studied at Yale and the University of Edinburgh and, after serving in the United States Army during World War I, he attended the Art Students League of New York.
Career
Menzies joined Famous Players–Lasky, later to evolve into Paramount Pictures, working in special effects and design. He soon worked on such films as Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924), The Bat (1926), The Dove (1927), Sadie Thompson (1928), and Tempest (1928). His contributions to The Dove (1927), as well as Tempest (1928) lead to Menzies receiving the first Academy Award for Best Production Design, an accolade for achievement in art direction. In 1929, Menzies formed a partnership with producer Joseph M. Schenck to create a series of early sound short films visualizing great works of music, including a 10-minute version of Dukas's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and created the production design and special effects for Schenck's feature film The Lottery Bride (1930).
Menzies's work on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) prompted David O. Selznick to hire him for Gone with the Wind (1939).[2] Selznick's faith in Menzies was so great that he sent a memorandum to everyone at Selznick International Pictures who was involved in the production reminding them that "Menzies is the final word" on everything related to Technicolor, scenic design, set decoration, and the overall look of the production.[3] His work on the film would also net Menzies an honorary academy award for production design.
"Production designer" (which is sometimes used interchangeably with "art director") was coined specifically for Menzies, to refer to his being the final word on the overall look of the production; it was intended to describe his ability to translate Selznick's ideas to drawings and paintings from which he and his fellow directors worked.
Menzies was the director of the burning of Atlanta sequence in Gone with the Wind. He also re-shot the Salvador Dalí dream sequence of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945).[4]
In addition, Menzies directed dramas and fantasy films. He made two science-fiction films: Things to Come (1936), based on a novel by H.G. Wells, for producer Alexander Korda which predicted war and technical advancement; and Invaders from Mars (1953), which mirrored many fears about aliens and outside threats to humanity in the 1950s.
Death
Shortly after completing his work as an associate producer on Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Menzies died of cancer. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Accolades
At the first Academy Awards, held on May 16, 1929, Menzies won for Best Art Direction for The Dove and Tempest. He was the first to win the Academy Award for art direction. The following year he was nominated in the same categories for his work on Bulldog Drummond, Alibi, and The Awakening, but lost to Cedric Gibbons.
At the 12th Academy Awards held on February 29, 1940, Menzies won an Academy Honorary Award "for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood" in the production of Gone With the Wind.
Legacy
In 2005, Menzies was in the first group of art directors and production designers inducted into the Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame.[5]
Several of Menzies home movies are part of the collection of the Academy Film Archive and were preserved by the archive in 2015.[6]
Silent Films, 1918-1930
| Year | Title | Studio | Director | Photography | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 (released 4 November) | The Mark of Cain | Astra Film/Pathé | George Fitzmaurice | Arthur C. Miller | Menzies assistant to "Settings" director Anton Grot |
| 1918 (released 24 February) | The Naulahka | Astra Film/Pathé | George Fitzmaurice | Arthur C. Miller | Menzies set associate to Anton Grot |
| 1918 (released 27 January) | Innocent | Astra Film Corp/Pathé | George Fitzmaurice | Percy Hilburn | With Anton Grot; Menzies joined the U.S. Navy before the film's completion. |
| 1919 (released 6 April) | The Test of Honor | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures | John S. Robertson | Jacques Monteran | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged" (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 27 April) | Redhead | Select Pictures Corp./Select Film Corp. | Charles Maigne | Al Liguori | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged." (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 11 May) | Come Out of the Kitchen | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures | John S. Robertson | Jacques Monteran | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged." (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 22 June) | The Avalanche | Famous Players–Lasky/Artcraft Pictures | George Fitzmaurice | Arthur C. Miller | Fitzmaurice is credited with set design. Menzies' reports "staging" the picture. (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 6 July) | The Firing Line | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures-Artcraft | George Fitzmaurice | Al Liguori | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged." (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 14 July) | His Wedding Night | Select Pictures Corp./Select Pictures Corp. | George Fitzmaurice | Jacques Monteran | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged." (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 17 August) | A Society Exile | Famous Players–Lasky/Artcraft Pictures | George Fitzmaurice | Arthur C. Miller | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged." (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 6 July) | The Misleading Widow | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures-Artcraft | John S. Robertson | Roy Overbaugh | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged." (uncredited) |
| 1919 (released 7 September) | The Witness for the Defense | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures-Artcraft | George Fitzmaurice | Hal Young | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1919 (released 2 November) | The Teeth of the Tiger | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures-Artcraft | Chet Withey | Al Liguori | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1919 (released 21 December) | His Wife's Friend | Thomas H. Ince/Paramount Pictures-Artcraft | Joseph De Grasse | John S. Stumar | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged [art direction]." (uncredited) |
| 1920 (released 15 March) | Sinners | Realart Pictures Inc./Realart Pictures Inc. | Kenneth Webb | George Folsey | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged [art direction]." (uncredited) |
| 1920 (released April) | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures-Artcraft | John S. Robertson | Roy Overbaugh | Menzies provided a draft summary for the film.(uncredited) |
| 1920 (released 2 May) | The Deep Purple | Mayflower Photoplay Company/Realart Pictures Inc. | Raoul Walsh | Jacques Bizeul | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1921 (released March) | Scrambled Wives | Margaret Clark Productions/First National Pictures | Edward H. Griffith | William McCoy, Ray June | Menzies reports this "a movie I have staged [art direction]." (uncredited) |
| 1921 (released April) | The Oath | Mayflower Photoplay Corp/Associated First National | Raoul Walsh | Dal Clawson | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1921 (released August) | Serenade | R.A.Walsh Productions/Associated First National | Raoul Walsh | George Peters | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1922 (released 27 February) | Kindred of the Dust | R.A.Walsh Productions/Associated First National | Raoul Walsh | Charles Van Enger, H. Lyman Broening | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1923 (released 27 February) | Rosita | Mary Pickford Company/United Artists | Ernst Lubitsch | Charles Rosher | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1924 (released 18 March) | The Thief of Bagdad | Douglas Fairbanks| Pictures/United Artists | Raoul Walsh | Arthur Edeson | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1924 (released 26 October) | The Only Woman | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/First National Pictures | Sidney Olcott | Antonio Gaudio | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1924 (released 27 October) | Her Night of Romance | Norma Talmadge Production Corporation/First National Pictures | Sidney Franklin | Ray Binger, Victor Milner | Menzies credited for "Art Direction" |
| 1925 (released 8 February) | The Lady | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/First National Pictures | Frank Borzage | Antonio Gaudio | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1925 (released 25 January) | Learning to Love | Norma Talmadge Production Corporation]]/First National Pictures | Sidney Franklin | Victor Milner | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1925 (released 2 August) | Her Sister from Paris | Norma Talmadge Production Corporation/First National Pictures | Sidney Franklin | Arthur Edeson | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1925 (released 30 August) | Graustark | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/First National Pictures | Dimitri Buchowetzki | Gaetana Gaudio | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1925 (released 4 September) | The Dark Angel | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/First National Pictures | George Fitzmaurice | George Barnes | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1925 (released 8 November) | The Eagle | Art Finance Corporation/United Artists] | Clarence Brown | George Barnes | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1925 (released 30 November) | Cobra | Ritz-Carlton Pictures/Paramount Pictures | Joseph Henabery | George Barnes | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1926 (released 1 February) | The Wanderer | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures | Raoul Walsh | Victor Milner | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1926 (released 14 March) | The Bat | Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures | Roland West | Arthur Edeson | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1926 (released 4 April) | Kiki | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/First National | Clarence Brown | Oliver Marsh | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1926 (released 9 July) | The Son of the Sheik | Feature Productions/United Artists | George Fitzmaurice | George Barnes | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1926 (released 22 August) | Fig Leaves | 20th Century Fox | Howard Hawks | Joseph August | Menzies and William S. Darling credited for "Settings" Menzie's contribution was only to the Garden of Eden sequence at opening of the picture. |
| 1926 (released 5 September) | The Duchess of Buffalo | Talmadge Production Corporation/First National Pictures | Sydney Franklin | Oliver Marsh | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1927 (released 27 March) | The Beloved Rogue | Feature Productions/United Artists | Alan Crosland | Joseph August | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1927 (released 20 March) | Venus of Venice | Talmadge Production Corporation/First National Pictures | Marshall Neilan | George Barnes | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1927 (released 21 April) | Camille | Joseph M. SchenckProductions/First National Pictures | Fred Niblo | Oliver Marsh | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1927 (released 16 June) | Topsy and Eva | Feature Productions/United Artists] | Del Lord, D. W. Griffith (uncredited) | John W. Boyle | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1927 (released 23 September) | Two Arabian Knights | The Caddo Company/United Artists | Lewis Milestone | Antonio Guidio, Joseph August (uncredited) | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1927 (released 12 November) | Sorrell and Son | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/First National Pictures | Herbert Brenon | James Wong Howe | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1927 (released 31 December) | Quality Street | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/First National Pictures | Sydney Franklin | Hendrik Sartov | Menzies uncredited, but designed the film's Green Willow Village on the M-G-M lot. |
| 1927 (released 31 December) | The Dove | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/First National | Roland West | Oliver Marsh | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1928 (released 7 January) | Sadie Thompson | Gloria Swanson Productions, Inc./United Artists | Raoul Walsh | Oliver Marsh | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1928 (released 22 January) | What Price Beauty? | S. George Ulman Productions/Pathe | Tom Buckingham | J.D. Jennings | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1928 (released 4 February) | Drums of Love | Feature Productions/United Artists | D. W. Griffith | Karl Struss, G.W. Bitzer | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1928 (released 24 January) | "The Garden of Eden | Feature Productions/United Artists | Lewis Milestone | John Arnold (Technicolor sequence) | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1928 (showing 9 May) | The Love of Zero | Florey-Menzies Productions/(first Los Angeles showing) | Robert Florey | Edward Fitzgerald | Menzies credited with "Staging" |
| 1928 (released 8 July) | Drums of Love] | Feature Productions/United Artists | John W. Considine Jr. | Charles Rosher | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1928 (released 11 August) | The Woman Disputed | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/United Artists | Henry King, Sam Taylor | Oliver Marsh | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1928 (released 12 October) | The Battle of the Sexes | Art Cinema Corporation/United Artists | D. W. Griffith | Karl Struss, G.W. Bitzer | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1928 (released 3 November) | Revenge | Edwin Carewe Productions/United Artists | Edwin Carewe | Albert Kurrie, Alfred E. Green | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1928 (released 17 November) | The Awakening | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/United Artists | Victor Fleming | George Barnes | Menzies credited as "Art Director"" |
| 1929 (released 12 January) | The Rescue | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/United Artists | Herbert Brenon | George Barnes, Joseph F. Biroc | Menzies credited as "Art Director"" |
| 1929 (released 16 February) | Lady of the Pavements | Art Cinema Corporation/United Artists | D. W. Griffith | Karl Struss, G.W. Bitzer | Menzies credited for "Settings" Released in an 8-reel silent version |
| 1928 (released 30 March) | Coquette | Mary Pickford Film Corporation]/United Artists | Sam Taylor | Karl Struss | Menzies credited for "Settings"; silent version planned, Pickford cancelled it |
| 1929 (released March) | Alibi | Feature Productions/United Artists | Roland West | Ray June | Menzies credited as "Art Director""; released in 8-reel silent version |
| 1929 (released 12 January) | This is Heaven | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/United Artists | Alfred Santell | George Barnes, Gregg Toland | Menzies credited as "Art Director"" |
| 1929 (released 3 August) | Bull Drummond | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/United Artists | F. Richard Jones | George Barnes, Gregg Toland | Menzies credited for "Settings""; released in 7-reel silent version |
| 1929 (released 15 September) | Three Live Ghosts | Feature Productions/United Artists | Thornton Freeland | Robert Planck | Menzies credited as "Art Director"" |
| 1929 (released 5 October) | Impressions of Tchaikovsky's Overture 1812 | Feature Productions/United Artists | Hugo Riesenfeld (producer) | Karl Struss | Menzies credited with "Pictorial Effects" |
| 1929 (released 26 October) | The Taming of the Shrew | Mary Pickford Corporation, Elton Corporation/United Artists | Sam Taylor | Karl Struss | Menzies credited as "Art Director" |
| 1929 (released 16 November) | The Locked Door | Feature Productions/United Artists | George Fitzmaurice | Ray June | Menzies credited with "Settings" |
| 1929 (released March) | Condemned | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/United Artists | Wesley Ruggles | George Barnes | Menzies credited with "Settings"; also released in an 8-reel silent version |
| 1929 (released 14 December) | Irish Fantasy | Feature Productions/United Artists | Orville O. Dull | Paul Perry | Menzies credited as "Producer" (with Hugo Riesenfeld) |
| 1929 (28 December) | New York Nights | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/United Artists | Lewis Milestone | Ray June | Menzies credited as "Art Director""; released in 8-reel silent version |
| 1930 (released 18 January) | Lummox | Feature Productions/United Artists | Herbert Brenon | Karl Struss | Menzies credited with "Settings" |
Sound Era: 1930-1955
| Year | Title | Studio | Director | Photography | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 (released 25 January) | Glorious Vamps | Feature Productions/United Artists | Orville O. Dull | Robert Planck | Menzies credited as "Producer" (with Hugo Riesenfeld) |
| 1930 (released 8 February) | Be Yourself! | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/United Artists | Thornton Freeland | Karl Struss | Menzies credited as "Associate Producer" (with John W. Considine Jr.) and for "Settings" |
| 1930 (released 1 March) | Puttin' on the Ritz | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/United Artists | Edward Sloman | Ray June | Menzies credited as "Associate Producer" (with John W. Considine Jr.) and for "Settings" |
| 1930 (released 1 April) | The Wizard's Apprentice | Feature Productions/United Artists | Sydney Levee | Alfred Schmidt | Menzies credited as "Producer" with John W. Considine Jr. |
| 1930 (released 12 April) | One Romantic Night | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/United Artists | Paul S. Stein | Karl Struss | Menzies credited for "Settings" |
| 1930 (released 3 March) | The Bad One | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/United Artists | George Fitzmaurice | Karl Struss | Menzies credited as "Art and Technical Director" |
| 1930 (released 15 May) | Hungarian Rhapsody | Feature Productions/United Artists | Eugene Forde | Robert Planck | Menzies credited as "Producer" (with Hugo Riesenfeld) |
| 1930 (released 26 July) | Raffles | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/United Artists | Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast, George Fitzmaurice | George Barnes, Gregg Toland | Menzies credited for "Art Direction" |
| 1930 (filmed July–August) | Forever Yours | Mary Pickford Film Corporation/never distributed | Marshall Neilan | Karl Struss | Menzies credited as "Art Director"; project abandoned after 6 weeks of shooting. Reshot as Secrets in 1933 |
| 1930 (released 1 September) | Zampa | Feature Productions/United Artists | Eugene Forde | Karl Struss | Menzies credited as "Producer" (with Hugo Riesenfeld) |
| 1930 (released 11 October) | Du Barry, Woman of Passion | Feature Productions/United Artists | Sam Taylor | Oliver Marsh | Menzies credited with "Settings" |
| 1930 (released 25 October) | The Lottery Bride | Joseph M. Schenck Productions/United Artists | Paul L.Stein | Ray June | Menzies credited with "Settings and Effects" |
| 1930 (released 8 November) | Abraham Lincoln | Feature Productions/United Artists | D. W. Griffith | Karl Struss | Menzies credited with "Settings" |
| 1931 (released 21 February) | Reaching for the Moon | Feature Productions/United Artists | Edmund Goulding | Ray June, Robert Planck | Menzies credited with "Settings" |
| 1931 (released 14 March) | Kiki | Feature Productions/United Artists | Earle Browne | Karl Struss | Menzies credited with "Settings" |
| 1931 (released 24 May) | Always Goodbye | 20th Century Fox | William Cameron Menzies, Kenneth MacKenna | Arthur Edeson | Menzies credited only as co-director, William S. Darling for Art Direction |
| 1931 (released 27 September) | The Spider | 20th Century Fox | William Cameron Menzies, Kenneth MacKenna | James Wong Howe | Menzies credited as co-director, Gordon Wiles for Art Direction |
| 1932 (released 17 July) | Almost Married | 20th Century Fox | William Cameron Menzies, Marcel Varnel | John J. Mescall | Menzies credited as co-director, Gordon Wiles for Art Direction |
| 1932 (released 18 September) | Chandu the Magician | 20th Century Fox | Marcel Varnel, William Cameron Menzies | James Wong Howe | Menzies credited as co-director, Max Parker for Art Direction |
| 1933 (released 15 April) | Cavalcade | 20th Century Fox | Frank Lloyd, William Cameron Menzies | Ernest Palmer | Menzies credited with directing "War Scenes", William Darling for Art Direction |
| 1933 (released 21 April) | Trick for Treat | 20th Century Fox | Hamilton MacFadden | O. W. O'Connell | Menzies credited for "Technical Effects", Duncan Cramer for Art Direction |
| 1933 (released 16 June) | I Loved You Wednesday | 20th Century Fox | Henry King, William Cameron Menzies | Hal Mohr | Menzies credited as co-director, Joseph C. Wright for Art Direction |
| 1933 (released 22 December) | Alice in Wonderland | Paramount Pictures/Paramount Pictures | Norman Z. McLeod, William Cameron Menzies (uncredited) | Harry Sharp, Bert Glennon | Menzies uncredited co-director and co-screenwriter, Technical Effects by Gordon Jennings, Farciot Edouart |
| 1934 (released 16 March) | Wharf Angel | Paramount Pictures/Paramount Pictures | William Cameron Menzies, George Somnes | Victor Milner | Art Directors Hans Dreier, John Goodman |
| 1934 (released 20 July) | The Notorious Sophie Lang | Paramount Pictures/Paramount Pictures | Ralph Murphy, William Cameron Menzies (uncredited) | Alfred Gilks | Art Directors Hans Dreier, Robert Odell |
| 1934 (released 5 October) | Cleopatra | Paramount Pictures/Paramount Pictures | Cecil B. DeMille, William Cameron Menzies | Alfred Gilks | Menzies credited with "Montage"; Art Directors Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson |
| 1936 (released 20 February) | Things to Come | London Film Company/United Artists | William Cameron Menzies | Georges Périnal, Edward Cohen | Special Effects Ned Mann |
| 1940 (released March) | The Green Cockatoo | New World Pictures/20th Century Fox | William Cameron Menzies | Mutz Greenbaum | Menzies uncredited co-producer with William K. Howard |
| 1937 (released 26 November) | Nothing Sacred | Selznick International/United Artists | William A. Wellman | W. Howard Greene | Menzies assistant to Producer David O. Selznick |
| 1938 (released 11 February) | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Selznick International/United Artists | William Cameron Menzies | James Wong Howe | Art Director Lyle R. Wheeler; Cave sequence designed by Menzies |
| 1938 (released 27 October) | The Young in Heart | Selznick International/United Artists | Richard Wallace, Lewis Milestone (uncredited) | Leon Shamroy | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Lyle R. Wheeler Art Director |
| 1939 (released 10 February) | Made for Each Other | Selznick International/United Artists | John Cromwell | Leon Shamroy | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Lyle R. Wheeler Art Director |
| 1939 (released 15 December) | Gone With the Wind | Selznick International/United Artists | Victor Fleming | Leon Shamroy | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Lyle R. Wheeler Art Director |
| 1940 (released April) | Cavalcade of the Academy Awards | Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences/Warner Bros. | Numerous contributors | Numerous contributors | Menzies appears briefly in this 17 minute production, accepting a special award for Gone With the Wind. |
| 1940 (released 12 April) | Rebecca | Selznick International/United Artists | Alfred Hitchcock, William Cameron Menzies (uncredited) | George Barnes | Menzies directed the shots at Manderlay, and the beach cottage scenes with the dog Jasper; Lyle R. Wheeler Art Director |
| 1940 (released 24 May) | Our Town | Principal Artists/United Artists | Sam Wood | Bert Glennon | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Lewis J. Rachmil Art Director |
| 1940 (released 16 August) | Foreign Correspondent | Walter Wanger Productions/United Artists | Alfred Hitchcock | Rudolph Mate | Menzies credited for "Special Production Effects"; Alexander Golitzen Art Director |
| 1940 (released 25 December) | The Thief of Bagdad | Alexander Korda Productions/United Artists | Michael Powell, William Cameron Menzies (uncredited) | Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell | Menzies co-director (uncredited) |
| 1941 (released 14 February) | Meet John Doe | Frank Capra Productions/Vitagraph Studios | Frank Capra | George Barnes | Menzies reports working on this project for a month, and publicity indicated that he was production designer (uncredited), Stephen Goosson Art Director |
| 1941 (released 14 February) | So Ends Our Night | David L. Loew-Albert Lewin, Inc./United Artists | John Cromwell | William Daniels | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Jack Otterson Art Director |
| 1941 (released 11 April) | The Devil and Miss Jones | Frank Ross-Norman Krasna, Inc./RKO Pictures | Sam Wood | Harry Stradling | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Van Nest Polglase Art Director |
| 1942 (released 18 April) | Kings Row | Warner Bros./Warner Bros. | Sam Wood | James Wong Howe | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Carl Jules Weyl Art Director |
| 1943 (released 5 March) | The Pride of the Yankees | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/RKO Pictures | Sam Wood | Rudolph Mate | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Perry Ferguson Art Director |
| 1943 (released 2 July) | Mr. Lucky | RKO Pictures | H. C. Potter | George Barnes | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Albert S. D'Agostino, Mark-Lee Kirk Art Directors |
| 1943 (released 14 July) | For Whom the Bell Tolls | Paramount Pictures/Paramount Pictures | Sam Wood | Ray Rennahan | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; Hans Dreier, Akim Tamiroff Art Directors |
| 1943 (released November) | The North Star | Samuel Goldwyn Productions/RKO Radio Pictures | Lewis Milestone | James Wong Howe | Menzies credited as "Associate Producer"; Perry Ferguson Art Director |
| 1944 (released 1 June) | Address Unknown | Address Unknown, Inc. (Sam Wood)./Columbia Pictures | William Cameron Menzies | Rudolph Maté | Menzies listed as "Producer-Director" |
| 1946 (released 31 December) | Duel in the Sun | Vanguard Films/RKO Radio Pictures | King Vidor | Lee Garmes, Hal Rosson | Menzies listed as a "Second Unit Director" (uncredited), on loan from RKO, he directed the "barbecue sequence" during his 5 days on the project. |
| 1945 (released 28 December) | Spellbound | Vanguard Films/United Artists | Alfred Hitchcock | George Barnes | Menzies "consulted on the dream sequence...based on designs by Salvador Dalí."; James Basevi, Art Director |
| 1946 (released March) | Deadline at Dawn | RKO Radio Pictures/RKO Radio Pictures | Harold Clurman, William Cameron Menzies (uncredited) | Nicholas Musuraca | Albert S. D'Agostino, Jack Okey Art Directors |
| 1941 (released 14 February) | It's a Wonderful Life | Liberty Films/RKO Radio Pictures | Frank Capra, | Joseph Walker, Joseph Biroc | Menzies consulted on a number of sequences, and observed some of the shooting. (uncredited), Jack Okey Art Director |
| 1947 (released June) | Ivy | Inter-Wood Productions/Universal International | Sam Wood | Russell Metty | Menzies credited as "Producer" Richard H. Riedel, Art Director |
| 1948 (released March) | Arch of Triumph | Arch of Triumph, Inc. (Enterprise)/Universal International | Lewis Milestone | Ray Rennahan | Menzies credited as "Production Designer"; William E. Flannery, Art Director |
| 1949 (released 20 February) | The Tell-Tale Heart | Menzies-Finney/Telepak | William Cameron Menzies | Nominated for Emmy Award for Best Film Made for Television, 1948. Released on ABC TV Actors Studio | |
| 1949 (released 21 August) | A Terribly Strange Bed | Telepak/ Post Pictures Corp. | William Cameron Menzies | Nominated for Emmy Award for Best Film Made for Television, 1948. | |
| 1949 (released October) | The Marionette Mystery | Menzies-Finney/Telepak | William Cameron Menzies | William O'Connell | Nominated for Emmy Award for Best Film Made for Television, 1948. |
| 1949 (released February) | Reign of Terror | Walter Wanger Pictures, Inc./Eagle-Lion Films | Anthony Mann | Ray Rennahan | Menzies credited as "Producer", film re-titled The Black Book before October 1949 opening in New York |
| 1951 (released October) | The Whip Hand | RKO Radio Pictures/RKO Radio Pictures | William Cameron Menzies | Nicholas Musuraca | Menzies also credited as "Production Designer", Albert S. D'Agostino, Carroll Clark Art Directors |
| 1951 (released October) | Drums in the Deep South | King Brothers Productions/RKO Radio Pictures | William Cameron Menzies | Lionel Lindon | Menzies also credited as "Production Designer", Frank Paul Sylos Art Director |
| 1952 (aired April) | The Zayat Kiss | Herles Enterprises | William Cameron Menzies | Edward Hyland | Airtime for the TV production not established, made in New York, April 1952 |
| 1952 (released July) | The Wild Heart | London Films, Vanguard Films/RKO Radio Pictures | Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, William Cameron Menzies (uncredited) | Chris Challis | Menzies "made retakes and directed added scenes, February 1951. Titled Gone to Earth in British release. |
| 1952 (released July) | We're Not Married! | 20th Century-Fox | Edmond Goulding | Leo Tover | Menzies served as "montage director". At his request, he was not extended any credit or publicity for his work. |
| 1953 (released 9 January) | Androcles and the Lion | RKO Radio Pictures/RKO Radio Pictures | Chester Erskine | Harry Stradling | Harry Horner credited as "Production Designer", Menzies uncredited. Albert S. D'Agostino, Charles F. Pike Art Directors |
| 1952 (released July) | Invaders from Mars | National Pictures Corp./20th Century-Fox | William Cameron Menzies | John Seitz | Menzies also credited as "Production Designer", Boris Leven Art Director |
| 1953 (released 26 July) | The Maze | Allied Artists | William Cameron Menzies | Harry Neumann | Menzies also credited as "Production Designer", David Scott Milton Art Director |
| 1954 (aired 21 January) | A String of Beads | Everest Productions/Allied Artists | William Cameron Menzies | George E. Diskant | A TV pilot for CBS's Four Star Playhouse |
| 1954 (release date unknown) | Star Studded Ride | Universal Pictures | William Cameron Menzies | Short subject assembled from Sol Lesser's Three-D Follies | |
| 1943 (released 10 May) | Autumn in Rome | Selznick Releasing Organization/Columbia Pictures | William Cameron Menzies | James Wong Howe | Short film to serve as a prologue to Indiscretion of an American Wife, vocals by Patti Page, score Alessandro Cicognini. |
| 1954 (debuted 14 October) | The Halls of Ivy, 39-episode TV production | Television Programs of America | William Cameron Menzies, Norman Z. McLeod | Robert Picttack, Alfred Gilks | Menzies directed half of the episodes that comprised the series. |
| 1955 (filmed February) | Johnny and the Gaucho | William Cameron Menzies | Menzies directed the pilot for this TV program | ||
| 1956 (released 17 October) | Around the World in Eighty Days | Michael Todd Co./United Artists | Michael Anderson | Lionel Lindon | Menzies credited as "Associate Producer" and "Production Designer", James W. Sullivan Art Director |
Stage Chronology
| Year | Title | Author | Theater | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 (opened 8 October) | The Lullaby | Edward Knoblock | Knickerbocker Theatre | Fred G. Latham | Scenery and costumes designed by William Cameron Menzies |
| 1931 (Opened 21 January) | The Ambulance Chaser | Bella and Samuel Spewack | Hollywood Playhouse | Scenery designed by William Cameron Menzies | |
| 1932 (opened 28 December) | Grand Guignol | H. F. Maltby, Andre de Lorde, et al. | Hollywood Music Box | Robert Vignola, Donald Crisp, Reginald Berkeley | Scenery designed by William Cameron Menzies |
| 1941 (opened 30 July) | Anna Christie | Eugene O'Neill | Lobero Theatre, (Santa Barbara, California | John Houseman | Sketches for scenery design by William Cameron Menzies. (Two-week showing in San Francisco's Curran Theatre, opened 4 August 1941) |
DVD release
In October 2009, Alpha Video released the public domain collection The Fantastic World of William Cameron Menzies on DVD,[7] which included four early experimental films created by Menzies and Joseph M. Schenck, shorts that visualize great works of classical music:
- "Irish Fantasy" (1929)
- "Impressions of Tschaikowsky's Overture '1812'" (1930)
- "Hungarian Rhapsody" (1930)
- Paul Dukas' "The Wizard's Apprentice" (1930).[8]
According to Dave Kehr, The Wizard's Apprentice "clearly influenced Disney's version in Fantasia.[7]
See also
Footnotes
- Cairns, David (March–April 2011). "The Dreams of a Creative Begetter". The Believer. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
Menzies was an art director, production designer (a title he invented himself), producer, and director, the man who created the look of Gone with the Wind, unifying the work of a posse of directors.
- Memo from David O. Selznick, selected and edited by Rudy Behlmer, Viking Press, 1972, p. 156.
- Memo from David O. Selznick, p. 196.
- Dalí, Surrealism and cinema by Elliott H. King, Kamera Books, 2007, p. 85–86.
- "Ninth Annual Art Directors Guild Awards for Excellence in Production Design, Saturday, February 12, Beverly Hilton Hotel". Press release. Business Wire via FindArticles. February 11, 2005. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
- "Another Trippy Rabbit Hole". The New York Times. February 26, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- "The Fantastic World Of William Cameron Menzies with Rediscovered Shorts of the 1930s DVD info, Oldies.com". Retrieved October 23, 2009.
References
- Curtis, James. (2015). William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come, Pantheon Books, ISBN 978-0-375-42472-4
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Cameron Menzies.
- William Cameron Menzies at IMDb
- William Cameron Menzies at Find a Grave
- William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come, by James Curtis, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Nov 17, 2015
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