Stephen Goosson | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1889-03-24)March 24, 1889 Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Died | March 25, 1973(1973-03-25) (aged 84) Woodland Hills, California |
| Occupation | Set designer |
| Years active | 1920-1955 |
Stephen Goosson (March 24, 1889 - March 25, 1973) was an Americanfilmset designer andart director.
Born inGrand Rapids, Michigan, Goosson studied architecture atSyracuse University.[1] He worked as anarchitect inDetroit before moving to New York City in 1917 and studied at theEcole des Beaux Arts of Paris.[2] He started his film career as art director for producerLewis J. Selznick in 1919, and films forFox Film Corporation such asNew Movietone Follies of 1930. Gossoon made a name for himself working forMary Pickford in 1921 when he invented new methods and materials for her filmLittle Lord Fauntleroy.[3] He eventually was hired byColumbia Pictures in 1931, where he served as supervising art director for 25 years.[1]
Goosson was the principal designed for many ofFrank Capra's movies during Capra's time at Columbia in the 1930s, includingAmerican Madness,It Happened One Night, andYou Can't Take It with You. Besides his collaboration with Capra, Goosson's most important film of the 1930s was the screwball comedyThe Awful Truth.[1]
Goosson was nominated for an Academy Award for theEl Brendel musicalJust Imagine and eventually won theAcademy Award for Best Art Direction forLost Horizon.[4] His designs for the film have been noted as excellent examples of theStreamline Moderne style that reached the height of its popularity that year. Additional credits includeMr. Deeds Goes to Town,Theodora Goes Wild,The Awful Truth,Holiday,Meet John Doe,The Little Foxes, andThe Jolson Story. In 1937, he was elected the first president of theSociety of Motion Picture Art Directors, the forerunner of the Art Directors Guild, and was elected for a second term in 1947; he was inducted into the Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame in 2007.[3]
In the late 1940s, he created the designs for three significantfilm noirs:Gilda (1946),Dead Reckoning (1947), andThe Lady from Shanghai (1948).[1]
Goosson died of a stroke inWoodland Hills, California.
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