Randall Duell
Encyclopedia
Randall Duell was an American architect
and art director
. Duell attended the University of Southern California School of Architecture and graduated in 1925. Joining the Los Angeles architectural firm Weber, Stanton and Spaulding, Duell contributed to designs for notable building projects in Southern California during the 1920 sand 1930's, among them the Avalon Casino on Catalina Island, Frary Dining Hall and adjacent residence halls at Pomona College
, and Green Acres, the estate of silent movie actor Harold Lloyd in Beverly Hills. He and architect Sumner Spaulding collaborated in the design of the Atkinson residence in Bel Air, which was modeled after the Petit Trianon. As construction declined during the Great Depression, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
hired Duell in 1936 to design the set of the Capulet home in Irving Thalberg's production of Romeo and Juliet. In 1937
, he joined the MGM art department in a full-time capacity. During his career as a motion picture art director, he was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction
. He received screen credit for his work on 38 films, among them Ninotchka
(1939), The Postman Always Rings Twice
(1946), Intruder in the Dust
(1949), and Singin' in the Rain
(1952). Additionally he worked on a number of motion pictures without film credit, among them The Wizard of Oz
, 1939. He retired from MGM in 1959
.
During much of his career at MGM, Duell maintained an outside architectural practice. Notable among his designs during this period is Casa de cadillac
, a car dealership in Sherman Oaks built in 1948 which is now considered a prime example of Googie architecture
. Following his departure from MGM in 1959, he joined Marco Engineering and collaborated with C.V. Wood in the design of Freedomland in the Bronx, the first of many theme parks he would design. The following year, he left Marco Engineering and established R. Duell and Associates, a Santa Monica-based architectural practice which specialized in the design of theme parks. Marrying traditional architecture with stagecraft, the firm designed most of the country's theme parks. The list of projects included Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TX; the Marriott's Great America parks in Gurnee, IL (now Six Flags Great America
), and Santa Clara, CA (now California's Great America); the Universal Studios Tour, Universal City, CA; the Texas Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in New York; Magic Mountain, Valencia, California; Opryland, Nashville, TN; Astroworld, Houston, TX; and others. The Duell office employed the talents of a number of former motion picture art directors, among them John de Cuir and Paul Gross.
He was born in Russell County, Kansas
and died in Los Angeles, California
.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
. Duell attended the University of Southern California School of Architecture and graduated in 1925. Joining the Los Angeles architectural firm Weber, Stanton and Spaulding, Duell contributed to designs for notable building projects in Southern California during the 1920 sand 1930's, among them the Avalon Casino on Catalina Island, Frary Dining Hall and adjacent residence halls at Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, and Green Acres, the estate of silent movie actor Harold Lloyd in Beverly Hills. He and architect Sumner Spaulding collaborated in the design of the Atkinson residence in Bel Air, which was modeled after the Petit Trianon. As construction declined during the Great Depression, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
hired Duell in 1936 to design the set of the Capulet home in Irving Thalberg's production of Romeo and Juliet. In 1937
1937 in film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
, he joined the MGM art department in a full-time capacity. During his career as a motion picture art director, he was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
. He received screen credit for his work on 38 films, among them Ninotchka
Ninotchka
Ninotchka is a 1939 American film made for Metro Goldwyn Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch which stars Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett and Walter Reisch, based on a screen story by Melchior Lengyel. Ninotchka is Greta Garbo's first full...
(1939), The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1934 crime novel by James M. Cain.The novel was quite successful and notorious upon publication, and is regarded as one of the more important crime novels of the 20th century...
(1946), Intruder in the Dust
Intruder in the Dust
Intruder in the Dust is a novel by the Nobel Prize-winning American author William Faulkner publishedin 1948.The novel focuses on Lucas Beauchamp, a black farmer accused of murdering a white man. He is exonerated through the efforts of black and white teenagers and a spinster from a...
(1949), and Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...
(1952). Additionally he worked on a number of motion pictures without film credit, among them The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, 1939. He retired from MGM in 1959
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
.
During much of his career at MGM, Duell maintained an outside architectural practice. Notable among his designs during this period is Casa de cadillac
Casa de cadillac
Casa de Cadillac is a Cadillac dealership located on 14401 Ventura Boulevard, in Sherman Oaks, CA. Due to its classic Googie architecture and tenure in the area since 1949, Casa de Cadillac has become an architectural landmark in the San Fernando Valley.-History:...
, a car dealership in Sherman Oaks built in 1948 which is now considered a prime example of Googie architecture
Googie architecture
Googie architecture is a form of modern architecture, a subdivision of futurist architecture influenced by car culture and the Space and Atomic Ages....
. Following his departure from MGM in 1959, he joined Marco Engineering and collaborated with C.V. Wood in the design of Freedomland in the Bronx, the first of many theme parks he would design. The following year, he left Marco Engineering and established R. Duell and Associates, a Santa Monica-based architectural practice which specialized in the design of theme parks. Marrying traditional architecture with stagecraft, the firm designed most of the country's theme parks. The list of projects included Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TX; the Marriott's Great America parks in Gurnee, IL (now Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...
), and Santa Clara, CA (now California's Great America); the Universal Studios Tour, Universal City, CA; the Texas Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in New York; Magic Mountain, Valencia, California; Opryland, Nashville, TN; Astroworld, Houston, TX; and others. The Duell office employed the talents of a number of former motion picture art directors, among them John de Cuir and Paul Gross.
He was born in Russell County, Kansas
Russell County, Kansas
Russell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 6,970 for the 2010 census...
and died in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Selected filmography
Duell was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:- When Ladies MeetWhen Ladies Meet (1941 film)When Ladies Meet is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer feature film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Greer Garson, Herbert Marshall, and Spring Byington in a story about a novelist in love with her publisher. The screenplay by S.K. Lauren and Anita Loos was based upon a 1932 play by Rachel Crothers. The...
(1941) - Random Harvest (1942)
- Blackboard JungleBlackboard JungleBlackboard Jungle is a 1955 social commentary film about teachers in an inner-city school. It is based on the novel of the same name by Evan Hunter.-Plot:...
(1955)