David Townsend (art director) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David W. Townsend
|
|
|---|---|
A 1919 photo of Townsend, at the age of 28.
|
|
| Born |
David Wood Townsend
November 2, 1891 Hoskins, Nebraska, U.S.
|
| Died | August 5, 1935 (aged 43) Sonora, California, U.S.
|
| Occupation | Art director, set decorator |
| Years active | 1919 – 1935 |
| Spouse(s) |
Lillian Francis Rennick
(m. 1913–1935) |
David Wood Townsend (born November 2, 1891 – died August 5, 1935) was an American art director. He helped create the look of many early Hollywood movies. He worked on films from 1919 until his death in 1935. He was known for his work with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios.
Contents
Creating Movie Worlds
An art director in film is like a chief designer for a movie. They decide how the sets, props, and overall visual style of a film will look. David Townsend played a big role in making movie scenes come alive.
Early Film Work
David Townsend started his film career in 1919. He worked for a company called Otis B. Thayer's Art-O-Graf film company in Denver.
- In 1919, he was the secretary and treasurer.
- By 1920, he became the sales manager.
- In 1921, he was the vice president and helped edit movie stories.
During these years (1919-1921), Art-O-Graf made several films. These included "Miss Arizona (1919 Film)" and "Wolves of the Street (1920 Film)". Other films were "The Desert Scorpion", "Finders Keepers (1921 Film)", and "Out of the Depths (1921 Film)".
In 1922, Townsend became the president of the "Mountain Plains Enterprise Film Company" in Denver. This company planned to build "Sunshine Studios" to make a film called "The Dude Wrangler". However, this project was not completed.
Working with MGM Studios
In 1926, David Townsend moved to Los Angeles, California. He began working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios. At MGM, he worked as an art director and set designer.
MGM Films by Year
- 1927: He was an art director for "Frisco Sally Levy", "Tillie the Toiler", and "Foreign Devils (1927 film)". He also designed sets for films like "Spring Fever (1927 film)", "The Bugle Call", "The Callahans and the Murphys", "Rookies (1927 film)", "Slide, Kelly, Slide", "The Taxi Dancer", and "Winners of the Wilderness".
- 1933: He was the art director for "The Prizefighter and the Lady".
- 1934: He worked as an art director on "You Can't Buy Everything" and "The Show-Off". He was an associate art director for "Death on the Diamond", "Hide-Out", "Murder in the Private Car", and "The Thin Man (film)".
- 1935: He was an associate art director for "China Seas (film)", "Murder in the Fleet", and "The Winning Ticket".
- 1936: He was the art director for "The Robin Hood of El Dorado".
Sometimes, David Townsend was listed as an "Associate Art Director". This was because another art director, Cedric Gibbons, had a special contract. His contract meant he had to be listed as the main art director on all films, even if he didn't do all the work.
Personal Life and Early Years
David Wood Townsend was born in Hoskins, Nebraska. His parents were Glenn Eli Townsend and Bertha A. (Towberman) Townsend. He was named after his grandfather, David Wood Townsend.
In 1910, when he was 19, David lived with his parents and grandfather in Dallas, South Dakota. He went to the Wayne State Normal College for Arts and Sciences. He was the illustrator for the school newspaper, which was called the Goldenrod.
On October 4, 1913, David Townsend married Lillian Francis Rennick in Chicago, Illinois. They had two children together: Edward Glenn Townsend and Harriet L. (Townsend) Pim Ayers.
In 1915, he worked as a secretary and treasurer for his father's company, G. E. Construction, in Norfolk, Nebraska. He was still living in that area in 1917.
Tragic Death
David Townsend died on August 5, 1935. He was scouting locations for the film "The Robin Hood of El Dorado" near Sonora Pass in California. The car he was riding in went off the road. David Townsend was killed instantly in the accident. The other three people in the car survived.
