John J. Lloyd facts for kids

John J. Lloyd (born June 30, 1922 – died September 20, 2014) was an amazing American art director and production designer. He helped create the look of many famous movies. Some of his best-known films include National Lampoon's Animal House, The Blues Brothers, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! He passed away at 92 years old in 2014.

Growing Up and Serving His Country

John J. Lloyd was born in Dearborn, Michigan in 1922. When he was a young boy, his family moved to California in the mid-1920s. They first lived in Ramona. There, John helped his parents run a local store and a turkey farm.

Later, his family moved to Culver City. His father and uncle found jobs at MGM Studios, a big movie studio.

During World War II, John Lloyd served in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed in Norman, Oklahoma. There, he taught airmen about how airplanes fly and how they are built. He learned these skills by washing airplanes at an airfield in Culver City. After the war, John went to the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and graduated.

Creating Movie Magic: His Career

John Lloyd started his career in the 1950s. He worked as an art director at Revue Studios, which later became Universal Television. He helped design the sets for many TV shows.

Early TV Work

Some of the TV shows he worked on include Studio 57, Leave It To Beaver, and The Jack Benny Program. He also worked on 137 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. John was one of the first art directors for The Munsters. He even designed the cool rising staircase seen in the show's opening scenes! He also helped create the look for TV show pilots that later became popular series, like Columbo, Emergency!, and Kojak.

John Lloyd was recognized for his amazing work. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1957 for General Electric Theater. He was nominated again in 1960 for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1961, he won an Emmy for his work on the detective show Checkmate. He received more nominations later for the movie Vanished (1971) and the TV movie It Happened One Christmas (1977).

Moving to the Big Screen

In the late 1960s, John Lloyd started working on feature films. His first film as an art director was Munster, Go Home! in 1966. He also worked on films like Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Day of the Locust, and Animal House. His very first movie as a production designer was MacArthur in 1977.

After working together on Animal House, director John Landis asked John Lloyd to be the production designer for his 1980 hit movie, The Blues Brothers. Lloyd and Landis worked together one more time on the 1985 film Into the Night. John Lloyd also designed two films for director John Carpenter: The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China. Later, he designed movies like Jaws: The Revenge and the first two Naked Gun films: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear.

His Final Years

John J. Lloyd passed away at his home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, on September 20, 2014. He was 92 years old. He is remembered by his son, two daughters, and two grandchildren.