Elmer Albert Heschong (February 22, 1919March 1, 2001) was an American

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

and

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

, principally for television. In a career that spanned more than 40 years, he worked on over 2,500 productions and was posthumously inducted into the

Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame The Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame was established by the Art Directors Guild in 2005 to recognize and honor the accomplishments and contributions of significant art directors and production designers in the film industry. 2005 inductees * Wil ...

. A native of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and worked in scenic design for the live theater after the war. He began working for the

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

in 1949 and worked on the network's early live drama series, ''

Pulitzer Prize Playhouse ''Pulitzer Prize Playhouse'' is an American television anthology drama series which offered adaptations of Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, novels, and stories. The distinguished journalist Elmer Davis was the host and narrator of this 1950-1952 A ...

'' and ''

Celanese Theatre ''Celanese Theatre'' is an anthology television series which aired from October 3, 1951, to June 25, 1952, on ABC. Concept The series arose from the Playwrights' Repertory Theater of Television with its focus on adapting stage plays to televisi ...

''. He continued to work on live television drama in the 1950s, working on ''

United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the U.S. Steel, United States Steel Corpor ...

'', ''

Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs ...

'', and ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...

''. He won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his art direction on ''Playhouse 90s 1956 production of ''

Requiem for a Heavyweight "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show ''Playhouse 90'' on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey R ...

''. In the 1960s, he worked on multiple CBS series, including ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'' (1961–1973), ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...

'' (1965–1967), and ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' (1968–1969). During the 1970s and 1980s, he worked principally on television movies, winning Emmy nominations for his work on '' Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn'' (1982) and '' My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn'' (1985).

Early years

Heschong was born in

in 1919. His father, Albert Heschong, designed and made clothing. As a boy, he enjoyed building model boats and airplanes, drawing, and building things with

Erector Set Erector Set (trademark styled as "ERECTOR") was a brand of metal toy construction sets which were originally patented by Alfred Carlton Gilbert and first sold by his company, the Mysto Manufacturing Company of New Haven, Connecticut in 1913. In ...

s. He attended

Walnut Hills High School , streetaddress = 3250 Victory Parkway , city = Cincinnati , state = Ohio , zipcode = 45207 , country = United States , coordinates = , type ...

in Cincinnati, graduated ''cum laude'', and was voted "most all-around boy in the class." He was also in drama club, where he both acted and designed sets. After graduating high school, his high school drama teacher contacted the drama department at

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

and secured a scholarship for Heschong. In the second half of his sophomore year, he transferred to the architecture department to develop his technical drawing skills. He left Carnegie Tech after two years to work at a playhouse in

Chautauqua, New York Chautauqua ( ) is a town and lake resort community in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,017 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. It is the home of the Chautauqua Institution and the birthplac ...

. He next worked for a year at a theatrical company in Cincinnati and then for the

Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of ...

, where he designed and built sets and exhibits. During

, he was drafted into the

. He was assigned to a camouflage design unit at Richmond Air Force Base, where he worked with Broadway designer

Jo Mielziner Joseph "Jo" Mielziner (March 19, 1901 – March 15, 1976) was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both sta ...

. He was later assigned to interpret aerial reconnaissance photographs. He spent 18 months in India, supervising photographic reconnaissance in the

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was officia ...

. After the war, Heschong returned to Carnegie Tech to finish his degree. He was then hired to assist in teaching scenic design at Carnegie Tech. He also did design work for stage productions, including scenic design for The Woodstock Playhouse.

Television career

ABC

In 1949, he was hired by the

(ABC) as an art director. His early works included futuristic settings for ABC's ''

Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...

'' television show, including the interior of Buck Rogers' spaceship and the use of sparkler for the blastoff of rockets. In 1950, he was assigned to create all the settings for ABC's live drama ''

''. For the first episode, ''You Can't Take It with You'', he built a large Victorian house set for $15,000.Television Academy interview, tape 2. While at ABC, he also worked with

Alex Segal Alex Segal (July 1, 1915 – August 22, 1977) was an American television director, television producer, and film director. Segal directed more than 25 different television programs, including ''The United States Steel Hour'' and ''Celanese The ...

on the live drama series ''

'', including productions of ''Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1950) with

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas ''Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

, ''Winterset'' (1951) with

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...

, ''Ah Wilderness'' (1951), ''Anna Christie'' (1952), and ''The Street Scene'' (1952). In the early 1950s, the ABC art department in New York worked out of a building that had previously been horse stables. They built sets using quarter-inch plywood on one-by-three framing.

United States Steel Hour

In 1954, he began working on the ''

'', which aired on NBC. His work at the ''Steel Hour'' included ''

P.O.W. A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

'' (1953), ''The Last Notch'' (1954), ''Hedda Gabler'' (1954), ''A Garden in the Sea'' (1954), ''

No Time for Sergeants ''No Time for Sergeants'' is a 1954 best-selling novel by Mac Hyman, which was later adapted into a teleplay on ''The United States Steel Hour'', a popular Broadway play and 1958 motion picture, as well as a 1964 television series. The book chron ...

'' (1955), and ''Freighter'' (1955). ''No Time for Sergeants'' featured highly stylized sets and was the first dramatic show that was aired with an audience. For ''The Last Notch'', the first Western done for television, he designed an entire Western street scene.Television Academy interview, tape 3. For ''A Garden in the Sea'', he designed a villa in Venice, including a gondola approaching the villa.Television Academy interview, tape 4.

First stint at CBS

In the fall of 1955, he moved to Los Angeles to work for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

. His first series for CBS was ''

'' with

Martin Manulis Martin Ellyot Manulis (May 30, 1915 – September 28, 2007) was an American television, film, and theatre producer. Manulis was best known for his work in the 1950s producing the CBS Television programs ''Suspense'', '' Studio One Summer Theatre' ...

. His work for ''Climax!'' included ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1955) and ''The Circular Staircase'' (1956). Heschong also worked on the ''

Meet Millie ''Meet Millie'', a situation comedy about a wisecracking Manhattan secretary from Brooklyn, made a transition from radio to television in the early 1950s. In the live television version, Mom and Millie were living in Jackson Heights, Queens. The ...

'' sitcom, the '' Red Skelton Hour'', and an early-summer replacement show starring

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

. On the Skelton show, he was asked to design numerous trick shots. When Manulis left ''Climax!'' in 1956, Heschong followed him to ''

''. Heschong won an Emmy Award for his art direction on the

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...

boxing drama ''

'' (1956). For ''Requiem'', his notable designs included sets at the boxing venue and a railroad car. Heschong's other notable ''Playhouse 90'' productions included ''

The Miracle Worker ''The Miracle Worker'' refers to a broadcast, a play and various other adaptations of Helen Keller's 1903 autobiography '' The Story of My Life''. The first of these works was a 1957 ''Playhouse 90'' broadcast written by William Gibson and st ...

'' (1957), ''

Helen Morgan Helen Morgan may refer to: *Helen Morgan (singer) Helen Morgan (née Riggins; August 2, 1900 – October 9, 1941) was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in ...

'' (1957), ''

Seven Against the Wall "Seven Against the Wall" is an episode of the American anthology series ''Playhouse 90''. It was about the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre''. Cast * Paul Lambert as Al Capone * Dennis Patrick as George 'Bugs' Moran * Frank Silvera as Nick Sorrell ...

'' (1958), ''The Velvet Alley'' (1959), and ''

Judgment at Nuremberg ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' is a 1961 American epic courtroom drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, written by Abby Mann and starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Dietr ...

'' (1959). He designed the courtroom for ''Judgment at Nuremberg''.

20th Century Fox

In 1959, he was hired by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

to work on the series '' Adventures in Paradise'', a South Pacific adventure series created by

James Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and ...

. He did not stay at Fox for very long.

Return to CBS

Ross Martin Robert Conrad Wild Wild West 1965

After leaving Fox, he returned to CBS and worked on the sitcom ''

Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was b ...

'', the Western ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

'', and later another sitcom ''

The Cara Williams Show ''The Cara Williams Show'' is an American situation comedy starring Cara Williams which centers on a married couple who try to conceal their marriage from their employer. Original episodes aired from September 23, 1964, until April 21, 1965 on CBS. ...

''. In 1961, Heschong became the production designer on the Western series ''

''. When the series moved from Hollywood to Studio City, he had to restore and redesign the sets. The sets were built along one long street with multiple buildings and interiors, including the sheriff's office, a livery stable, a hotel lobby, and a doctor's office. He worked on about 140 episodes of ''Gunsmoke''.Television Academy interview, tape 5. During the 1963–64 season, he also worked on '' The Great Adventure''. The first episode of that series was "The Hunley", a story about a Civil War submarine. He prepared a full-size submarine (full-size exterior and interiors and miniatures) and docks for that production. In addition to his regular art directing work, Heschong became the head of the CBS art department in 1964. From 1965 to 1967, he also worked on another Western series, ''

''. He worked on that show from the start and designed all the sets. The writers came up with many strange concepts and effects that were a challenge, including a steam-driven wheel chair, a steam engine that spit flames, and other unusual vehicles. He did 48 episodes on ''Wild Wild West''. He left ''Gunsmoke'' during the 1968–69 season to work on ''

''. He also covered a few episodes of ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psy ...

'' in the 1970s.

Television movies

During the 1970s and 1980s, he worked on numerous television movies, including

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's ''

Something Evil ''Something Evil'' is a 1972 American made-for-television horror film starring Sandy Dennis, Darren McGavin and Ralph Bellamy. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the screenplay was written by Robert Clouse. Plot A married couple with two young chi ...

'' (1972). One of his favorites was the television movie ''Visions'' (1972), for which he designed a large rubble scene to show the aftermath from the explosion of a water treatment plant. He received an Emmy nomination for his art direction on '' Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn'' (1982). Much of his work on that project involved selecting locations in

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...

. He received his final Emmy nomination for '' My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn'' (1985). Heschong recalled that the number of sets was enormous, and executives became very nervous about the budget. As a result, he had to cut many corners.Television Academy interview, tape 6. In all, Heschong was art director or production designer on more than 2,500 productions.

Personal life and later years

Heschong married former Naomi Eva Harris in 1946. They had three children, Gregg, Eric, and Lisa. He lived in

Encino, California Encino (Spanish language, Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north t ...

. In 2001, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage at his home at age 82. He was posthumously inducted into the

in 2011.

Selected works

* ''

'' *: '' You Can't Take It with You'' (1950, art director) * ''

'' (1951–1952) *: ''Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1950) *: ''Winterset'' (1951) *: ''Ah Wilderness'' (1951) *: ''Anna Christie'' (1952) *: ''The Street Scene'' (1952) * ''

'' (1953–1955, production designer, 3 episodes) *: ''

'' (1953, production designer) *: ''The Last Notch'' (1954) *: ''Hedda Gabler'' (1954) *: ''A Garden in the Sea'' (1954) *: ''

(1955, production designer) *: ''Freighter'' (1955) * ''

'' (1955–1956) *: ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1955) *: ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

'' (1955) *: ''The Circular Staircase'' (1956) * '' Judy Garland Musical Special'' (1956) * ''

'' (1957–1959, art director, 12 episodes) *: ''

'' (1956, art director) *: ''

'' (1957) *: ''

'' (1957, art director) *: '' The Hostess with the Mostes''' (1957, art director) *: ''

'' (1958, art director) *: ''

'' (1959, art director) * ''

Studio One in Hollywood ''Studio One'' is an American anthology drama television series that was adapted from a radio series. It was created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. It premiered on November 7, 1948 and ended on Septem ...

'' (1958, art director, 1 episode) * '' Adventures in Paradise'' (1959–1960, art director) * ''

'' (1961, art director) * '' The Great Adventure'' (1963–1964, art director) *: "The Hunley" * ''

'' (1961–1973, art director) * ''

'' (1965–1967, art director) * ''

'' (1968–1969, art director) * ''

'' (1975–1976, art director) * '' Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn'' (1982) * '' My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn'' (1985) * '' Extreme Prejudice'' (1987, production designer) * ''

Eisenhower and Lutz ''Eisenhower and Lutz'' is an American sitcom which aired for thirteen episodes on CBS from March 14 to June 20, 1988. Overview The series stars Scott Bakula as Barnett M. "Bud" Lutz, Jr., a shiftless ambulance-chasing lawyer. Lutz had trouble ...

'' (1988, art director) * ''

Annie McGuire Annie McGuire is a Scottish reporter who presented BBC Scotland football phone-in show 'Your Call' and Sportsound. She also did guest links for Radio Scotland's New Music Zone and T in the Park coverage and stood in for presenter Vic Galloway. ...

'' (1988, art director) * ''

Flight of the Intruder ''Flight of the Intruder'' is a 1991 war film directed by John Milius, and starring Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, and Brad Johnson. It is based on the novel of the same name by former Grumman A-6 Intruder pilot Stephen Coonts. The film received n ...

'' (1991, art director)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heschong, Albert American art directors American production designers 1919 births 2001 deaths Artists from Cincinnati Military personnel from Cincinnati Carnegie Mellon University alumni Primetime Emmy Award winners United States Army personnel of World War II