Norman G. Arnold

Norman G. Arnold
Born 19 September 1892
Leigh, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Died July 12, 1963(1963-07-12) (aged 70)
Harrow, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Other names Norman Gregory Arnold
Occupation Art director
Years active 1922-1963 (film)

Norman G. Arnold (September 19, 1892 – December 7, 1963) was a British art director who designed the sets for over a hundred and twenty films.

Early Life & WW1

An aerial view of a dogfight between one British and three German aircraft. To the left one plane plummets streaming a trail of grey smoke behind. Below lies the faint outline of fields and lakes on the ground.
The Last Fight of Captain Ball, VC, DSO and 2 Bars, MC, 7 May 1917 by Norman G. Arnold, 1919

Arnold studied architecture, interior decoration & design. During the First World War, Arnold served in the Royal Flying Corps with the rank of Lieutenant and worked in the Armaments School. In 1918, Arnold was appointed to be an official war artist, tasked with portraying types of aircraft, methods of aerial fighting and specific famous air battles on the Western Front. He produced a number of water-colour paintings which are now housed in the Imperial War Museum in London, including the 24 x 36 inch painting The Last Flight of Albert Ball VC. [1]


Film Career

Arnold entered the film industry in 1920 in the silent era. His first employer was Famous Players Lasky Corporation for which he was the art designer on eight films before he began working for British producer Herbert Wilcox in 1922, working on films in Berlin such as Decameron Nights in 1924. Between 1927 and 1946, Arnold served as an Art Director for a number of film companies including British Lion, First National and Independent Companies. By 1948, Arnold had been art director on over 150 feature films.[2] In the early 1940s, he was employed by Warner Brothers at Teddington Studios. In 1947 he designed the sets for Hue and Cry, the first of the Ealing Comedies.[3] His final work was on the Cold War thriller Ring of Spies, which was completed after his death.

His brother Wilfred Arnold was also an art director.

Selected filmography

References

  1. Harries, Meirion & Susie. The War Artists. Michael Joseph Ltd, 1983. p-137.
  2. Carrick, E. Art & Design in the British Film Industry. Denis Dobson, London, 1948. Chapter-3.
  3. Barr p.197

Bibliography

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