Jack Martin Smith

Jack Martin Smith graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California. He joined MGM as a sketch artist and designer in 1938 (among others, creating drawings for the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz (1939)) and the following year was promoted to full art director. He worked for the studio until 1954, chiefly associated with creating the lavish, mythical backgrounds for the big budget musicals produced by the Arthur Freed unit, foremost among them Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Ziegfeld Follies (1945) and Easter Parade (1948). In 1954, Smith joined 20th Century Fox, collaborating with Lyle R. Wheeler on creating the sumptuous look of An Affair to Remember (1957) and Peyton Place (1957). He eventually succeeded Wheeler as supervising art director, putting his stamp on some of the most spectacular blockbusters of the era, including Cleopatra (1963) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). From the early 60's, he also worked extensively in television. In addition to his work in Hollywood, Smith was an accomplished painter of seascapes and river scenes.