Art Deco Archives - Driving for Deco

Sometimes it happens, when a movie sequel equals or surpasses the original such as The Godfather Part 2 and Bride of Frankenstein. And so it is with 1936’s After the Thin Man, the follow up to The Thin Man. Nobody at M-G-M expected The Thin Man to be the huge hit that it became. Given a B picture budget, and one star considered past his prime, William Powell and a feature player on her way up, Myrna Loy, director W. S. Van Dyke completed the film in two and half weeks. The film re-established William Powell as a top star and it propelled Myrna Loy in the “A” ranks of stars at M-G-M. Normally a sequel would follow immediately. But M-G-M waited two and half years before releasing the second Thin Man film. In the mean time other studios made imitation “Thin Man” type mysteries, some even starring William Powell. These films only whetted the audience’s appetite for a genuine sequel. By the end of 1936 public excitement for the follow up had reached a high point. After the Thin Man opened in New York City on Christmas Day and around the country shortly after. It was M-G-M’s Christmas gift to movie audiences.

After the Thin Man’s opening at Manhattan’s Capitol Theatre Christmas week, 1936. Image from Hollywoodhistoricphotos.com.

After the Thin Man begins exactly where the Thin Man ends, with Nick and Nora on the train heading home to San Francisco in time for New Year’s Eve.

The Sunset Limited bringing Nick and Nora home from New York at the start of After the Thin Man. Image from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Establishing the location with the arrival of the train and actual shots of Nick and Nora in their Packard Super 8 arriving to a spectacular home in the Telegraph Hill district of San Francisco.

: Arriving at the base of the driveway. Image from the Warner Bros. DVD.

: Nick and Nora exhausted from their cross country train trip. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: The walkway leading to the yard and the front door. Image from the Warner Bros. DVD.

: Asta running across the yard, happy to be home. Image from the Warner Bros. DVD.

A very happy Asta leaps over a nice Art Deco lawn deer. Image from the Warner Bros. DVD.

From this point on the film reverts to sets on studio sound stages in Hollywood. And these sets with art direction by Cedric Gibbons (1890 – 1960) and set direction by Henry Grace (1907 – 1983) are a showcase for home decoration of the mid-1930’s.

The front door of the Charles residence.

Home, sweet, home. Nick and Nora approaching their front door. Great bas relief over the door. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

Gibbons set decorations in the late 1920’s starting with Our Dancing Daughters (1928) helped to usher in modern design to the United States. The exuberant designs dominated by triangles of the first era of modernism had given way to a streamline form in less than a decade. Gibbons stayed up-to-date with trends and his work for After the Thin Man shows the way modern design was heading.

The Living Room

: The Charles’s arrive home to an unwelcome welcome home party. To the right of the dancers is a Paul Frankl “Speed Chair” designed in 1932. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: A better shot of the Paul Frankl “Speed Chair”. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: Shot looking from the living room towards the foyer and stairs. Block wall with built in lighting is reminiscent of the walls in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House of 1924. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: Typical living room seating arrangement in the era before television, two sofas facing each other for conversation. Round mirrors adorn the walls with artwork in between. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

The Kitchen

The 1936 dream kitchen. Streamline metal cabinets. Small knick knack shelves on both sides of the window and modern appliances, including a General Electric vacuum coffee pot on the counter. Image from the Warner Bros. DVD.

The Bedroom

Nick puts Asta out for the night. Another round mirror and some nice metal deers on the dresser framing the radio. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: The bedroom in the era of the Production Code, twin beds. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: Nick is ready to call it a night. A Manning-Bowman Carafon on the night stand. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: Time for some breakfast, eating nook in the bedroom. Very nice “Machine Age” sconces on the wall. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

: Detail view of the “Machine Age” wall sconce in the Charles bedroom. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

So if you are not planning to go out partying for New Year’s Eve, consider spending sometime with Nick and Nora Charles and watch After the Thin Man. I guarantee you’ll have a good time and the only drunks you’ll encounter are those in the film.

Stylish end title. Image from Warner Bros. DVD.

Happy New Year from Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, ‘Tiquen Guys).

Walter Dorwin Teague, circa 1939. Image from idsa.org.

December 18th marks the 135th year since the birth of Walter Dorwin Teague. This latest Reference Library update comes from the January, 1939 House Beautiful. The brief article features Teague’s interior design for his apartment in Manhattan’s exclusive River House. River House (designed by the firm of Bottomley, Wagner & White, 1931) is located at the end of East 52nd Street. When it opened, it was at the end of a street of tenement houses. It was the inspiration for Sidney Kingsley’s 1935 play, Dead End.

River House, December 15, 1931. Samuel H. Gottscho photograph from the mcny.org

Born in Pendleton, Indiana, Teague aspired to become an artist while still in high school. At the age of 19 he moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League of New York. Between 1908 and the mid-1920’s Teague worked in advertising, typography and graphic design. Creating frames for ads based on Baroque and Renaissance designs became his signature style. In time these frames would become known by the generic term “Teague Borders”, even if they were not designed by him.

1922 Arrow Collar Ad. — 1922 J. C. Leyendecker Arrow Collar illustration with frame by Walter Dorwin Teague. Image from Pinterest.

Teague left commercial advertising work in the mid-1920’s. He set off for Europe to study the new modern styles. While there, Teague became familiar with the work of the Bauhaus at an exposition in Italy. From this point forward his work would be influenced by Le Corbusier and the Bauhaus. After returning to the United States, Teague entered the industrial design field. His first major commission came from the Eastman Kodak Company. Teague designed a number of cameras for Kodak. The Bauhaus style is very evident in the Kodak 1A Gift Camera (1930) and the less expensive Beau Brownies (1930 – 1933).

Kodak Beau Brownies. — Kodak Beau Brownie No 2A in shades of brown and No 2 in black and maroon (1930 -1933). From the collection of the author.

Teague continued designing for Kodak into the mid-1930’s. His crowning achievement for the company came with the exceptionally designed Kodak Bantam Special of 1936.

The Kodak Bantam Special, 1936, with its original box. Image from http://kodak.digitalfx.tv.

By the early 1930’s Teague became one of the top industrial designers in the United States. This put him in the ranks with Norman Bel Geddes, Raymond Loewy and Henry Dreyfuss. During this period some of his other clients included Sparton Radio and Texaco.

Walter Dorwin Teague’s 566 “Bluebird” radio for Sparton, 1936. This model is in the collection at the Corning Museum of Glass. Author’s photo.

Teague rendering for the prototype Texaco service station, 1936. Image from NC University.

He began exhibition work with the Ford Pavilion at Chicago’s 1933-1934 Century of Progress Exposition.

Roof of Safety exhibit inside the Ford Building, Century of Progress 1933 – 1934. Image from https://chicagology.com

Globe in the Court of the World, Ford Exhibit at the Century of Progress. Image from https://chicagology.com

As a result of his work in Chicago, Teague continued his association with Ford. He created their exhibit at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in San Diego. The following year, his Texaco exhibit proved to be a popular attraction at Dallas’s Texas Centennial Exposition. For the New York World’s Fair Teague’s exhibit work included commissions from Ford, United States Steel and National Cash Register.

Teague’s Ford Cyclorama at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.Image from https://designhistorylab.com

Working in collaboration with Edwin Fuerst for Libbey Glass they created the Embassy pattern. The glasses engraved with an eagle and stars were used at the Federal Building at the New York World’s Fair. Glasses without the engraving were sold to the public. These are very collectible today.

Walter Dorwin Teague and Edwin Fuerst glass in the Embassy pattern for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. This glass is in the collection at the Corning Museum of Glass. Author’s photo.

While Teague was busy putting the final touches on several exhibits at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, House Beautiful honored him with a feature on his apartment. To read the article click on the magazine cover below.

January, 1939 issue of House Beautiful.

Driving for Deco

We will drive anywhere to find great Art Deco.

Tag Archives: Art Deco