Gene Allen

In 1997, the Hollywood film industry Art Directors Guild, IATSE #800, awarded Gene Allen a Special Life Time Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of Hollywood motion picture film production design..

From 1983 to 1985, Gene served three terms as President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Gene was preceded as the Academy President by Faye Kanin and succeeded by Robert Wise. Gene was the producer for the 1985 "Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences Awards Ceremony" presentation.

A cop! Gene Allen followed his Irish father, becoming a Los Angeles Police Department foot soldier, an officer on foot patrol. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, Allen went to art school to pursue his career. With his artistic talents and a portfolio, while employed as a patrolman, off duty "Eugene" made the usual rounds of the film studios' art departments seeking employment as a sketch artist. Hired by Warner Brother's art department working as an illustrator and story-board artist. Recognizing Gene's unique creative and administrative talent and skills, he became a film art director. Gene Allen won an Oscar, an Academy Art Direction Award in 1965 for "My Fair Lady". Gene was nominated in the Academy Art Direction award category for "A Star is Born" in 1955 and for "Les Girls" in 1958.

He was an art director and production designer, known for My Fair Lady (1964), A Star Is Born (1954) and Les Girls (1957). He was married to Iris.

Working with George Cukor on his 1962 feature film "The Chapman Report", Gene was accustomed to Cukor's demand to meet each evening after filming was over, to discuss preparations for the following day's schedule of boarded scenes. Cukor expected Gene to begin each morning setting up the first shot of the day with the cinema photographer prior to Cukor's set arrival. The daily "shooting script" proved to be lacking dialogue consistent with the novel's scenario. Besides production designing, (aka art directing and story screen illustration shot-boards), Gene and George Cukor's after hours on set meeting involved discussing the next day's script/dialogue problems. After their late meeting, Gene would join his wife Iris at their Mulholland Drive residence, have dinner, settle down at his typewriter and punch out a new script of dialogue based upon Cukor's discussion. Gene would work on the script until three and four o'clock in the morning, with his wife Iris concerned for his health! Gene became a "movie writer" on top of his other creative endeavors. Each new day meant Gene had to deliver a new script for the actors to learn their dialogue. Cukor filmed Gene's "adapted script" exactly as delivered! Gene was required to join the Screen Writers Guild!.

The "My Fair Lady" musical's 1956 Broadway production was a momentous hit, setting what was then the record for the longest run of any major musical theatre production in history. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals. It has been called "the perfect musical". The New York Broadway musical "My Fair Lady" scenery was designed by Oliver Smith, with costumes designed by Cecil Beaton. When Jack Warner negotiated with Cecil Beaton to design the "Fair Lady" film costumes, Cecil Beaton's agent negotiated the film screen credit as ""Production Designed by Cecil Beaton". Both Jack Warner and George Cukor ignored the negotiated credit, bringing Gene Allen onto the creative production team as production designer. Cecil Beaton never stepped into the Warner Brothers art department offices, nor was ever involved in the creative scenic design plan meetings, nor discussions, nor with set design plans. The reason Jack Warner banned Cecil Beaton from even putting foot on a filming stage while the film was in production was because of Beaton's intrusion on the filming schedule. Cukor had early problems with Cecil Beaton on the filming stage. Beaton, setting up his still camera equipment, would ask the film's director of photography crew for lighting set-ups, to photograph featured performers in costume, especially Audrey Hepburn. The early morning still camera setups stalled the scheduled cast and camera rehearsal, delaying any stage lighting for camera set-up shots for the filming schedule. Cukor told Jack Warner "keep him off my stage!" After the ultimatum Beaton could only fuss with his costumes in dressing rooms and during make-up sessions off stage. During the film companies lunch breaks, Cecil Beaton would sneak onto the current sound stage set being filmed. Beaton would set up an easel and board, sketching the dressed and decorated stage set. Beaton sketched in pencil and ink, adding color with time permitting, or, adding watercolor washes and painting additional sketch details in his Warner studio lot office. As well, any Warner Stage that was under set construction, painting, set green and set decorating in progress, Beaton was banned from observing. After the film was finished, Beaton had an exhibition with his costume sketches, including these on-set sketch illustrations, providing some evidence, nevertheless, that he, Beaton, had designed the scenery. George Cukor and Gene Allen (as Production Designer and Second Unit Director) had teamed on the Judy Garland and James Mason (1954) film musical "A Star is Born". Cukor insisted Gene would design all the "My Fair Lady" sets when Cukor accepted the "My Fair Lady" film directorial assignment. The production's set budget was an open bank account allowing Cukor and Gene Allen complete freedom to create a lavish film look for their scenery. Exterior sets were all built on the Warner Brothers sound stages. The Ascot horse race scene was planned with the set established in the stage center, with the end stage's "elephant doors" open at the stage's opposite ends. The jockey's would start the horse race on the stage's adjacent studio dirt laden street alley, into and across the dirt stage floor race track on stage, departing the stage at the opposite end to end the cool down race in another dirt laden studio alley. After filming this sequence, the studio street/alleys were swept clean of the earth-dirt race horse tracks, scrubbed and washed!.

Gene Allen was born on June 17, 1918 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Eugene Allen.