Romain Johnston

Romain Johnston production designed the NBC 25th Anniversary of the World of Walt Disney as a NBC Special Event program, air date: September 13, 1978. Romain asked Hub Braden to assist him in the design of the television program. Production Designer Romain Johnston's illustrative scenic design talents was important for the television program's 25th Anniversary Disney Cartoon Style of scenic interpretation. The background scenic elements in each segment's presentation had a "Disney Look".A special feature of the program's format was to present illustrative segments of the Disney catalog of feature animated film tributes. One of the rare occasions that the Walt Disney Burbank Animation Studio Archive was opened, when original painted-illustration-background Matt paintings were allowed to be removed from the basement Disney studio vault. Art Director Hub Braden, working in association with the Production Designer Romain Johnston, selected seventy five (75) background Matt illustrations, transporting the valuable collection to the NBC TV Burbank Photography lab, where each illustration was photographed, included in the body of the 25th anniversary television show's anthology history, Braden, personally transporting the precious cargo of illustrations in his 1969 Mercury Cougar convertible, returned the entire collection to the Disney Studio Archive department manager. Their "deal" was that only Hub Braden was allowed to handle the archive material. The basement vault storage of the material was an incredible experience for Braden. Not one of the illustrations was marked nor categorized in the stacks of files. Each illustration was either on the original card-board Matt illustration board, or on canvas, rolled in a brown paper wrapping. The selection process required two weeks of research allowing Braden to select specific historic background illustrations for inclusion in the program's historic format scenario.

The play adaptation of the Selznick produced 1939 film "Gone With The Wind" was originally produced in Tokyo, Japan, titled "Gone With The Wind". In 1966, a nine hour play (without music) based upon "Gone With The Wind" opened at the Tokyo Imperial Theatre. This production was highly successful, and Kazuo Kikuta and the Toho Company decided to produce a musical version of "Gone With The Wind" at the same theatre. Kikuta wrote the book to the new musical, but the rest of the production was largely the work of Americans. The music and lyrics were by American Harold Rome, the director was American Joe Layton, and the musical director was well known Broadway conductor Lehman Engel. The original Tokyo musical production was presented in two parts - each for six months and each ran four hours long. This production opened in January 1970 with the title "Scarlett". The Tokyo "Scarlett" musical underwent severe trimming when it was translated into English, reduced to one part but still close to four hours long. "Scarlett" had a new book adapted by Horton Foote and was rechristened "Gone With The Wind"; the West End version produced by Harold Fielding, and again choreographed and directed by Joe Layton, opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1972, with a cast headed by June Ritchie, Harve Presnel, Patricia Michael and Robert Shawn. The majority of reviews praised Ritchie's Scarlett and were duly impressed by Joe Layton's staging; however, they criticized Foote's adaptation of the story, which relied heavily on the audience's prior knowledge of the characters and plot, and as a result was sketchy in its presentation. Still, Fielding was encouraged enough to schedule a Broadway opening for April 7, 1974. Rechristened again, "Scarlett", a revised version of the London production was mounted for the Los Angeles (& San Francisco) Civic Light Opera subscription season at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, opening in August, 1973. The musical was rehearsed, during July, on the Pasadena Civic Auditoium stage prior to opening in Los Angeles. Leslie Ann Warren, as Scarlett, Pernell Roberts as Rhett Butler, Terrence Monk and Udana Power were in the cast. Television production designer Romain Johnston redesigned and revised the London musical "Gone With The Wind" production, designing nearly all new scenery. The inaugural Los Angeles production was more than three and a half hours long (with one intermission). The strongly negative reviews prompted Layton to make numerous changes, including the score which was heavily cut and revised, throughout the Ahmanson run and during the subsequent (September-October) San Francisco engagement. After closing in San Francisco, Henry Fielding canceled his plan to move his musical "Scarlett" - for the 1974 Broadway Spring opening, timed for a Tony nomination bid. In 1976, Lucia Victor staged a production utilizing the 'sacked' scenery in Dallas that traveled to three other cities in Texas. That was the last time "Scarlett" was staged, heard and produced.

He was an art director and set decorator, known for Flip (1970), The Mac Davis Show (1974) and Pryor's Place (1984).

Romain studied theatrical set-stage design in the drama department of Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he and Jim Trittipo were enrolled at the same time. Upon graduating, Romain followed Jim to New York City, where Jim was working as a staff ABC television scenic designer on "Tales of Tomorrow" (1951-1953). Romain designed scenery for the NBC TV show "Firestone Hour", a music variety series. ABC New York sent Trittipo to the West Coast, in the late 50's, to design scenery for music, variety, game, and local programming. After the "Hollywood Palace" began the 1964 first season, in late April, Jim Trittipo was diagnosed with hepatitis, admitted to the Culver City Hospital. Jim asked the show's producer Nick Vanoff to bring Romain West, from New York to finish the show's season. Prior to the start of the fourth season, Vanoff and Harbach produced "The King Sister's" family ABC TV variety show pilot. The Hollywood Palace "Zodiac Production" team produced the pilot. When ABC TV picked up the "King Family" pilot for series, Vanoff and Harbach hired Romain as the production designer. Johnston moved West with his son Christopher, and stayed West. Romain and Jim were lifelong friends.

Romain Johnston was born on April 20, 1929 in Flint, Michigan, USA.

One of the NBC 25th Anniversary of Walt Disney show's production segments was a tribute to Walt Disney, which featured a duplication of Walt Disney's Burbank Studio office, based upon the studio's archive photographs. Art director Hub Braden sourced the Disney Property Department where all the furniture from Walt Disney's office was stored, and incorporated in the property division's inventory. With the archive photographs, every stick of accurate furniture pieces was located, including the original desk top office accessories. The property department, adjacent the main loading door, displayed Walt Disney's private collection of fire-men helmets that Disney displayed in his private office. All of this material was used in dressing the television show's "Disney Office" stage setting. Upon completion of the television special, all of these office items were returned to the Disney Property Division's premises. About ten years afterwards, the Disney Studio decided to reduce the Property Department's inventory with a parking lot sale. Braden attended the preview of the property items placed in the parking lot only to discover the Walt Disney original office furniture, including his desk, his swivel arm chair, credenza, and all the office accessories were included in the sale. When Braden alerted the property manager about these items, the manager replied, "I was told to get rid of them!" This weekend sale removed all of Walt's original office furniture from the studio lot FOREVER! Some lucky individual has a couple of invaluable pieces - but does not know the value of the items purchased at the sale.