John Dapper(1923-2021)
- Art Department
- Production Designer
- Art Director
John Dapper (born December 8, 1923 in Huntington Park, California) has
worked as a scenic designer and art director on dozens of classic
films, numerous television episodes, and blockbuster theatrical
productions on Broadway.
As a young man, Dapper took courses in architecture and design at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. In 1945, he began his career at 20th Century Fox, first starting in the mail room, where he met Lyman Hallowell, an apprentice editor who was to become his lifelong partner and eventually, his husband. Dapper quickly rose in the art department, and soon worked as a set designer on such notable films as The Gunfighter (1950), All About Eve (1950), and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). In 1955, he moved to MGM Studios, designing sets for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Oklahoma! (1955) and Guys and Dolls (1955) at Goldwyn.
In 1956, he moved to New York City and worked under the direction of the Tony Award winning scenic designer Oliver Smith on many Broadway musicals including the original productions of Hello, Dolly! My Fair Lady, and The Sound of Music. He also created set designs for the Negro Ensemble Company, and for ballets by Paula Lang. He lived in Brooklyn Heights, and socialized with Truman Capote, who lived in the flat below him.
Dapper maintained a working schedule between New York and Hollywood for the next 10 years, returning to 20th Century Fox in 1957 to work on An Affair to Remember (1957). In this production, he designed the sets in the ocean liner scenes based on sketches he made aboard the American Export ship Constitution while on a transatlantic voyage from Europe to New York earlier that year. Other notable films he worked on during this period include April Love (1957), Desk Set (1957), The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Peyton Place (1957), and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
In 1968, he co-founded Times Four Productions along with Wylie Hance, Robert Delaney, and Earl Barnes. Dapper served as art director, and that year the company produced the film El Greco, shot on location in Spain. In 1977, Dapper (along with Romain Johnston and Robert Checchi) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Comedy-Variety or Music Special for They Said It with Music: Yankee Doodle to Ragtime (1977). During this time, Dapper and his partner Lyman Hallowell purchased a farmhouse outside of Tinicum, PA on Geigel Hill Road. They named their home "Giggle Hill" and hosted numerous weekend pool parties during the summer months, attracting dozens of artists, musicians, actors, and New York City bohemians.
After leaving Times Four in 1974, he worked as an independent contractor and was the art director on The Godfather Part II (1974), Islands in the Stream (1977), Ragtime (1981), A Chorus Line (1985), and The Untouchables (1987).
On August 14, 2008 in San Diego, California, he legally married Lyman Hallowell, his partner of 63 years, on the anniversary of their first meeting (VJ Day, 1945). Both men were the subject of the award-winning documentary Johnny and Lyman: A Life Together (2010). He is a retired member of United Scenic Artists.
As a young man, Dapper took courses in architecture and design at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. In 1945, he began his career at 20th Century Fox, first starting in the mail room, where he met Lyman Hallowell, an apprentice editor who was to become his lifelong partner and eventually, his husband. Dapper quickly rose in the art department, and soon worked as a set designer on such notable films as The Gunfighter (1950), All About Eve (1950), and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). In 1955, he moved to MGM Studios, designing sets for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Oklahoma! (1955) and Guys and Dolls (1955) at Goldwyn.
In 1956, he moved to New York City and worked under the direction of the Tony Award winning scenic designer Oliver Smith on many Broadway musicals including the original productions of Hello, Dolly! My Fair Lady, and The Sound of Music. He also created set designs for the Negro Ensemble Company, and for ballets by Paula Lang. He lived in Brooklyn Heights, and socialized with Truman Capote, who lived in the flat below him.
Dapper maintained a working schedule between New York and Hollywood for the next 10 years, returning to 20th Century Fox in 1957 to work on An Affair to Remember (1957). In this production, he designed the sets in the ocean liner scenes based on sketches he made aboard the American Export ship Constitution while on a transatlantic voyage from Europe to New York earlier that year. Other notable films he worked on during this period include April Love (1957), Desk Set (1957), The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Peyton Place (1957), and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
In 1968, he co-founded Times Four Productions along with Wylie Hance, Robert Delaney, and Earl Barnes. Dapper served as art director, and that year the company produced the film El Greco, shot on location in Spain. In 1977, Dapper (along with Romain Johnston and Robert Checchi) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Comedy-Variety or Music Special for They Said It with Music: Yankee Doodle to Ragtime (1977). During this time, Dapper and his partner Lyman Hallowell purchased a farmhouse outside of Tinicum, PA on Geigel Hill Road. They named their home "Giggle Hill" and hosted numerous weekend pool parties during the summer months, attracting dozens of artists, musicians, actors, and New York City bohemians.
After leaving Times Four in 1974, he worked as an independent contractor and was the art director on The Godfather Part II (1974), Islands in the Stream (1977), Ragtime (1981), A Chorus Line (1985), and The Untouchables (1987).
On August 14, 2008 in San Diego, California, he legally married Lyman Hallowell, his partner of 63 years, on the anniversary of their first meeting (VJ Day, 1945). Both men were the subject of the award-winning documentary Johnny and Lyman: A Life Together (2010). He is a retired member of United Scenic Artists.
