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Fredric Hope
Fredric Hope
Fredric Hope
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Fredric Hope (January 22, 1900 – April 20, 1937) was an American art director. He won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for the film The Merry Widow.[1][2] He was born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania to Helen Dodge and Harry Hope. He was educated at Cleveland School of Art, Art Institute of Chicago and Otis Art Institute. In 1922 he became a draftsman and an art director with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[3] He died in Hollywood, California.

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Fredric Hope

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'''Fredric Hope''' (January 22, 1900 – April 20, 1937) was an American art director best known for his work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during Hollywood's Golden Age and for sharing the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for ''The Merry Widow'' (1934). He collaborated frequently with MGM's supervising art director Cedric Gibbons on several acclaimed films of the era, contributing to productions such as ''Flesh and the Devil'' (1926), ''Dinner at Eight'' (1933), ''Anna Karenina'' (1935), ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1936), and ''Camille'' (1936). His distinctive set designs helped define the visual style of these classic motion pictures. Hope's promising career ended abruptly with his death in 1937 following complications from an appendectomy.

Early life and education

Birth and family background

Fredric Hope was born on January 22, 1900, in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, USA. His parents were Helen Dodge and Harry Hope, who were non-professionals. He was married.

Artistic training

Fredric Hope received his artistic training at three institutions following his high school education. He attended the Cleveland School of Art, studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, and trained at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. These schools provided him with foundational skills in art and design prior to his transition to motion picture work in 1922.

Film career

Entry into Hollywood

Fredric Hope entered the Hollywood film industry in 1922, beginning his career as a draftsman and art director on The Courtship of Miles Standish (released 1923). His early contributions focused on the art department, where he handled set-related work in a period when such credits were often minimal or unlisted in modern databases. By the mid-1920s, Hope had credits in set decoration and settings on several films, including Flesh and the Devil (1926), where he was credited as Frederic Hope for settings, Tin Hats (1926) as set decorator, and Exit Smiling (1926) for settings. These roles reflected his foundational work in art direction support during the silent era's transition period. He gradually transitioned from set decorator positions to full art director responsibilities by the late 1920s, building on his initial technical experience. This early phase of his Hollywood career culminated in his formal affiliation with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer beginning in 1926.

MGM tenure and progression

Fredric Hope joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1926, where he remained employed until his death in 1937, serving primarily as an associate art director in the art department headed by supervising art director Cedric Gibbons. He began his MGM tenure in the late 1920s with credits as a set decorator and settings designer on various productions before progressing in the 1930s to associate art director roles on many of the studio's major features. In this capacity, Hope frequently contributed to literary adaptations and musicals, typically as associate art director rather than principal, reflecting the collaborative hierarchy under Gibbons. Representative examples of his work include associate art direction on Sadie McKee (1934), Anna Karenina (1935), A Tale of Two Cities (1935), and Camille (1936). His MGM career culminated in a shared Academy Award for The Merry Widow (1934).

Key collaborations and projects

Fredric Hope frequently collaborated with Cedric Gibbons, MGM's supervising art director, on the studio's major prestige productions during the 1930s, serving primarily in supporting roles as associate art director or associate settings on large-scale films. These contributions involved assisting in the creation of elaborate sets and visual environments that characterized MGM's high-profile output in the era. He was credited as associate art director on Camille (1936), Maytime (1937), and Night Must Fall (1937), while providing associate settings for Romeo and Juliet (1936). In these capacities, Hope supported the realization of opulent period designs and dramatic interiors on some of MGM's most ambitious projects. His involvement in these prestige pictures built upon the distinctive visual style that had earned him earlier recognition from the Academy. Hope also received primary art director credits on several smaller MGM productions, including We Went to College (1936), Women Are Trouble (1936), and Sworn Enemy (1936). These assignments demonstrated his ability to lead art direction independently on more modest films while maintaining the studio's characteristic polish.

Academy Award

Win for The Merry Widow

Fredric Hope shared the Academy Award for Best Art Direction with Cedric Gibbons for their work on the 1934 film The Merry Widow. The honor was bestowed at the 7th Academy Awards ceremony, held on February 27, 1935, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, recognizing films released in 1934. The Merry Widow, a lavish musical adaptation of Franz Lehár's operetta produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starred Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. The film's sumptuous visual style, credited to Hope and Gibbons (head of MGM's art department), earned it this sole Academy Award win. This recognition came during Hope's tenure at MGM.

Death

Circumstances of death

Fredric Hope died on April 20, 1937, in Hollywood, California, at the age of 37. His death followed an appendectomy. The loss occurred shortly after he completed his contributions as associate art director on the film Maytime (1937). This sudden end abruptly concluded his eleven-year career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he had worked since 1926.
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