Henry Bumstead

Versatile art director Henry Bumstead was an adroit master of outdoor set design, at his best and most prolific under Alfred Hitchcock (4 films), George Roy Hill (8 films) and Clint Eastwood (13 films). The son of a sporting goods store manager and a schoolteacher, Henry inherited both strong athletic and artistic inclinations. Captain of his high school football team, he joined the University of Southern California on a four-year football scholarship. However, plans for sporting stardom were scuttled after he sustained a back injury during a match, which was to plague him for the rest of his life. It forced him to dramatically re-evaluate his career options and concentrate on his arts degree. Because of his excellent grades in drawing and architecture at USC, he was hired in 1935 by John W. Harkrider at RKO as an apprentice draughtsman for $35 a week. After two years learning the basics of his trade, he was engaged by Paramount as a sketch artist, model maker and assistant art direct