RIP John J. Lloyd

October 5, 2014

1922 - 2014 John Lloyd, motion picture and television Art Director and Production Designer died peacefully at home with his family at his side. He was 92. John is perhaps best remembered for his Production Design work on THE BLUES BROTHERS, THE NAKED GUN, THE NAKED GUN 2 ½, INTO THE NIGHT, THE THING, THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, D.C. CAB, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, JAWS: THE REVENGE, and many more. Starting in the early 1950s John helped pioneer film-quality art direction in the new world of television and made for TV movies. Working at Lew Wasserman's Revue Studios (later Universal Studios) he contributed his keen eye for detail on TV shows including STUDIO 57, WAGON TRAIN, SUSPICION, THE MILLIONAIRE, CHECKMATE (Emmy for Art Direction and Scenic Design), LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, DESTRY, BOB HOPE PRESENTS, THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM, THE MUNSTERS, COLUMBO and hundreds of others including 137 episodes of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS. John found working with Hitchcock especially rewarding and he credited this association as the spring-board which lead to his art direction of movies including THE DAY OF THE LOCUST, RAGGEDY MAN, ANIMAL HOUSE, COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT and others. Film director John Landis recently remarked: "John Lloyd was a terrific man with a great sense of humor. I was lucky to work with him on ANIMAL HOUSE, THE BLUES BROTHERS and INTO THE NIGHT. John was an old pro and a pleasure to collaborate with." Off-camera, John's architectural talents were tapped by Hollywood notables who employed him in the design of their dream homes, many of which still stand today in Brentwood and Bel Air. John was born in Dearborn, Michigan. In the mid 1920's he caravanned across county with his parents, uncles and aunts to a better life out west. They settled in Ramona, California where he assisted his parents in running the local mercantile store and in the day-to-day operation of a turkey ranch. The family moved to Culver City where John's father and uncle got jobs in the movie industry at MGM Studios. As a teen he learned about the mechanics of flight while washing airplanes for a nickel a piece at the old Culver airfield. During World War II John served in the Navy and put this background to good use. Stationed at Norman Oklahoma, he instructed Navy airmen on the mechanics of aircraft and theory of flight. After the war he attended and graduated from the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. John was preceded in death by June, his wife of 54 years. They met when he came upon her selling gladiolus and honey by the side of the road in Topanga Canyon. John & June married and settled with their family in Woodland Hills, California. John's strong work ethic, reputation, and dedication to his family and craft kept him steadily employed in the entertainment industry for close to 50-years. In retirement John and his wife traveled the world with John always seeing its wonders through his art director's eye. John will be missed by all those who knew him. He will be fondly remembered for regaling all those around him with his stories about colorful family characters, his childhood antics, and his adventures on location and behind the scenes for television and motion picture productions. John is survived by his son David Lloyd of Las Vegas, two daughters, Lonnie Lloyd and Lisa Lloyd, of Woodland Hills and Canoga Park respectively, and two grand-children Cameron Thompson and John David Lloyd. A memorial is planned for October 18th to be held at John's home in Woodland Hills, CA. For information please make a request at: johnjlloyd1922@gmail.com. Your request will receive a prompt response..

Born: 1922, Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.A.

Died: October 2014, Woodland Hills, California, U.S.A.

Wagon Train (TV) – 1957

Buckskin (TV) – 1958-1959

Riverboat (TV) – 1959

Laramie (TV) – 1959-1960

Shotgun Slade (TV) – 1960

The Tall Man (TV) – 1960-1962

Whispering Smith (TV) – 1961

Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1961

Wide Country (TV) – 1962-1963

Destry (TV) – 1964

The Hanged Man (TV) – 1964

The Savage Land (TV) – 1969