Ernst Fegté


Ernst Fegté was a German art director. He was active in the American cinema from the 1920s to the 1970s, he was the art director or production designer on more than 75 feature films. He worked at Paramount Studios at the height of his career and won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for Frenchman's Creek. He was also nominated in the same category for three other films: Five Graves to Cairo, The Princess and the Pirate, and Destination Moon. He also worked in television in the 1950s and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1956 for his work on the series, Medic.

Early years

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Fegté studied art at Hamburg University. He worked in the German cinema and created set murals for Ernst Lubitsch. Fetgé moved to the United States in the 1920s and initially worked in New York, creating backgrounds for various motion pictures produced in that city.

Paramount years

By the late 1920s, Fegté had relocated to Los Angeles where he worked at Paramount Studios for approximately 20 years. He worked under Hans Dreier, Paramount's supervising art director and "developed a more classical, almost baroque sense of set design and decoration."
Fegté's notable films included The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, The General Died at Dawn, The Lady Eve, I Married a Witch, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, and The Uninvited. He won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for Frenchman's Creek and was nominated in the same category for Five Graves to Cairo, The Princess and the Pirate, and Destination Moon.
He worked with Paramount's top directors, including Ernst Lubitsch, Fritz Lang, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, René Clair, and King Vidor.

Later years and family

Fegté left Paramount in the mid-1940s. His later works included psychological thrillers and science fiction fare, including Specter of the Rose and Destination Moon. In the 1950s, Fegté also worked in television, including Adventures of Superman, General Electric Theater, Your Jeweler's Showcase, Cavalcade of America, Medic, and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1956 for art direction on Medic. He also designed sets for the opera.
Fetge was married to Eileen O'Kane. They had three children: Peter, Quita Lou, and Carol. He died in Los Angeles in 1976.

Filmography

  • Monsieur Beaucaire
  • The Shock Punch
  • Wild, Wild Susan
  • Womanhandled
  • In Old Kentucky
  • The Trail of '98
  • Jealousy
  • The Letter
  • Nothing but the Truth
  • The Talk of Hollywood
  • The Cocoanuts
  • Animal Crackers
  • Design for Living
  • Death Takes a Holiday
  • Murder at the Vanities
  • Kiss and Make-Up
  • Ladies Should Listen
  • We're Not Dressing
  • Anything Goes
  • Enter Madame
  • Paris in Spring
  • The Princess Comes Across
  • So Red the Rose
  • The General Died at Dawn
  • Rose of the Rancho
  • Valiant Is the Word for Carrie
  • Easy Living
  • I Met Him in Paris
  • Swing High, Swing Low
  • The Big Broadcast of 1938
  • College Swing
  • Sing You Sinners
  • You and Me
  • Artists and Models Abroad
  • Cafe Society
  • Invitation to Happiness
  • The Great Victor Herbert
  • Never Say Die
  • I Want a Divorce
  • Queen of the Mob
  • Safari
  • Birth of the Blues
  • The Lady Eve
  • One Night in Lisbon
  • Virginia
  • Lucky Jordan
  • I Married a Witch
  • The Palm Beach Story
  • Star Spangled Rhythm
  • Five Graves to Cairo
  • The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
  • Riding High
  • Young and Willing
  • Frenchman's Creek
  • The Great Moment
  • The Princess and the Pirate
  • The Uninvited
  • And Then There Were None
  • Wonder Man
  • I've Always Loved You
  • Mr. Ace
  • Specter of the Rose
  • Angel and the Badman
  • Christmas Eve
  • An Innocent Affair
  • A Miracle Can Happen
  • Canadian Pacific
  • Destination Moon
  • Quebec
  • Superman and the Mole Men
  • Models Inc.
  • Run for the Hills
  • Mohawk
  • God Is My Partner
  • Monster from Green Hell
  • Sierra Stranger
  • Rockabilly Baby
  • Tarzan's Fight for Life
  • The Amazing Transparent Man
  • Beyond the Time Barrier
  • Desire in the Dust
  • ''B.S. I Love You''

    Awards

Fegté won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction and was nominated for three more:
;Won
  • Frenchman's Creek
;Nominated
  • Five Graves to Cairo
  • The Princess and the Pirate
  • ''Destination Moon''