Don MacDonald

Don MacDonald

Born in Hollywood and raised in Downey, California, Don MacDonald knew from an early age that he wanted to become an artist. He studied art throughout high school before attending Cerritos College. At twenty-three, 20th Century Fox scenic artist Gavin Cowie introduced him to J.C. Backings, where he interviewed for a position. Entering the scenic studio for the first time, MacDonald decided he wanted to spend his career painting Hollywood backdrops.

Learning the Craft

Like many Hollywood scenic artists before him, MacDonald learned through apprenticeship rather than in a classroom. His greatest influence was Jim Dobson, whose practical approach simplified the backdrop painting process. Dobson became known for using carpet rollers instead of paintbrushes, allowing artists to paint large backdrops quickly and efficiently.

When MacDonald joined J.C. Backings, Benjamin A. Resella supervised the painting department. Resella, who had drawn the original layouts for Hello, Dolly! (1969), became one of the artists from whom MacDonald learned the traditions of Hollywood scenic painting. Bob Oberbeck also taught him techniques for painting landscapes and skies.

For the Cyndi Lauper film Vibes (1988), scenic artists painted jungle backdrops measuring approximately forty feet high and six hundred feet long. One-foot-wide carpet rollers were used for nearly every element except the skies. The project illustrates both the scale of Hollywood backdrop painting and the efficiency developed by scenic artists working in teams.

Hollywood Scenic Artist

Don MacDonald became the last full-time journeyman scenic artist at J.C. Backings, which occupied the historic MGM Scenic Art Studio. As one of the “Lucky Last,” he belonged to the final generation trained directly by scenic artists whose careers began during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

During a forty-five-year career, MacDonald painted backdrops for hundreds of feature films and television productions. Karen Maness documents his work on Ghostbusters (1984), Poltergeist II (1986), Vibes (1988), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), Independence Day (1996), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), Stuart Little (1999), The Terminal (2004), Mad Men (2015), The Hateful Eight (2015), Hail, Caesar! (2016), The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018), and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018).

Legacy

MacDonald’s career traces the final decades of Hollywood’s hand-painted backdrop tradition. Trained by Benjamin A. Resella, Bob Oberbeck, Jim Dobson, and other veteran scenic artists, he carried techniques developed during the studio era into the twenty-first century. After retiring from full-time studio work, MacDonald continued sharing those techniques through oral history interviews and projects with the Hollywood Backdrop Collection at Texas Performing Arts.

MacDonald, Don. Art Directors Guild Oral History Interview with Karen L. Maness.

Isackes, Richard M., and Karen L. Maness. The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop. Regan Arts, 2016.