Norman Bel Geddes
| Norman Melancton Bel Geddes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
27 April 1893 Adrian, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | 8 May 1958 (aged 65) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
Theatrical Designer Industrial designer |
| Notable work |
Airliner Number 4 Futurama Mark I computer case |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Belle Schneider |
Norman Melancton ("Big Norm") Bel Geddes (April 27, 1893 – May 8, 1958) was an American theatrical and industrial designer.
Bel Geddes was born Norman Melancton Geddes in Adrian, Michigan, and raised in New Philadelphia, Ohio, the son of Flora Luelle (née Yingling) and Clifton Terry Geddes, a stockbroker. When he married Helen Belle Schneider in 1916, they incorporated their names to Bel Geddes. Their daughters were actress Barbara Bel Geddes and writer Joan Ulanov.
Bel Geddes began his career with set designs for Aline Barnsdall's Los Angeles Little Theater in the 1916-17 season, then in 1918 as the scene designer for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He designed and directed various theatrical works, from Arabesque and The Five O'Clock Girl on Broadway to an ice show, It Happened on Ice, produced by Sonja Henie. He also created set designs for the film Feet of Clay (1924), directed by Cecil B. DeMille, designed costumes for Max Reinhardt, and created the sets for the Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley's Dead End (1935).
Bel Geddes opened an industrial-design studio in 1927, and designed a wide range of commercial products, from cocktail shakers to commemorative medallions to radio cabinets. His designs extended to unrealized futuristic concepts: a teardrop-shaped automobile, and an Art Deco House of Tomorrow. In 1929, he designed "Airliner Number 4," a 9-deck amphibian airliner that incorporated areas for deck-games, an orchestra, a gymnasium, a , and two airplane hangars.
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