Charles Novi

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 15th Academy Awards ceremony occurred Thursday, March 4, 1945 at the famed Cocoanut Grove of The Ambassador Hotel located on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. In the ART DIRECTION (COLOR) category, the WINNER was (1) "WILSON" - Art Direction: Wiard Ihnen; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little; The ART DIRECTION (COLOR) NOMINEES follow: (2) "THE CLIMAX" - Art Direction: John B. Goodman, Alexander Golitzen; Interior Decoration: Russell A. Gausman, Ira S. Webb; (3) "COVER GIRL" - Art Direction: Lionel Banks, Cary Odell; Interior Decoration: Fay Babcock; (4) "THE DESERT SONG" - Art Direction: Charles Novi; Interior Decoration: Jack McConaghy; (5) "KISMET" - Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Daniel B. Cathcart; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, Richard Pefferle; (6) "LADY IN THE DARK" - Art Direction: Hans Dreier, Raoul Pene du Bois; Interior Decoration: Ray Moyer; (7) "THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE" - Art Direction: Ernst Fegte; Interior Decoration: Howard Bristol.

Jack L. Warner was a visionary in 1940, who had the authority to be totally inspired to bring the entire Frenchman's founding director Rene Blum's "Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo" ensemble dance troupe from their New York City temporary company based headquartered location to his California Burbank Studio after the ballet company's impresario Sol Hurok's American and South American international 1938-1939/40 tour had concluded. Jack Warner had seen the Rene Blum dance company's live performances in Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium during the impresario Sol Hurok's Rene Blum produced "The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo" sponsored American and South American Tour. Jack Warner's determined sponsorship for presenting filmed stage theatricals as part of his prestigious film catalogue causing his impetus to produce two "WB feature-film shorts" using the ballet company's featured international Russian and French principal soloists and ensemble. Jack L. Warner demanded - new "film costumes" for his two "film shorts" - replacing all the original ballet company's worn and shabby tour costume wardrobe, originally designed and built by Madam Barbara Karinska in either her Paris, London, and New York City costume shops. The Ballet Company's wardrobe trunks had been delivered to Warner Brothers' Burbank film studio prior to the Ballet Russe Dance Company's personnel and management arrival at the film studio. The Warner Brothers' costume-wardrobe department meticulously copied every costume for the two short featurettes. The dance company's original ballet costumes were supervised and maintained by Barbara Karinska, who had toured with the ballet company's whirl-wind American and South American International Tour as the company's wardrobe mistress. Although Tamara Tormanova had been featured in the company's tour repertoire in "the glove role", she did not perform the role in this "Gay Parisian" film short. Tormanova performed in the Warner's second feature film short "Spanish Fiesta". Both film shorts were filmed in 1941, with the studio releasing "Gay Parisian" first in January, 1942, and the second short "Spanish Fiesta" in March, 1942.

He was known for Romance of Louisiana (1937), Code of the Secret Service (1939),Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica School (1942), To Have and Have Not (1944) and Henry Busse and His Orchestra (1940).

Film Director Jean Negulesco was usually paired with a sixty three year old WB Production Designer, Art Director Charles Martin Novi, born in Milan, Italy, on June 30, 1889. Charles Novi was part of the Jack L. Warner Brothers' feature film studio's stable of art department staff in 1940. Novi was active at the WB Studio from 1936 to 1945. Charles Novi was nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for an Academy Award in the category "ART DIRECTION (COLOR)" for the WB film "The Desert Song" in 1945. Charles Novi's feature film short studio production design assignments represent his principal focused detailed designer style showcase.. Novi's artistic talents had a very Euorpean theatrical design style in his architectural analysis. These two feature film shorts illustrate Novi's approach to stage set design, and as a testimonial in the two Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo film shorts: "Gay Parisian" and "Spanish Fiesta".

Charles Novi was an Art Director born on June 30, 1887 in Milan, Italy.