Charles Alvin Lisanby (January 22, 1924 - August 23, 2013) was an American Production Designer who helped define scenic design in early color television. During his career, he was nominated for sixteen Emmys and won three. In January 2010, Charles was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame at the nineteenth annual ceremony alongside Don Pardo, the Smothers Brothers, Bob Stewart, and Gene Roddenberry. Aside from his success in the entertainment industry, Charles is known for his close friendship with the artist Andy Warhol, which lasted for about ten years beginning in 1955.
Charles Lisanby's early television scenic design career was established in New York City at CBS' network facilities property department, as a set decorator. Lisanby transitioned his career as a television scenic designer, part of the creative production team for the NBC series "Kraft Music Hall." With the decline of "live television variety show" production in New York City, Lisanby temporarily relocated to Hollywood in September, 1970, picking up art an direction positions on a West Coast television production. When CBS Television City network brass axed their "Red Skelton Hour" comedy-variety series in the spring of 1970, NBC Burbank TV picked up the "Red Skelton Show," adding the program to their 1970 Fall night-time half hour programing schedule. Lisanby landed the TV show's art direction position. Lisanby purchased a property in the foothills of Hollywood. His next door neighbor was the famous actor Raymond Burr. Raymond Burr (b. March 21, -d.1997, age 76).
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Charles Lisanby's physical stature and daily fashion attire was never colorful. Charles habit was to wear black, from head to toe! At mid-age, Lisanby would dye his gray hair "black." Because of his city of New York existence, Lisanby always wore a long black overcoat, like a scenic designer "Columbo." After his move to the west coast, Lisanby maintained his same fashion attire. The NBC Burbank production facility carpenter and paint shops were divided by a wide passage aisle corridor. This corridor was purposely wide allowing "wagon" wheeled platformed sets to be maneuvered from the shop area to the studio stage. The corridor was also a short-cut to the studio's artist's page desk and entry reception foyer. The traffic in this corridor was unique. One could always recognize Charles Lisanby in the far distance because of his long 6'-2" bean pole height and black "Colombo" silhouette, "The Johnny Carson Show" production designer John Shrum gave a nick-name to Lisanby, who always carried a photo gallery port-folio under his arm, snapping the 12" high by 24" long ring binder folio open to show off his latest scenic design production still-photograph. Usually congregated in the axis of the shop corridor with fellow art department production designers Mary Weaver Dodson, Hub Braden and Ed Flesh, Shrum would warn the group, "Look out, here comes 'the Flying Nunn!" - with the "Good-Morning-hello" ritual, Lisanby immediately going into his routine photo gallery presentation to his fellow art department membership. "The Flying Nunn" dictate became a standard warning to "scatter" in opposite directions before Lisanby could meet his fellow art department designers.
$800,000
