Let me attempt to shed some light on the mystery of why Production Designer Harper Goff was not given an Oscar when his designs for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea won for the category.
The year was 1955 and the event was the 27th Annual Academy Awards. The winner that night for Best Art Direction (Color) was Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The two statuettes handed out went to the film's Art Director of record, John Meehan, and its Set Decorator, Emile Kuri, but the unofficial award for the most injustice done to a leading designer not recognized went to the film's Production Designer and the true artist behind the film's visual conception and realization, Harper Goff.
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