Biography

Johnny Carson's wife, Joanna, instigated a new set for Johnny Carson's nightly interview program. Fred DeCordava called a meeting with Shrum, asking him for a presentation of set concepts. Up in his Art Department office, Shrum called an art pow-wow creative meeting with Ed Flesh, Hub Braden and Mary Weaver Dodson. Shrum designed five models (approximately two weeks for concept delivery). Carson took the concept set models home so that Joanna could choose the winning set design.

NBC Burbank had one of the largest roster of Art Director talent employed by any studio in the infancy of the electronic transmission era. Film Assistant Art Directors jumped into television art department opportunities, hired as TV Art Directors, bringing MP film production techniques into the new medium of television. Spencer Davies, Harold Michaelson, Ray Beal, Jay Krause, and John Shrum were former members of Film Art Departmenr Staffs (Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Columbia, MGM, Universal). John Shrum was usually given the typical game show projects because of his wonderful sense of humor dealing with the Producer's and their writer's crazy requests. John also did "Queen For A Day" at the Sunset and Vine NBC Studio.

John Shrum was the Art Director for Art Linkletter's "Truth or Consequences" on NBC television. John's early career had been in the art department at Paramount Studios, where he was also used at Paramount's KTLA television division. NBC hired Shrum from KTLA to add to their art department staff.

Johnny Carson's wife, Joanna, was a member of the Thalians. This illustrious group of showbiz women held an annual fundraising theatrical show featuring a number of stars. Because of his association with the "Tonight Show", John Shrum won the lottery as the groups' Production Designer. The Johnny Carson scene docked scenery became the scenery featured in the stage spectacular. Carson always footed the charges incurred by NBC utilizing the transportation trucking charges, Johnny Rose's scene dock crew, graphic and scenic charges for painting scenery and drops, and for the construction shop's carpenters and special effects wizards providing specialty flying stunts and scenic challenges.

Upon moving the "Tonight Show" to Burbank, the production offices were located in a row of second floor offices, formerly occupied by the NBC art department, (which carpenters and painters had nick-named "fairy land heaven" - because these production offices were located above the first floor wardrobe and graphic arts office complex). John Shrum's second floor office was adjacent Fred DeCordava's office. The air conditioning ducts connected all the offices above the office ceilings. Usually with conversations being loud, John learned many secrets - negotiations, prospective guest schedules. John enjoyed his pet parrot and decided to bring his parrot, from home, to the office occasionally. John would place the cage on top of an apple-box riser so the cage, and it's inhabitant, could be closer to the air condition ceiling duct. The yakking parrot's talk could now entertain Fred DeCordava, while John was on stage supervising show set-ups.