RIP Wayne Fitzgerald

1930-2019

Emmy Award-winning film title designer who created the main titles for the Lucille Ball film Mame (1974). Over a career that spanned 55 years, he designed close to a thousand motion picture and television main and end title sequences for top directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, John Huston, Mike Nichols, Robert Redford, Roman Polanski, Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty, Herbert Ross, John Hughes, and Quentin Tarantino.

In addition to Mame, he also designed titles for the 1958 non-musical film Auntie Mame starring Rosalind Russell.  Other musical film credits include The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Camelot, Grease, Funny Lady, On A Clear Day…, Annie, and Funny Girl. 

The Mame title sequence that serves as the backdrop for his titles tracks the journey by train of young Patrick Dennis from the reading of his father’s will to his arrival with nanny Agnes Gooch at his Auntie Mame’s New York City home. The art deco credits font was set against period film clips and evocative artwork.