John William Corso, 89, of Wabash, Indiana, died at 5:15 pm, Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at Parkview Huntington Hospital. He was born December 4, 1929 in Wabash, Indiana to William and Angeline D. (Catanzaro) Corso.
John was a 1948 graduate of Wabash High School, he attended Indiana University in Bloomington, and then went on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts from UCLA in Los Angeles, California. He was a US Army veteran serving during the Korean Conflict, and was part of Military Intelligence at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. John was a production designer and was one of the top 10 designers in Hollywood for many years. John worked as production designer for several Alfred Hitchcock movies, and several John Hughes films including; Uncle Buck, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, Weird Science, 16 Candles, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. He also worked as Art Director on television shows Ironside and Columbo and worked with Sylvester Stallone in Paradise Alley and on Xanadu, with Gene Kelly as the director. He was nominated for an Academy Award as production designer on the Coal Miner’s Daughter, and won an Emmy for his work in the television series, Tales of the Gold Monkey. John was a member of St. Bernard Catholic Church and Knights of Columbus in Wabash, Motion Picture Art Directors Union, and the Model A Club. He enjoyed collecting antique Lionel trains, and vintage Ford cars. John was a volunteer at the Wabash County Museum, where he helped design the train set layout. He also constructed sets for Wabash Area Community Theater, and received the Key to the City of Wabash.
He is survived by his brother, Anthony “AJ” Joseph Corso of Wabash, sister, Darlene Schnabel of Furlong, Pennsylvania, nephew, William Corso of New York, New York, and niece, Elizabeth Corso of White Plains, New York. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Funeral services will be 10:00 am, Tuesday, October 15, 219 at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 188 West Sinclair, Wabash. Burial will be in Falls Cemetery, Wabash. Friends may call 4:00 – 8:00 pm, Monday, October 14, 2019, at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, 1241 Manchester Avenue, Wabash.
Preferred memorial is F.I.S.H.
The memorial guest book for John may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.