- John Mansell Braden was born on January 20, 1935 in Weld County, Colorado, USA. He is a production designer and art director, known for The Many Sides of Don Rickles (1970), The Kraft Music Hall (1967) and Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery (1978).
- John's Identical twin brother is Hub Braden. Attending together the California College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley, California; transferring to the Chicago Art Institute, Goodman Theatre School, and Chicago University, both received their B.A. Degree. During the summer of 1957, Robert "Bob" Currier, owner and Producer, hired the twins for his Kennybunkport Playhouse Summer Stock Theatre. The twins alternated acting as Scenic Designer and decorator, as Tech director, as carpenters and scenic artists, lighting directors, while supervising and teaching twelve apprentices. After receiving their degree, John traveled East to locate in New York, seeking theatrical interviews with Scenic stage designers. Twin Hub traveled West to Hollywood, interviewing with television-film scenic and art departments.
- John Braden, an Art Director (and Scenic Designer), was on staff with ABC TV New York (Capitol Cities) prior to the Disney Purchase. John has been with the ABC Network News Division since starting with ABC TV in 1969. For the News Division, he has designed NY National news anchor election sets. He also designed Democratic and Rebublican Convention Network Anchor news desks (usually on location assignments with the News Departments' Logistic Services. Braden was the Art Director on the Nixon Investigation Hearing in Washington, D.C., supervising the addition of the outside exterior wing addition, on the exterior of the Supreme Court House Building, required for the Network News Pool coverage. The News Department assigned him to "Good Morning, America", which he served as their Art Director until 1998. John Braden's free lance work includes "New York City Ballet" lobby exhibit designs and installations at the New York State Theatre. John Braden also has been the Art Director on the PBS Charlie Rose Hour program.
- When Rouben Ter-Arutunian was filming "The Loved One" in Hollywood, Rouben was also designing scenery for George Balanchine's new ballet revival "The Nutcracker" for his Lincoln Center New York City Ballet. Rouben brought John to the West Coast to assist him with models, illustrations, drawing construction plans and elevations, as well as paint elevations for the construction and paint shops. John's identical twin brother Hub had already been assisting Rouben when arriving on the West Coast. While Rouben finished the film, John returned to New York, supervising and working with construction and paint charge men, and following the project in the scenic studio building the sets. Both the Braden twins received program credit on opening night!.
- 1969 made History with the first Moon Landing. The three networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC pooled their news coverage of the historic event. Network discussions and negotiations with NASA, the electronic signal transmission from space was unpredictable, with no guarantee that a signal would be received showing the astronauts landing and subsequent exit of the capsule, and movements on the moon's surface. A "moon surface" stage set was built in a Brooklyn Television Studio-Stage. An exact replica of the space capsule with a ladder, two astronauts dressed in identical space suits had been rehearsed matching what NASA had practiced with the actual pair landing on the real moon. The television cameras, crew and cast, all stood by to take over duplicating the event if transmission failed. John Braden was the ABC-TV Art Director responsible for replicating the moon landing sight on the Brooklyn Studio stage. John remarked that the Network coverage could have been the greatest hoax if the galactic electronic transmission television picture had failed reaching our planet earth.
- Eugene Lee designed the scenery for "Sweeney Todd". The glass warehouse ceiling hangs overhead above the stage. Salvaged warehouse units comprised the Broadway set. Pete Feller's shop had to build a set for the roadshow tour. With no drawings, Pete asked John Braden to measure and draw up plans and elevations of the set so his theatrical scenic shop could build the set. Braden spent a week, mornings and afternoons on the stage making notes and drawings for Pete.
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