ɪn ɐ kɚɹˈɪɹ ðæt spˈænd nˌɪɹli sˈɛvənti jˈɪɹz, bˈʌmstɛd bɪɡˈæn æz ɐ dɹˈæftsmən ɪn ˌɑːɹkˌeɪˈoʊ pˈɪktʃɚz ˈɑːɹt dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ænd lˈeɪɾɚ sˈɜːvd æz ɐn ˈɑːɹt dᵻɹˈɛktɚ ɔːɹ pɹədˈʌkʃən dɪzˈaɪnɚɹ ˌɔn mˈoːɹ ðɐn nˈaɪnti fˈiːtʃɚ fˈɪlmz.
In a career that spanned nearly 70 years, Bumstead began as a draftsman in RKO Pictures' art department and later served as an art director or production designer on more than 90 feature films.