Burt Gillett
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Burton F. Gillett (October 15, 1891 – December 28, 1971) was a
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
of animated films. He is noted for his Silly Symphonies work for
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, particularly the 1932 short film '' Flowers and Trees'' and the 1933 short film '' Three Little Pigs'', both of which were awarded the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
for Best Animated Short Film and both of which were selected for inclusion in the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
.


Early life

He was born in
Elmira, New York Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...
. His animation career started around 1916 when he was employed by the International Film Service, an early
animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales ...
under the ownership of
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
and the supervision of
Gregory La Cava Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 – March 1, 1952) was an American film director of Italian descent best known for his films of the 1930s, including ''My Man Godfrey'' and ''Stage Door'', which earned him nominations for Academy Award for Best ...
. The studio had been formed in 1915 and first employed experienced
animator An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...
s Frank Moser and William Nolan. Within a year the veterans had been joined by several new recruits. Gillett was probably recruited along with notable co-workers John Foster, Jack King, Isadore Klein, Walter Lantz, Grim Natwick,
Ben Sharpsteen Benjamin Sharpsteen (November 4, 1895 – December 20, 1980) was an American film director and producer for The Walt Disney Company, Disney. He directed 31 films between 1920 and 1980. Sharpsteen created a museum documenting the history of C ...
and
Vernon Stallings George Vernon Stallings (September 9, 1891 – April 9, 1963) was an American animation director and writer. He started working for Bray Productions in 1916 where he directed the Colonel Heeza Liar series of shorts, and the Krazy Kat shorts. He ...
.


Career

In 1929, Gillett joined the Walt Disney Studio where he started out primarily working on Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts. At this point,
Ub Iwerks Ubbe Ert "Ub" Iwerks ( ; March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, Invention, inventor, and special effects technician, known for his work with Walt Disney Animation Studios in general, and f ...
was the only experienced animator on staff.
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
visited New York City with the goal of hiring more experienced staff. The first notable animator hired this way was
Ben Sharpsteen Benjamin Sharpsteen (November 4, 1895 – December 20, 1980) was an American film director and producer for The Walt Disney Company, Disney. He directed 31 films between 1920 and 1980. Sharpsteen created a museum documenting the history of C ...
, a veteran of the
Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () was an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures in 1942, the parent company and the distri ...
. A visit by Disney to the studio of Pat Sullivan resulted in Disney hiring Gillett, the second New York animator to be hired. He started working for Disney in April, 1929.Barrier (2007), p. 71–72 The move of the two New Yorkers to the studio coincided with a significant change in the way the staff functioned. Up to 1929, Walt Disney had been the de facto director of most of the studio's films, but now he was pulling back and installing new directors. Gillett soon moved into the "music room" (the director's office). The division of responsibilities between them was still, however, informal and somewhat unclear. Disney did not hesitate to intervene and criticize Gillett in front of fellow staff members.Barrier (2007), p. 71–72 By the Summer of 1929, Iwerks and Gillett were the primary directors of the studio. Iwerks was directing the Silly Symphonies shorts, and Gillett the
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
ones, beginning with '' Wild Waves''; the Gillett-directed Mickey shorts '' The Chain Gang'' and '' The Picnic'', released the following year, marked the earliest appearances of
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...
. The involvement of Disney himself in production details declined during this period.Barrier (2007), p. 74 In 1930, Gillett directed ''
Cannibal Capers ''Cannibal Capers'' is an animated Disney short film in the '' Silly Symphonies'' series. It was released on March 13, 1930. Plot The film begins with a group of cannibals gathering together for a tribal dance. The dance is later interrupted ...
'', the first of 15 Silly Symphonies shorts to his credit. These included the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
winners '' Flowers and Trees'' and ''The Three Little Pigs'', the former the earliest Disney short to employ
Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...
and the latter one of the most successful animated shorts of the 1930s. Due to the success of ''The Three Little Pigs'', Gillett was recruited to run the
Van Beuren Studios The Van Beuren Corporation was a New York City-based animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons as well as live-action short-subjects from the 1920s to 1936. History In 1920, the Keith-Albee organization formed Fables Pictures for the ...
in 1934. While working there, he directed the Technicolor Rainbow Parade animated shorts featuring Molly Moo-Cow, Toonerville Folks, and several color
Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan (film producer), Pat Sullivan during the silent film era. An anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic young black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, ...
cartoons. He also was the one that hired
Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian Americans, Italian immigrants in New York City, Bar ...
for US$25 a week.Joseph Barbera: ''My Life in 'Toons: From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century'', Turner Pub, Nashville 1995, , p. 45 In 1934 Gillett shifted the studio production to producing only color cartoon shorts, an innovative step for early animation. The Rainbow Parade shorts imitated the Silly Symphonies, though produced with a lower budget.
Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...
were replaced with newer characters.Koszarski (2008), p. 319-320 Gillett introduced Disney-influenced ideas, and invited young Disney artists to lecture the New York veterans of Van Beuren. However, this was taken as condescension by his artists, and resulted in their resentment. It didn't help that he fired about fifty people in a six-month period, citing as his reason their failure to meet his standards. Staff morale took a blow. At Van Beuren, Gillett attempted to introduce the rigorous quality standards of Disney, but he did so while maintaining the same working conditions which had plagued the animators of the studio up to that point: low-budget work, and deadlines filled with uncompensated extra work hours.Sito (2006), unnumbered pages Artists saw their work rejected as substandard, then having to work overtime to replace it. The hard-drinking Gillett gained a reputation for emotional outbursts and instability. As a result of all this, a number of artists initiated contact with the Animated Motion Picture Workers Union (AMPWU), and discussed their plans to join the union, but Gillett had his informants among them. On February 14, 1935, Gillett called a staff meeting to announce his knowledge of their union talk. He intimidated the artists into changing their plans, though their discontent remained. He later discovered that an inker named Sadie Bodin had encouraged female staff members to stand up to Gillett and refuse to do extra work. He fired her, despite her protest that this violated the recently passed
National Labor Relations Act The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, is a foundational statute of United States labor law that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, an ...
, claiming that he fired her for her attitude rather than her stance in favor of unionizing. On April 17, 1937, Bodin and her husband began
picketing Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pi ...
outside the studio; for several days they called attention to Gillett firing employees because of their alleged union activity. Unfortunately, her former co-workers were too intimidated to stand by her side. The AMPWU filed a formal complaint against Van Beuren with the
National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...
. In his testimony, Gillett claimed that he did not force employees to work for free, but that he had set up a system whereby employees would bank their hours and take the time as paid leave. The board ruled in favor of the studio management. In a subsequent staff meeting, Amadee J. Van Beuren stated his firm support for Gillett, who used his victory to fire other union agitators. Among them was Phil Klein, who was
blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...
by the New York based animation studios, requiring him to move to California to gain employment with the Disney studio. In 1936, Gillett attempted to revive series focusing on the Toonerville Trolley and
Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan (film producer), Pat Sullivan during the silent film era. An anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic young black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, ...
. The failure of both attempts highlighted the weaknesses of his efforts to integrate the West Coast style of Disney with the East Coast style of Van Beuren. These films lacked the energy and imagination of earlier products of the studio, but also lacked the Disney charm, graphic sophistication, and logical storyline.
Van Beuren Studios The Van Beuren Corporation was a New York City-based animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons as well as live-action short-subjects from the 1920s to 1936. History In 1920, the Keith-Albee organization formed Fables Pictures for the ...
released its films through a distribution deal with
RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...
. In 1936, RKO signed an exclusive distribution deal with the Disney studio, consequently dumping Van Beuren. The ailing animation studio closed, leaving Gillett unemployed. He returned to Disney for a time, then moved to
Walter Lantz Productions Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1949 and then from 1950 to 1972, and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Pictures. The studio was originally formed as Universal Carto ...
in 1938, where he directed and wrote cartoons, sometimes using the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
"Gil Burton". Due to his perfectionism, Gillett's shorts at Lantz rapidly ran significantly overbudget and behind schedule, partially contributing to the studio's brief closure in 1940 (after distributor Universal cut the studio's weekly advance, facilitating financial shortages that could not support Gillett's production methods). Following the Lantz studio's closure, Gillett left the animation business permanently, working at a restaurant by the end of the year.


Personal life

As confirmed by several golden age animators, among them
Shamus Culhane James H. "Shamus" Culhane (November 12, 1908 – February 2, 1996) was an American animator, film director, and film producer. He is best known for his work in the Golden age of American animation. Career Shamus Culhane worked for a number of ...
, Bill Littlejohn, Izzy Klein, Grim Natwick and Jack Zander, Gillett was mentally unstable. In his autobiography, Culhane speculates that Gillett suffered from
bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...
, and notes that he swung from excessive enthusiasm to violent rages to paranoia (once attacking Culhane himself with a spindle when they worked together at Van Beuren's studio), and that he was eventually institutionalized for many years. Several of Culhane's statements have been questioned by historians. Burt's son Ted Gillett(e) was a noted aircraft designer and ham-radio engineer in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
, where his family had moved when his father first worked for Disney.


Filmography


Disney

* '' Wild Waves'' (1929) * ''
Cannibal Capers ''Cannibal Capers'' is an animated Disney short film in the '' Silly Symphonies'' series. It was released on March 13, 1930. Plot The film begins with a group of cannibals gathering together for a tribal dance. The dance is later interrupted ...
'' (1930) * '' The Fire Fighters'' (1930) * '' Frolicking Fish'' (1930) * '' Arctic Antics'' (1930) * '' The Shindig'' (1930) * '' The Chain Gang'' (1930) * '' The Gorilla Mystery'' (1930) * '' Monkey Melodies'' (1930) * '' The Picnic'' (1930) * ''
Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...
'' (1930) * '' Pioneer Days'' (1930) * '' Playful Pan'' (1930) * '' The Birthday Party'' (1931) * '' Birds of a Feather'' (1931) * ''
Traffic Troubles ''Traffic Troubles'' is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on March 7, 1931, as part of the ''Mickey Mouse (film series), Mickey Mouse'' film series. It was the twenty-sixth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, and the second of that ...
'' (1931) * '' Mother Goose Melodies'' (1931) * '' The Moose Hunt'' (1931) * '' The Delivery Boy'' (1931) * '' The Busy Beavers'' (1931) * '' Mickey Steps Out'' (1931) * '' Blue Rhythm'' (1931) * '' Fishin' Around'' (1931) * '' The Barnyard Broadcast'' (1931) * '' The Beach Party'' (1931) * '' Mickey Cuts Up'' (1931) * '' Mickey's Orphans'' (1931) * '' The Duck Hunt'' (1932) * '' The Mad Dog'' (1932) * '' Flowers and Trees'' (1932) * '' Just Dogs'' (1932) * '' Mickey's Nightmare'' (1932) * '' Bugs in Love'' (1932) * '' King Neptune'' (1932) * '' The Wayward Canary'' (1932) * '' Babes in the Woods'' (1932) * '' Mickey's Good Deed'' (1932) * '' Mickey's Pal Pluto'' (1933) * '' Ye Olden Days'' (1933) * '' Three Little Pigs'' (1933) * ''
Mickey's Gala Premier ''Mickey's Gala Premier'' is a Walt Disney cartoon produced in 1933, directed by Burt Gillett, and featuring parodies of several famous Hollywood film actors from the 1930s. It was the 58th Mickey Mouse short film, and the eighth of that year. ...
'' (1933) * '' The Steeple Chase'' (1933) * '' Giantland'' (1933) * '' Shanghaied'' (1934) * ''
Playful Pluto ''Playful Pluto'' (1934) is a Walt Disney cartoon, directed by Burt Gillett. It was the first cartoon to showcase Pluto as a major character. It was the 65th Mickey Mouse short film, and the third of that year. Plot While Mickey Mouse is work ...
'' (1934) * '' The Big Bad Wolf'' (1934) * '' Gulliver Mickey'' (1934) * '' Orphan's Benefit'' (1934) * '' Mickey Plays Papa'' (1934) * '' Lonesome Ghosts'' (1937) * '' Moth and the Flame'' (1938)


Van Beuren Studios

* ''Pastry Town Wedding'' (1934) * '' The Parrotville Fire Department'' (1934) * '' The Sunshine Makers'' (1935) * '' Parrotville Old Folks'' (1935) * ''Japanese Lanterns'' (1935) * ''Spinning Mice'' (1935) * '' A Picnic Panic'' (1935) * ''The Merry Kittens'' (1935) * '' Parrotville Post-Office'' (1935) * ''Rag Dog'' (1935) * '' The Hunting Season'' (1935) * '' Scotty Finds a Home'' (1935) * ''Bird Scouts'' (1935) * '' Molly Moo-Cow and the Butterflies'' (1935) * '' Molly Moo-Cow and the Indians'' (1935) * '' Molly Moo-Cow and Rip Van Winkle'' (1935) * ''Toonerville Trolley'' (1936) * '' Felix the Cat in "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg'' (1936) * '' Molly Moo-Cow and Robinson Crusoe'' (1936) * '' Neptune Nonsense'' (1936) * '' Bold King Cole'' (1936) * ''Trolley Ahoy'' (1936) * ''Toonerville Picnic'' (1936)


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio

* ''The Winning Ticket'' (1938)


Walter Lantz

* ''The Birth of a Toothpick'' (1939) * ''The Stubborn Mule'' (1939) * ''Silly Superstition'' (1939) * ''A Haunting We Will Go'' (1939) * ''The Sleeping Princess'' (1939) * ''Andy Panda Goes Fishing'' (1940) * '' Adventures of Tom Thumb Jr.'' (1940)


Preservation

''Japanese Lanterns'' was preserved and restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive from a 35mm nitrate print. Restoration funding was provided by
ASIFA-Hollywood ASIFA-Hollywood, an American non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California, is a branch member of the International Animated Film Association. Its purpose is to promote the art of film animation in a variety of ways, including its own arc ...
. The restoration had its world premiere at the 2024 UCLA Festival of Preservation.


References

* * * Notes


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillett, Burt 1891 births 1971 deaths Animators from New York (state) American animated film directors Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners American fantasy film directors People from Elmira, New York Walt Disney Animation Studios people Walter Lantz Productions people Film directors from New York (state)