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Burt Gillett

January 21, 2023

Burton F. Gillett (October 15, 1891 – December 28, 1971) was a director of animated films. He is noted for his Silly Symphonies work for Disney, particularly the 1932 short film Flowers and Trees and the 1933 short film Three Little Pigs, both of which were awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and both of which were selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry.

Burt Gillett
Born(1891-10-15)October 15, 1891
Elmira, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 1971(1971-12-28) (aged 80)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years active1916–1940

Early life

He was born in Elmira, New York. His animation career started around 1916 when he was employed by the International Film Service, an early animation studio under the ownership of William Randolph Hearst and the supervision of Gregory La Cava. The studio had been formed in 1915 and first employed experienced animators 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 and Vernon Stallings.

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 was the only experienced animator on staff. Walt Disney visited New York City with the goal of hiring more experienced staff. The first notable animator hired this way was Ben Sharpsteen, a veteran of the Fleischer Studios. 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.[1]

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.[1]

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 ones, beginning with Wild Waves. The involvement of Disney himself in production details declined.[2] In 1930, Gillett directed Cannibal Capers, the first of 15 Silly Symphonies shorts to his credit. These included two Academy Award winners (Flowers and Trees and The Three Little Pigs), and also featured important firsts such as the introduction of the Pluto character and the first animated short to be produced in full-color three-strip Technicolor.

Due to the success of The Three Little Pigs, Gillett was recruited to run the Van Beuren Studios 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 cartoons.[3] He also was the one that hired Joseph Barbera for US$25 a week.[4] 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 were replaced with newer characters.[5]

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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[6] 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.[6]

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.[6] 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, 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 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.[6]

The AMPWU filed a formal complaint against Van Beuren with the National Labor Relations Board. 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.[6] 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 by the New York based animation studios, requiring him to move to California to gain employment with the Disney studio.[6]

In 1936, Gillett attempted to revive series focusing on the Toonerville Trolley and Felix the Cat. 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.[5]

Van Beuren Studios released its films through a distribution deal with RKO Pictures. 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 in 1938,[6] where he directed and wrote cartoons, sometimes using the pseudonym "Gil Burton." Gillett left the animation business in 1940, working at a restaurant by the end of the year.

Personal life

As confirmed by several golden age animators, among them Shamus Culhane, Bill Littlejohn, Izzy Klein, Grim Natwick and Jack Zander, Gillett was mentally unstable. In his autobiography, Culhane speculates that Gillett suffered from bipolar disorder, 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. Culhane's statements have been questioned by historians.[7]

Burt's son Ted Gillett(e) was a noted aircraft designer and ham-radio engineer in Southern California, where his family had moved when his father first worked for Disney.[8]

Filmography

Disney

Van Beuren Studios

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)

References

  • Barrier, Michael (2007), "Building a Better Mouse, 1928-1933", The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520941663
  • Koszarski, Richard (2008), "Cartoons in the City", Hollywood on the Hudson: Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff, Rutgers University Press, ISBN 978-0813542935
  • Sito, Tom (2006), "Hollywood Labor, 1933–1941:The Birth of Cartoonists Unions", Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson, University Press of Kentucky, ISBN 978-0813138367

Notes

  1. ^ a b Barrier (2007), p. 71–72
  2. ^ Barrier (2007), p. 74
  3. ^ "Molly Moo-Cow entry". Toonopedia. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09.
  4. ^ Joseph Barbera: My Life in 'Toons: From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century, Turner Pub, Nashville 1995, ISBN 978-1-57036-042-8, p. 45
  5. ^ a b c Koszarski (2008), p. 319-320
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Sito (2006), unnumbered pages
  7. ^ . ASIFA - San Francisco. Archived from the original on 2007-08-12.
  8. ^ A Life in the Shadows August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

External links

January 21, 2023
burt, gillett, burton, gillett, october, 1891, december, 1971, director, animated, films, noted, silly, symphonies, work, disney, particularly, 1932, short, film, flowers, trees, 1933, short, film, three, little, pigs, both, which, were, awarded, academy, awar. Burton F Gillett October 15 1891 December 28 1971 was a director of animated films He is noted for his Silly Symphonies work for Disney particularly the 1932 short film Flowers and Trees and the 1933 short film Three Little Pigs both of which were awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and both of which were selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry Burt GillettBorn 1891 10 15 October 15 1891Elmira New York U S DiedDecember 28 1971 1971 12 28 aged 80 Los Angeles California U S Years active1916 1940 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4 1 Disney 4 2 Van Beuren Studios 4 3 Walter Lantz 5 References 6 External linksEarly life EditHe was born in Elmira New York His animation career started around 1916 when he was employed by the International Film Service an early animation studio under the ownership of William Randolph Hearst and the supervision of Gregory La Cava The studio had been formed in 1915 and first employed experienced animators 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 and Vernon Stallings Career EditIn 1929 Gillett joined the Walt Disney Studio where he started out primarily working on Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts At this point Ub Iwerks was the only experienced animator on staff Walt Disney visited New York City with the goal of hiring more experienced staff The first notable animator hired this way was Ben Sharpsteen a veteran of the Fleischer Studios 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 1 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 1 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 ones beginning with Wild Waves The involvement of Disney himself in production details declined 2 In 1930 Gillett directed Cannibal Capers the first of 15 Silly Symphonies shorts to his credit These included two Academy Award winners Flowers and Trees and The Three Little Pigs and also featured important firsts such as the introduction of the Pluto character and the first animated short to be produced in full color three strip Technicolor Due to the success of The Three Little Pigs Gillett was recruited to run the Van Beuren Studios 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 cartoons 3 He also was the one that hired Joseph Barbera for US 25 a week 4 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 were replaced with newer characters 5 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 5 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 6 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 6 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 6 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 6 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 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 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 6 The AMPWU filed a formal complaint against Van Beuren with the National Labor Relations Board 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 6 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 by the New York based animation studios requiring him to move to California to gain employment with the Disney studio 6 In 1936 Gillett attempted to revive series focusing on the Toonerville Trolley and Felix the Cat 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 5 Van Beuren Studios released its films through a distribution deal with RKO Pictures 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 in 1938 6 where he directed and wrote cartoons sometimes using the pseudonym Gil Burton Gillett left the animation business in 1940 working at a restaurant by the end of the year Personal life EditAs confirmed by several golden age animators among them Shamus Culhane Bill Littlejohn Izzy Klein Grim Natwick and Jack Zander Gillett was mentally unstable In his autobiography Culhane speculates that Gillett suffered from bipolar disorder 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 Culhane s statements have been questioned by historians 7 Burt s son Ted Gillett e was a noted aircraft designer and ham radio engineer in Southern California where his family had moved when his father first worked for Disney 8 Filmography EditDisney Edit Wild Waves 1929 Cannibal Capers 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 1930 Pioneer Days 1930 Playful Pan 1930 The Birthday Party 1931 Birds of a Feather 1931 Traffic Troubles 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 1933 The Steeple Chase 1933 Giantland 1933 Shanghaied 1934 Playful Pluto 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 Edit 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 Walter Lantz Edit 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 References EditBarrier Michael 2007 Building a Better Mouse 1928 1933 The Animated Man A Life of Walt Disney University of California Press ISBN 978 0520941663 Koszarski Richard 2008 Cartoons in the City Hollywood on the Hudson Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff Rutgers University Press ISBN 978 0813542935 Sito Tom 2006 Hollywood Labor 1933 1941 The Birth of Cartoonists Unions Drawing the Line The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson University Press of Kentucky ISBN 978 0813138367Notes a b Barrier 2007 p 71 72 Barrier 2007 p 74 Molly Moo Cow entry Toonopedia Archived from the original on 2016 03 09 Joseph Barbera My Life in Toons From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century Turner Pub Nashville 1995 ISBN 978 1 57036 042 8 p 45 a b c Koszarski 2008 p 319 320 a b c d e f g h Sito 2006 unnumbered pages June 1998 Newsletter ASIFA San Francisco Archived from the original on 2007 08 12 A Life in the Shadows Archived August 20 2008 at the Wayback MachineExternal links EditWorks by or about Burt Gillett at Internet Archive Burt Gillett at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Burt Gillett amp oldid 1110340882, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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