Burt Gillett

Burton Fred "Burt" Gillett was an American director, writer, and animator, who worked on many Silly Symphonies for Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Gillet was born on October 15, 1891 to his father, Lewis Martin Gillett (1859-1910), a watchmaker at a jewelry store, and his mother, Fra McClure (1867-1944). In 1904, his family moved to Pennsylvania, where, as a high school student in 1907, Judge's Weekly awarded him second prize in a drawing contest conducted by the publication. He commuted to New York to attend the Art Students League in Manhattan around 1910. During his art education, he worked as a cashier at a lumber company.
Gillett started his professional artistic career as a newspaper cartoonist/writer for The Connellsville News and later, as a reporter for The Daily Courier. By 1913, he moved to New York, where he worked as a cartoonist for the Newburgh Daily News, and became the head of their art department. In 1918, Gillett changed careers and began directing animated shorts companies, like International Film Service in Manhattan, William Randolph Hearst's King Features Syndicate, the Barré-Bowers studio, Max Fleischer studios, and Pat Sullivan studios.
In 1929, Walt Disney visited New York for talented animator and discovered Gillett along with Ben Sharpsteen and began as an animator on early Mickey Mouse cartoons and Silly Symphonies before directing his first short Wild Waves. Following Carl Stalling's departure from the studio in January 1930, Gillett took charge of some of the directorial duties. Many of his colleagues recalled Gillett's boundless enthusiasm and stimulation as a director, as he acted out the character's movement with his body to his animators and musical composer; primarily working with Bert Lewis and Frank Churchill. Despite his contributions, Gillett also had a notorious temperament that left some feeling distain towards him.
In 1936, he took charge at Van Beuren studios where he attempted to revive Felix the Cat with methods he learned from Disney only to have minimal success. Despite a second stint at Disney directing Lonesome Ghosts, The Moth and the Flame, and Brave Little Tailor, his problems with alcohol and mental instability led to him leaving the animation industry in 1940.
Gillett led a more private life while still remaining in the West Coast and making periodical visits to Connellsville, where he was still fondly remembered for his newspaper work. He passed away in 1971 at Los Angeles, California.
==Filmography==
Year	Film 	Position
1929	The Barnyard Battle 	Animator- uncredited
1929	The Karnival Kid 	Animator - uncredited
1929	Mickey's Choo-Choo 	Animator- uncredited
1929	Mickey's Follies 	Animator- uncredited
1929	The Plowboy 	Animator- uncredited
1929	The Jazz Fool 	Animator- uncredited
1929	Wild Waves 	Director- uncredited
1930	Cannibal Capers 	Director - uncredited
1930	The Gorilla Mystery 	Animator- uncredited
1930	Frolicking Fish 	Director - uncredited
1930	The Fire Fighters 	DirectorStory - uncredited
1930	Arctic Antics 	Director
1930	The Shindig 	Director - uncredited
1930	The Chain Gang 	Director - uncredited
1930	The Gorilla Mystery 	DirectorAnimator - uncredited
1930	Monkey Melodies 	Director - uncredited
1930	The Picnic 	Director - uncredited
1930	Winter 	Director - uncredited
1930	Pioneer Days 	Director - uncredited
1930	Playful Pan 	Director- uncredited
1931	The Birthday Party 	Director- uncredited
1931	Birds of a Feather 	Director- uncredited
1931	Traffic Troubles 	Director- uncredited
1931	Mother Goose Melodies 	Director- uncredited
1931	The Moose Hunt 	Director
1931	The Delivery Boy 	Director
1931	The Busy Beavers 	Director
1931	Mickey Steps Out 	Director - uncredited
1931	Blue Rhythm 	Director- uncredited
1931	Fishin' Around 	Director- uncredited
1931	The Barnyard Broadcast	Director- uncredited
1931	The Beach Party 	Director- uncredited
1931	Mickey Cuts Up 	Director- uncredited
1931	Mickey's Orphans 	Director- uncredited
1932	The Duck Hunt 	Director- uncredited
1932	The Mad Dog 	Director
1932	Flowers and Trees 	Director- uncredited
1932	Just Dogs 	Director- uncredited
1932	Mickey's Nightmare 	Director- uncredited
1932	Bugs in Love 	Director - uncredited
1932	King Neptune 	Director - uncredited
1932	The Wayward Canary 	Director
1932	Babes in the Woods 	Director- uncredited
1932	Mickey's Good Deed 	Director- uncredited
1933	Mickey's Pal Pluto 	Director
1933	Ye Olden Days 	Director- uncredited
1933	Three Little Pigs 	Director- uncredited
1933	Mickey's Gala Premier 	Director- uncredited
1933	The Steeple-Chase 	Director- uncredited
1933	Giantland 	Director - uncredited
1934	Shanghaied 	Director - uncredited
1934	Playful Pluto 	Director
1934	The Big Bad Wolf 	Director - uncredited
1934	Gulliver Mickey 	Director - uncredited
1934	Orphan's Benefit 	Director - uncredited
1934	Mickey Plays Papa 	Director - uncredited
1937	Lonesome Ghosts 	Director - uncredited
1938	The Moth and the Flame	Director
1938	Brave Little Tailor 	Director - uncredited
==Gallery==
Burt Gillett and Walt Disney.jpg
Disney animators at work.jpg|From left: Dick Lundy, Norman Ferguson, Jack King, Gillett, Merle Gilson, and Ben Sharpsteen
Burt gillett and Disney staff.jpg|Seated, Carl Stalling and Ub Iwerks; from left, Wilfred Jackson, Sharpsteen, Gillett, Les Clark, Walt Disney, Johnny Cannon, and King. Jackson said of this photo: "I believe Ub had just finished designing the sheet music cover."
Disney staff 1930s.jpg|Stalling at the piano, with, from left, Cannon, Disney, Gillett, Iwerks, Jackson, Clark, and (seated) King and Sharpsteen.
Disney staff 1930 (1).jpg|Left to Right: King, Iwerks, W. Disney, Stalling, GillettKneeling, from left, Sharpsteen, Lundy, Gilson, and Ferguson.
Disney staff in January 1930 (2).jpg|Standing, from left: Clark, King, Sharpsteen, Jack Cutting, Gillett, Iwerks, Win Smith, Jackson, William Cottrell, Floyd GottfredsonKneeling, from left, Dick Lundy, Charles Byrne, Carlos Manriquez, Ferguson, Merle Gilson, Chuck Couch, Stalling, Cannon, W. Disney.
Disney staff in January 1930.jpg|Left to Right: W. Disney, Stalling, Sharpsteen, Iwerks, Clark, Gillett, Cannon, Jackson, and (standing) King
Disney staff 1931 (1).jpg|Standing from left: Edmond Seward, Frank Churchill, Otto Englander, Sharpsteen, Bert Lewis, Gilles "Frenchy" de Tremaudan, Clark, Rudy Zamora, Jackson, King, Tom Palmer, Cutting (behind Palmer), Cannon, Ferguson, Webb SmithSeated, from left: David Hand, Ted Sears, Lundy, Gillett, W. Disney.
Disney staff 1931 (2).jpg|1931; Standing from left: Smith, Seward, Englander, Zamora, Hand, Palmer, Cutting, W. Disney, Churchill, Cannon, SharpsteenSeated from left: King, Lundy, Sears, Ferguson, de Tremaudan, Jackson, Clark, Gillett, Lewis.
==External links==
*Gillett on CartoonResearch
Category:Males
Category:Directors
Category:Writers
Category:Animators
Category:People from New York
Category:1800s births
Category:1970s deaths
Category:Deceased
Category:Silly Symphonies
Category:Mickey Mouse
Category:Pluto
Category:American people
Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios