Harriet Burns

Harriet Burns
Harriet Burns,Blaine Gibson,andThe Haunted Mansionghosts in 2008
Born	Harriet Tapp (1928-08-20)August 20, 1928 San Antonio, Texas
Died	July 25, 2008(2008-07-25)(aged 79) Los Angeles,California
Occupation(s)	Scenic designer, model maker
Spouse	William Burns
Children	1

Harriet Burns(August 20, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an Americanartistanddesigner.Burns was the first woman hired in theWalt Disney Imagineeringdepartment within theWalt Disney Company.

Biography

Early life

Burns was bornHarriet TappinSan Antonio, Texas,on August 20, 1928, and raised inSeguin, Texas.She earned herbachelor's degreefromSouthern Methodist UniversityinDallasand studied advanceddesignat theUniversity of New Mexico.

Harriet Tapp married William Burns, and the couple moved toLos Angeleswith their infant daughter in 1953.William Burns died in 1986.

Walt Disney Imagineering

Burns's first job in Los Angeles was at Dice Display Industries Cooperative Exchange.She designed props and sets for television shows, including theColgate Comedy Hour,as well as interiors and sets for floor shows and hotels inLas Vegas,includingThe Dunes.She also worked at a tourist attraction theme park inLake Arrowhead, California,called Santa's Village during the mid-1950s.When the attraction closed, a friend advised Burns to apply for open positions atDisney.

Burns began working atDisney Studiosin 1955 as a prop and set painter for theMickey Mouse Club.She helped to design and build the famed Mouse Clubhouse which was a featured fixture on the show.Her appearance caused her to stand out on the set, as she dressed inhigh heelsand a skirt to work with the hardware and tools, such as thedrill pressandsanders.

Burns shared a workstation at the Disney Studio with a fellow Disney employee namedFred Joerger.Joerger was amodelbuilder forWED Enterprises,which is now known asWalt Disney Imagineering.He was working onprototypemodels for the futureDisneylandtheme park.In addition to her job as a set builder, Burns began working with Joerger in Disney's model shop building miniature prototypes of Disneyland buildings and attractions.WED Enterprises originally consisted of just three members — Harriet Burns, Fred Joerger andWathel Rogers— and became known as the WED Model Shop.WED Enterprises was eventually renamed toWalt Disney Imagineering,which alluded to theengineeringandimaginationneeded to design Disney theme park attractions.

Burns contributed greatly to the development of Disneyland at WED Enterprises by creating both miniature models and actual theme park attractions. One of Burns's first assignments was to craft a model ofSleeping Beauty Castle,a Disneylandlandmarkwhich opened with the theme park on July 17, 1955.She continued to work on Disneyland expansions after the park's grand opening. Burns designed models of theMatterhorn Bobsledsattraction as a 1/100th scalereplicaof the famousMatterhorninSwitzerland.

Another of Burns's job at Disneyland was what is called "figure-finishing."Figure-finishing involves applying paint and other finishes to Disneyland attractions and mannequins to create a "finished" look.Burns personally designed and painted the set pieces and underwaterfigurinesfor theSubmarine Voyageride.She applied individual feathers to theanimatronicbirds inWalt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room,which opened in 1963.Burns later confessed in a 2005 interview withThe Hollywood Reporterthat the Tiki Room birds were one of her most challenging projects ever. "When they breathed out, it would be fine, but when they came back they scrunched. They looked like they hadmites."She managed to fix the look of the birds and actively maintained the Tiki Room attraction after its opening.Similarly, she created the birds for the film, Mary Poppins.

Burns also helped with the models and final designs ofNew Orleans Square,one of the themed lands at Disneyland.She also designed the attractions within New Orleans Square. She built an exact model of the entirePirates of the Caribbeandark ride,which opened in 1967, and was also a figure finisher on the pirates mannequins.She similarly designedThe Haunted Mansion,which opened to the public in 1969.

Outside of Disneyland, Burns was part of a team of Disney employees, which includedJoyce Carlson,which created several Disney attractions for the1964 New York World's Fair.Burns contributions to the World's Fair including designingGreat Moments with Mr. Lincoln,which later opened at Disneyland,and theCarousel of Progress.

Her work earned the attention ofWalt Disney.He featured Burns on several episodes ofThe Wonderful World of Color,a 1960stelevision showwhich gave abehind-the-sceneslook at the Walt Disney Company, including its theme parks.

Burns retired fromWalt Disney Imagineeringin 1986.She was honored in 1992 with a window display of her work onMain Street, U.S.A.in Disneyland with a commemorativeplaquethat reads, "The Artisans Loft, Handmade Miniatures by Harriet Burns."She was the first woman in Disney history to receive this honor.Burns was also designated aDisney Legendby theWalt Disney Companyin 2000, as an employee "whose imagination, talents and dreams have created the Disney magic."

Death

Harriet Burns died of complications from a heart condition atUSC University Hospitalin Los Angeles on July 25, 2008, at the age of 79.Burns was survived by her daughter, Pam Burns-Clair; two sisters, Wilma Draves and Suzie Mosteller; two granddaughters, Chelsea and Haley Clair; and many extended family members. She was a resident ofSanta Barbara, Californiawhere she had been active in the arts and music community.

External links

• Official website