Harry Horner (July 24, 1910 – December 5, 1994) was an

Austro-Hungaria Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

n-born American

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

who made a successful career in Hollywood as an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-winning art director and as a feature film and television director.

Biography

Horner was born in the town of

Holice Holice (; german: Holitz) is a town in Pardubice District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,500 inhabitants. Administrative parts Town parts and villages of Kamenec, Koudelka, Podhráz, Podlesí, Roveňsko and Staré ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

(now

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

), to

German-speaking German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents. He began his career working with

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he i ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. When Reinhardt moved to the United States in the early 1930s, Horner travelled with Max Reinhardt's production group acting as his stage manager. Max Reinhardt's staging of Shakespeare's ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (1934) for the summer Hollywood Bowl season in Los Angeles, Harry Horner was the production's stage manager and also an actor in the production. Following Max Reinhardt to New York, Harry Horner assisted Reinhardt in his staging of the Biblical musical spectacle ''The Eternal Road (Der Weg der Verheissung);'' the production had music by Kurt Weill; conducted by Harry Horner; opening at the Manhattan Opera House 1/7/1937-5/15/1937 with scenic design, costume design and lighting by

Norman Bel Geddes Norman Bel Geddes (born Norman Melancton Geddes; April 27, 1893 – May 8, 1958) was an American theatrical and industrial designer. Early life Bel Geddes was born Norman Melancton Geddes in Adrian, Michigan and was raised in New Philadelp ...

. Max Reinhardt, disgusted with Norman Bel Geddes lack of interest by not showing up for production rehearsals, pressed Harry Horner into acting as art director supervising the sets, costumes, and the lighting. Because Horner had been faithful to Reinhardt as his stage manager, Reinhardt knew that he could depend upon Horner's many faceted talents and abilities. Consequently, Harry Horner fell into the scenic design craft and was employed as a stage designer. Harry Horner designed the scenery for the drama ''Lady In The Dark'', a drama with a musical dream sequence (music: Kurt Weill); opening January 23, 1941 – June 15, 1941 (reopening 10/2/41-5/30/42, revived 2/27/43-5/15/43). Harry Horner's stage design legacy is the first use of a center stage donut turntable ring, inner and outer turntable rings moving simultaneously and in reverse of each other. The innovative stage design for ''Lady In The Dark'' was the first turntable usage on a Broadway stage. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served as production designer and set designer for the U.S. Army Air Forces show ''

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beg ...

''. He won an

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

for his work on

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...

's ''

The Heiress ''The Heiress'' is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed and produced by William Wyler, from a screenplay written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 stage play of the same title, which was itself adapted from Henry Jame ...

'' and another in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

for

Robert Rossen Robert Rossen (March 16, 1908 – February 18, 1966) was an American screenwriter, film director, and producer whose film career spanned almost three decades. His 1949 film '' All the King's Men'' won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor and Be ...

's drama ''

The Hustler ''The Hustler'' is a 1961 American sports romantic drama film directed by Robert Rossen from Walter Tevis's 1959 novel of the same name, adapted by Rossen and Sidney Carroll. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson a ...

''. Gene Callahan was ''The Hustler'' film's set decorator. When Gene Callahan was nominated in the Oscar Art Direction category for Elia Kazan's ''America, America'', Harry Horner drew the set sketch for Gene, which was used in the telecast's program Art Direction category. One of his first notable successes was

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...

's '' A Double Life'' (

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

) and he soon found himself up on the Oscar podium in

for his work on

's ''

''. He worked with Cukor again in 1950 on '' Born Yesterday'' and then tried his hand at directing on several TV series, including ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

''. He was nominated for a third time in 1969 for

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film ''Out ...

's 30s drama '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?''.American Film Institute, ''Creating Film Texture: A Conversation with Harry Horner'', 1970. http://www.fathom.com/feature/122576/index.html Horner directed a few films beginning with ''

Red Planet Mars ''Red Planet Mars'' is a 1952 American science fiction film released by United Artists starring Peter Graves and Andrea King. It is based on a 1932 play ''Red Planet'' written by John L. Balderston and John Hoare and was directed by art director ...

'' and ''

Beware, My Lovely ''Beware, My Lovely'' is a 1952 film noir crime film directed by Harry Horner starring Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan and Taylor Holmes. The film is based on the 1950 play ''The Man'' by Mel Dinelli, who also wrote the screenplay. Plot A widow impulsi ...

'' both in 1952. He retired after completing the

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolated ...

'' in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

. He died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1994 in

Pacific Palisades, California Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside Los Angeles, Westside region of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Chautauqua, Methodist organization, an ...

, aged 84.

Family

Married to Betty Pfaelzer in 1938; she died in 1951. In 1952 he married Joan Ruth Fraenkel, who was his wife until his death. They had three sons. His eldest son was the Oscar-winning

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

James Horner James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music. Horner's first film score was in ...

. His middle son, Christopher Horner, is also working in several positions in the film business. Anthony (Tony), the youngest, is a doctor specializing in pediatric immunology and related research.

Interview

* Harry Horner: ''"Das Herz rutschte mir in die Hose, als ich nach Ellis Island gebracht wurde"'' ("My heart was in my mouth as I was brought to Ellis Island"). In: Christian Cargnelli, Michael Omasta (eds.): ''Aufbruch ins Ungewisse. Österreichische Filmschaffende in der Emigration vor 1945''. Vienna, Wespennest: 1993

References

External links

*
Harry Horner production design drawings, circa 1961
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences {{DEFAULTSORT:Horner, Harry 1910 births 1994 deaths American art directors American people of Austrian-Jewish descent People from Holice Austrian emigrants to the United States Austro-Hungarian Jews Best Art Direction Academy Award winners Businesspeople from Los Angeles Deaths from pneumonia in California Production designers 20th-century American businesspeople

Biography

Family

Interview

See also

References

External links