Herman Schultheis
Herman Schultheis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Herman J. Schultheis February 11, 1900[1] |
| Disappeared | May 21, 1955 (aged 55) Petén, Guatemala |
| Status | Missing for 69 years, 7 months and 23 days |
| Education | Ph.D. in mechanical and electrical engineering. |
| Occupation | Technician |
| Employer | Walt Disney Studios |
| Spouse |
Ethel Wisloh (m. 1936) |
Herman Schultheis (11 February 1900 – 21 May 1955) was a Walt Disney Studios photographer and technician in the Special Effects Department best known for his work on the feature films Fantasia, Pinocchio, Dumbo and Bambi.[2][3]
Career
Schultheis emigrated to New York City from his native Germany in 1927 working jobs in sound-recording. He then went to Los Angeles in 1937. In February 1939, Schultheis joined Walt Disney in Special Effects department. He left Walt Disney in June 1940.[4]
Disappearance
On 20 May 1955, Schultheis disappeared near Petén while on a trip to the Mayan temples at Tikal in Guatemala.[5][6]
Schultheis notebook
Schultheis documented advanced special effect techniques used in Disney films in a notebook titled Special Effects.[4] It is on display at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California.[7] His notebook, once offered to Disney for the sum of $400 in 1939 (equivalent to $8,762 in 2023), was discovered by Disney historian Howard Lowery hidden away in a Murphy bed in his Los Angeles residence upon his widow's death in the early 1990s.[8]
John Canemaker's book, The Lost Notebook: Herman Schultheis and the Secrets of Walt Disney’s Movie Magic is a partial reproduction of the notebook. Canemaker called Schultheis' book "the Rosetta Stone of Disney animation."[4]
See also
References
- ^ Mills, Chris (21 January 2013). "Herman J. Schultheis (1900 - 1955) - Find A Grave Memorial". Find a Grave. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ Canemaker, John (11 March 2014). The Secrets of Disney's Visual Effects: The Schultheis Notebooks Hardcover. Walt Disney Family Foundation Press. p. 256. ISBN 1616286121.
- ^ Rice, Christina (2 May 2012). "The Los Angeles of Herman Schultheis: One Photographer's Look at a Depression-Era City". Huffington Post. Huffington Post. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ a b c "Herman J. Schultheis and His Lost (And Found) Notebook". d23. The Walt Disney Company. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ Jacobs, Horace (July 1955). "Schultheis Disappears in Guatemala Mystery" (PDF). Librazette. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ "Preview: "The Lost Notebook: Herman Schultheis & the Secrets of Walt Disney's Movie Magic". cartoonbrew. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ "The Schultheis Notebook - Second Story". archive.secondstory.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ "Michael Sporn Animation – Splog » Search Results » Schultheis". www.michaelspornanimation.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.