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Harry Horner papers

 Collection
Identifier: 6107

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Scope and Contents

The Harry Horner papers consist of correspondence, notebooks, sketchbooks, programs, clippings, scripts, and scrapbooks, 1924-2000, created and collected by Harry Horner. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, related to both Horner's work as a production designer and director for Broadway, Hollywood, and operas, and personal correspondence. Also included are two of Horner's personal sketchbooks, depicting nudes and some studies for set designs; clippings and related ephemera pertaining to Max Reinhardt; a number of film scripts, some of which include notes and letters by and from Horner regarding work on those scripts; and biographical statements written by Horner.

Dates

  • Creation: 1924-2000

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical / Historical

Harry Horner, two-time Academy Award-winning production designer, director and producer, was born in Czechoslovakia in 1910 and raised in Vienna. After graduating from the University of Vienna with a degree in architecture, he worked as an architect for a year, then turned to acting under the guidance of Max Reinhardt. For two years (1933-1935) he appeared in a number of Reinhardt productions in Vienna and Salzburg, and then in 1935 he traveled to New York with "The Eternal Road" as Reinhardt's assistant, and in 1937 took over as designer of the show (succeeding Norman Bel Geddes). From this success, he went on to design a number of Broadway productions.



Horner served in the US military during World War II (he became a citizen in 1940), during which time he designed a production of "Winged Victory" for both stage and film and wrote, designed and directed the Air Force training show "You Bet Your Life".



After leaving the military, Horner moved to Los Angeles and continued his career as a production designer and director. He was nominated for several Academy Awards (production design for "Our Town", "The Little Foxes", "Separate Tables", "Double Life", "Born Yesterday" and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They") and won for "The Heiress" (1951) and "The Hustler" (1962). Horner very often worked as both production designer and director on films. His first effort in this dual role was "Beware, My Lovely" starring Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan. He also directed for television, continued to work on Broadway productions, and for the Metropolitan and San Francisco Operas. Horner also worked in Canada and England, where he produced Francois Truffaut's "Farenheit 451".

Horner died in Los Angeles in 1994.

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Harry Horner papers consist of correspondence, notebooks, sketchbooks, programs, clippings, scripts, and scrapbooks, 1924-2000, created and collected by director and production designer Harry Horner. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, both professional and personal. It also includes two of Horner's personal sketchbooks; clippings and related ephemera pertaining to Max Reinhardt; film scripts; and biographical statements written by Horner. Harry Horner was born in Czechoslovakia in 1910, and after graduating from the University of Vienna with a degree in architecture, he joined Max Reinhardt's repertory company in Vienna. He came to New York with Reinhardt in 1935 and became a US citizen in 1940. Horner became a noted production designer and director in Hollywood, on Broadway, for operatic productions and large pageants. He won 2 Academy Awards and was nominated for an additional six. He died in Los Angeles in 1994.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Joan Horner, February 6, 2015.

Title
Finding aid for the Harry Horner papers
Status
Completed
Author
Emily Hodgkins, Marje Schuetze-Coburn and Sue Luftschein
Date
2017 March
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States