Imagineer Harriet

MouseStation 384 – Imagineer Harriet

(Download show – Main podcast page – Subscribe – Podcast radio player)

Show run time 0:35:44

On today’s show, Pam Burns-Clair, Chelsea Clair and Don Peri talk about their new book about Harriet Burns, the first female Imagineer.

You can subscribe to MouseStation from the links at the bottom of this page, or via your favorite podcast aggregator. If you’d rather pop up our podcast radio player into a separate window so that you can continue browsing MousePlanet in this window, click here. (NOTE: Our podcast radio requires Adobe Flash Player. You can dowload the player here.)

Let us hear from you!

Send in your suggestions, comments or tips via our email feedback form or via voicemail on our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278).

We’ve put together a new listener survey to help us learn more about you and what you like most about this podcast. This one is much more targeted than the old Podtrac survey. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and let us know what you think.

If you want to contribute a story for our Tuesday Magical Moment segment (and possible inclusion in the Cast Place column here on MousePlanet), you can either use our email Magical Moment story form or the toll-free feedback line. (We love it when you use the voice mail system, because then we can play your call on the show!)

Feature: Imagineer Harriet

Pam Burns-Clair, Chelsea Clair and Don Peri talk about their new book about the late Harriet Burns, the first female Imagineer.

Pam talked a bit about how Harriet got started at Imagineering after learning how to use heavy equipment working at Dice Inc. She discussed Harriet’s initial assignment with the Mouseketeers before starting work on Disneyland with Fred Joerger and Wathel Rogers. Pam also discussed some attractions that Harriet worked on, and others that she worked with. Pam also talked about some toxic stuff that she worked with, and then told a story about some of the interesting things that found their way home.

Don talked about how the book developed from all of the stories that people told Pam about her mother after Harriet’s funeral, and how he became involved in the project.

Chelsea talked about what it was like to have a grandmother like Harriet. Pam talked about Harriet’s influence on Chelsea’s career choice, and Chelsea talked about some of her work on the design of the book.

We also brought you some some Magical Harriet Moments from Pam, Chelsea and Don; not standard Disney Magical Moments, but moments made by Harriet Burns. Don mentioned spending a day with Harriet interviewing other former Imagineers for another book. Pam remembered the benefits of the end of the Candy Mountain project. Chelsea talked about getting to know her grandmother even more when going through her belongings after she passed away.

You can get more information by visiting the Imagineer Harriet Web site. You can also become a fan of Imagineer Harriet on Facebook

They have partnered with the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society in the sale of the book. You can buy it at this link. At this time, the book is not yet available through Amazon.

Our thanks to Pam Burns-Clair, Chelsea Clair and Don Peri for taking the time to chat with Steven Ng during the January NFFC All Disneyana Show & Sale.

What do you think? Let us know by sending us an email or calling our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278)!

Twitter/Facebook poll questions

Here are the responses to some questions that Mark was asking on Twitter and Facebook in the last week. If you’d like to get in on answering these questions in the future, you can follow Mark on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.

If you could live in one Walt Disney World theme park, which would it be?

Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom didn’t get much love in the poll, and Epcot easily outdistanced Magic Kingdom to get the top spot.

• I would live at Epcot as I would have different place to eat everyday and get to see a diverse amount of people and cultures.
• Hollywood Studios
• Where else can you play with Ghosts, Pirates, small kids, play in a Jungle, talk to each of the Presidents face-to face, and live in either a Tree House or a Castle, only in the Magic Kingdom.
• Epcot for sure. I’d make my home upstairs in the old Image Works area of the Imagination pavilion. The views of the park are unparallelled.
• Magic Kingdom! For sure!
• Epcot… Never go hungry!
• Cinderella Castle of course!!
• Epcot!
• Epcot!
• Epcot. It’s all about the food. And then I could also visit my favorite DL Anaheim attraction. 😉
• Magic Kingdom, in one of the little apartments in Pirates.
• Probaby Epcot, the every night would end with Illuminations.
• Epcot…hands down. Then I could pillage all of the Food and Wine Festival kiosks after hours!
• Magic Kingdom, I could end every evening with Wishes
• How could you top living in a castle that overlooks such fabulous lands? Magic Kingdom. Definately.
• the dining at epcot trumps the other three parks
• That’s a tough one. I’d have to say Magic Kingdom just edges out EPCOT, but I’d be delirious to live in either of them.
• I guess I’d live in EPCOT, so I could incrementally remodel the Imagination Pavilion while nobody was looking. Which is most of the time anyway.
• Magic Kingdom.
• Epcot: best food and shopping, and I could ride Soarin’ and watch the American Adventure every day!!
• Magic Kingdom of course
• Magic Kingdom!
• Epcot, UK pavilion in a flat overlooking the park in the back, that would make it easy to sleep later than you could in many of the other “in park” locations
• Magic Kingdom, on Main Street!
• Epcot, for many of the reasons others have expressed.
• Easy question. Epcot! No… wait. Magic Kingdom! No, just a sec…
• EPCOT…2nd place AK!
• MK!!! all the way!!!
• Epcot!
• Epcot, in a garret apartment above a certain patisserie.
• Definitely Magic Kingdom!
• Epcot, hands-down
• I’d live in Epcot, no discussion needed. I might have a second apartment in Animal Kingdom. The Studios would make a good garage.
• DLP. Not because of the park but because it’s in Europe and I would then go everywhere but the park. / If live in as in “you can’t leave” then TDS because the hotel will have more comfortable beds than any other park. / Whoops, just saw “Disney”. Then WDS because I don’t like having a lot of people in my house.
• EPCOT hands down. Live and eat in World Showcase and work in Future World.
• I’d live in Epcot!
• If I could live in the Cinderella Dream Suite, Magic Kingdom.
• EPCOT. No doubt. 11 different countries and 2 planets to explore every day!
• disneyland / cheating Mark! Pick one :p
• Epcot
• 11 different countries to eat at and explore
• Hmmmm…. I would say the Studios. I adore the theme and isn’t too far off from what we currently have in our house. 🙂
• the tree of life
• in a flat above the rose and crown! at least, this is the first thing that comes to mind.
• I’d live in Epcot, in the American Adventure?
• Magic Kingdom. I’m torn between inside the Castle and a place where I can see the Castle.
• I’d love to live in Animal Kingdom, if it were possible!
• Magic Kingdom above Main Street
• The park I would pick to live in is also my favorite park, Epcot. After all it is the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.
• Tokyo Disney Sea / oops. Well, Epot is where I’d live at WDW. Specifically, Horizons if it still existed.
• I would live in Epcot…it would be like living in a bunch of countries at once, plus being able to live in the future. Very cool.
• Magic Kingdom, hands down!
• the park I wud live in wud be Magic Kingdom, I wud live like a princess in the castle! Eat my favourite foods & ride my fav rides!

Mark went with the majority and would pick Epcot. After all, it’s all about the food. Could you eat at Magic Kingdom every day? The variety in cultures, Illuminations and Future World all played a role in his decision, as well.

Mike went with Disney’s Animal Kingdom because it has the best bar in any theme park (at Yak & Yeti), it’s one of the coolest looking parks at night, he’d have access to Festival of the Lion King and he would have the security of sleeping in the Yeti chamber. He also told the story of when he got scared to death in the Yeti chamber when doing a morning walkthrough during the attraction’s test & adjust phase.

Mark then considered where at Epcot he would sleep.

What do you think?

Again, if you’d like to get in on answering these questions in the future, you can follow Mark on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.

March of Dimes

For the second year in a row, Mark has been named the top walker for the March of Dimes in New York’s Capital Region, and second overall in Northeastern New York (above the counties of Westchester and Rockland). MousePlanet readers and MouseStation listeners have helped Mark to raise over $15,000 for the worthy charity over the last four years. This year, his goal is to raise $5,000 again. But that’s not all! This year, you can walk with Mark, either in person or virtually, by joining Team MousePlanet! Mike has already signed on to walk as well. You can go to Mark’s fundraising page to sponsor him, Mike’s fundraising page to sponsor him, or the Team MousePlanet page to join in and walk yourself! Help us to provide a better chance to prevent prematurity and to help those babies that are born prematurely!

Wrapping up

We’ve put together a new listener survey to help us learn more about you and what you like most about this podcast. This one is much more targeted than the old Podtrac survey. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and let us know what you think.

Don’t forget to go to the iTunes podcast directory and give us a good rating for the combined feed!

You can get your MousePlanet (or MouseStation) swag from the MousePlanet CafePress store and the MouseStation CafePress store. If you’ll be running the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Disneyland Half Marathon or any other endurance event, or even just trying to keep fit, you can also get your Team MousePlanet running wear from our Team MousePlanet Zazzle store!

Also remember to go out to our main podcast page and stick a pin into our Frappr map.

Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng.

Thank you for listening!

Subscribe to the podcast