Editing Harper Goff

{{short description|American artist, musician and actor}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Harper Goff
| birth_name = Ralph Harper Goff
| birth_date = {{birth_date|1911|3|16}}
| birth_place = [[Fort Collins, Colorado]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death_date and age|1993|3|3|1911|3|16}}
| death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
| education = [[Chouinard Art Institute]]
| occupation = Artist, musician, actor
| years_active = 1935–1993
| spouse = {{marriage|Flossie Newcomb|1933}}
}}
'''Harper Goff''' (March 16, 1911&nbsp;– March 3, 1993), born '''Ralph Harper Goff''', was an American artist, musician, and actor. For many years, he was associated with [[The Walt Disney Company]], in the process of which he contributed to various major films, as well as to the planning of the Disney theme parks. During [[World War II]], he was also an advisor to the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] on [[camouflage]] (Blechman 2004; Behrens 2009).

==Early life==
Goff was born in [[Fort Collins, Colorado]]. He studied art at [[Chouinard Art Institute]] in [[Los Angeles]], then moved to [[New York City]], where he worked as a magazine [[illustrator]], producing artwork for ''Collier's'', ''Esquire'' and ''National Geographic''. As a designer, he sometimes produced [[advertising]] for the U.S. Army.

==Camouflage service==
During World War II, by his own account, Goff was approached for advice about camouflage paint by the U.S. Army, because he had been "making paint and working on a do-it-yourself painter's kit" (Naversen 1989, p.&nbsp;150). Assigned to a camouflage research facility at [[Fort Belvoir]], Virginia, he developed a set of paint colors (which he compared to paint-by-number kits) that were used as "standard issue" hues for camouflage, as well as a camouflage pigment that was chemically impermanent, enabling its removal when it was no longer needed. Later in the war, he transferred to the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] where (in his words) "I was working on confusing the silhouettes of ships" [not unlike [[dazzle camouflage]]] (Naversen 1989, p.&nbsp;151).

==Film career==
Returning to the U.S., Goff moved back to [[California]] and worked as a [[Scenic design|set designer]] for [[Warner Bros.]], producing the sets for such memorable films as ''[[Sergeant York (film)|Sergeant York]]'', ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|Charge of the Light Brigade]]'', and ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]''. Goff was a lifelong model train enthusiast. In 1951, while in a London model-making shop, he met [[Walt Disney]] when they both wanted to buy the same model train.

As a result of having met Disney, he joined the Los Angeles artistic team of the Walt Disney Studios, a relationship that continued, off and on, until his death in 1993. His extraordinary work gave a distinctive character to a number of Disney productions. He is specifically credited with many of the finest inventive effects in Disney's groundbreaking live-action film, ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'', which he art-directed, even though the movie credit reads: "Production Developed By..."  Goff designed the exterior of the ''Nautilus'', along with sets for every compartment within the submarine. The film was awarded two [[Academy Awards]], for color art direction and best special effects. At that time, in 1954, the Art Directors Union had created a bylaw within the Academy of Motion Pictures, which stated that only union art directors could win the award. The academy gave the award for "Best Art Direction&nbsp;— Color 1954", to Goff's assistant, John Meehan, because he had a union card.  Goff went on to get a union card, but was never given the award.

Years later, Goff created the submarine, ''Proteus'', for the film, ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]''(Working again with 20.000 Leagues director [[Richard Fleischer]]), and art-directed the highly acclaimed ''[[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]]''.

Goff also contributed heavily to the early renderings and concept art for Disney's proposed Mickey Mouse Park, which became the theme park known as [[Disneyland]], and several areas of [[Walt Disney World]] theme park.
[[File:Harper Goff Disneyland Adventureland Window.jpg|thumb|Harper Goff window in Disneyland above the Adventureland Bazaar shop|right]]
He also played the [[banjo]] in the seven-piece [[Dixieland]] band called [[Firehouse Five Plus Two]], formed by other Disney staff and led by trombonist [[Ward Kimball]] with animator [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]] on the piano.<ref name="Shaffer2017" /> When [[Tom Sawyer Island]] opened in 1973 at [[Magic Kingdom]], they named Harper's Mill after him. Just above the [[Adventureland (Disney)#Shops|Adventureland Bazaar]] shop in [[Disneyland]], there is a window dedicated to Goff for his time in [[Walt Disney Imagineering]].<ref name="Shaffer2017">{{cite book|last=Shaffer|first=Joshua C|title=Discovering the Magic Kingdom: An Unofficial Disneyland Vacation Guide - Second Edition|date=July 17, 2017|publisher=Synergy Book Publishing|isbn=978-0-9991664-0-6|page=297}}</ref> In 1993, he was posthumously named a [[Disney Legends|Disney Legend]].

==Personal life and death==
Goff was married more than 60 years to his wife Flossie Newcomb.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dangerousminds.net/comments/meet_harper_goff_the_legendary_set_designer_behind_willy_wonkas_chocolate_f|title = Meet Harper Goff, the legendary set designer behind Willy Wonka's chocolate factory|date = 30 September 2016}}</ref> He died at his home in [[Palm Springs, California]], on March 3, 1993, at the age on 81 due to [[heart failure]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-03-10-me-1183-story.html|title = Archives| website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=10 March 1993 }}</ref>

==Art direction credits==
*1942: ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'' (Set Designer)
*1951: Mickey Mouse Park (later renamed [[Disneyland]]) (Concept Artist, e.g., contributed ideas to [[Main Street, U.S.A.]] and [[Jungle Cruise]])
*1954: ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'' (Art Director)
*1955: ''[[Pete Kelly's Blues (film)|Pete Kelly's Blues]]'' (Production Designer)
*1956: ''[[The Great Locomotive Chase]]'' (Production Research)
*1957: ''[[The Vikings (1958 film)|The Vikings]]'' (Production designer 1957–1958)
*1966: ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]'' (Creative Production Research)
*1971: ''[[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]]'' (Art Director)

==Acting credits==
As an actor, he also played the following roles:
*1950: ''[[Hit Parade of 1951]]'' &nbsp;— Jazz Musician
*1951: ''[[Detective Story (1951 film)|Detective Story]]''&nbsp;— Gallantz (uncredited)
*1952: ''[[Carrie (1952 film)|Carrie]]''&nbsp;— Man (uncredited)
*1953: ''[[Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet]]'' (Episode 2.18: "The Big Break")&nbsp;— Roy Townsend
*1954: ''Dragnet'' (Episode 3.31: "The Big Girl")&nbsp;— Emil Collins
*1954: ''[[Dragnet (1954 film)|Dragnet]]''&nbsp;— Employee, Melrose Bridge Club (uncredited)
*1954: ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]''&nbsp;— Minister in San Francisco Steam Packet office (uncredited)
*1955: ''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]] '' (Episode 3.24: "The Witness")&nbsp;— Man
*1955: ''[[Pete Kelly's Blues (film)|Pete Kelly's Blues]]''&nbsp;— Tuxedo Band member (uncredited) (final film role)

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Blechman, Hardy, ed., ''DPM: An Encyclopedia of Camouflage''. London: DPM, 2004.
* "Harper Goff: Scenographer/Camouflage Artists Questionnaire" in Ronald Naversen, ''The Scenographer as Camoufleur''. Dissertation. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University, 1989, pp.&nbsp;150–153.
* "Ralph Harper Goff" in [[Roy R. Behrens]], ''Camoupedia: A Compendium of Research on Art, Architecture and Camouflage''. Dysart, Iowa: Bobolink Books, 2009, p.&nbsp;356. {{ISBN|978-0-9713244-6-6}}.

==External links==
* Disney Legends biography&nbsp;— [https://d23.com/harper-goff/ 1993 Induction]
* Goff's description of 20,000 Leagues Art&nbsp;— [http://www.vulcaniasubmarine.com/GOFF%20LETTER.htm A letter from Harper Goff]
* {{Find a Grave|34814575|Ralph Harper Goff}}
{{Disney Legends Awards 1990s}}
{{Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame (2010s)}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goff, Harper}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Chouinard Art Institute alumni]]
[[Category:Dixieland banjoists]]
[[Category:Disney imagineers]]
[[Category:Disney Legends]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people]]
[[Category:Firehouse Five Plus Two members]]
[[Category:Actors from Fort Collins, Colorado]]