Pete Burness

Pete Burness

Birth : 1904-06-16, Los Angeles, California, USA

Death : 1969-07-21

History

Wilson D. "Pete" Burness (June 16, 1904 – July 21, 1969) was an American animator and animation director. He was perhaps best known for his work on the Mr. Magoo series. He also contributed to the Tom and Jerry series, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, and Rocky and His Friends.

Profile

Pete Burness

Movies

1001 Arabian Nights
Story
In this animated retelling of the classic tale, Abdul Aziz Magoo -- an ancestor of Mr. Magoo -- is the lamp-selling uncle of Aladdin. Tired of his nephew's laziness, Abdul insists that Aladdin find a wife. To his uncle's surprise, Aladdin falls in love with the beautiful Princess Yasminda. Before he can make his move, however, Aladdin is whisked away by the evil Wazir on a quest to find a magic lamp that will grant its owner unlimited power in the form of three magic wishes.
Bwana Magoo
Story
Magoo and Waldo are on safari in Africa.
Gumshoe Magoo
Story
Magoo obliviously foils a criminal’s robbery plans.
Love Comes to Magoo
Story
A female con artist is after Magoo’s wealth.
Magoo’s Cruise
Producer
Magoo is mistaken for a foreign spy.
Magoo’s Three-Point Landing
Producer
Magoo’s car breaks down on an airport runway.
Magoo’s Three-Point Landing
Director
Magoo’s car breaks down on an airport runway.
The Explosive Mr. Magoo
Producer
Mr. Magoo has a windup toy mistaken for a bomb.
The Explosive Mr. Magoo
Director
Mr. Magoo has a windup toy mistaken for a bomb.
Magoo's Young Manhood
Producer
In a flashback Mr. Magoo thinks back in time to the Gay 90's when he was a young man, and just as myopic then as in the 1950s. He makes a bet with a friend that he can get a date with a star of the Broadway stage. It isn't long before Stage-Door Johnny Magoo winds up on stage in the play during a dinner scene, and performs rather well considering he was hearing the dialogue for the first time. Later, he is firmly convinced he had taken the Police Gazette beauty to dinner. No, her name wasn't Andre.
Magoo's Young Manhood
Director
In a flashback Mr. Magoo thinks back in time to the Gay 90's when he was a young man, and just as myopic then as in the 1950s. He makes a bet with a friend that he can get a date with a star of the Broadway stage. It isn't long before Stage-Door Johnny Magoo winds up on stage in the play during a dinner scene, and performs rather well considering he was hearing the dialogue for the first time. Later, he is firmly convinced he had taken the Police Gazette beauty to dinner. No, her name wasn't Andre.
Magoo's Private War
Producer
The near-sighted Mr. McGoo takes his duties as an Air Raid Warden, in the civil-defense, cold-war/iron curtain days of the 1950s, seriously. When he stumbles across the premiere of a new science-fiction movie at a theatre, he thinks his town has just been invaded by outer-space aliens. He takes the on-screen activities as part of the attack and goes through all the civil-defense steps to save the audience.
Rock Hound Magoo
Producer
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo somehow or another is a nugget-happy prospector out west. In addition to mistaking a gold rock for a rain cloud, he meets an old prospector and accuses him of claim-jumping. Together, they actually discover gold.
Rock Hound Magoo
Director
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo somehow or another is a nugget-happy prospector out west. In addition to mistaking a gold rock for a rain cloud, he meets an old prospector and accuses him of claim-jumping. Together, they actually discover gold.
Magoo Saves the Bank
Producer
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo, on his way to make a bank deposit, boards a race-track bound bus instead. Mistaking the betting windows for tellerwindows, he keeps making and winning bets on long shots. The track finally tosses him out with his bag of winnings, which Magoo thinks was the result of compound interest growth.
Magoo Saves the Bank
Director
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo, on his way to make a bank deposit, boards a race-track bound bus instead. Mistaking the betting windows for tellerwindows, he keeps making and winning bets on long shots. The track finally tosses him out with his bag of winnings, which Magoo thinks was the result of compound interest growth.
Magoo's Masquerade
Producer
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo is on his way to take a French ballet star to a ball, but he makes a wrong turn and ends up escorting an ostrich, a zoo fugitive, in her place. A detective becomes suspicious, as well he might, when the ostrich becomes attached to some of the guest's jewels. Magoo finally takes his date home and he suspects that she would like for him to call again.
Magoo's Glorious Fourth
Director
It's the Fourth of July and Mr. Magoo is ready to kick it off safely and sanely forbidding Waldo to set off any firecrackers. Instead, he opts to celebrate by planting flowers in his garden. Unfortunately, he goes to a fireworks stand instead of a flower stand and purchases some fireworks thinking them to be flowers. He even plants them in his garden, no less! Of course, they are eventually set off with a series of explosions, Waldo panicking the whole time. After the fiasco, Magoo decides to soothe Waldo's panic by letting him set off one firecracker after which Waldo is sent to a jail by a policeman who accuses him of starting the fireworks catastrophe.
Magoo Breaks Par
Producer
The nearsighted Mr. Magoo sets out for a round of golf but catches the prison paddy wagon instead of the city bus and winds up in prison breaking rocks. He complains to the warden, who he mistakes for the grounds keeper, about the conditions of the golf course, and the warden boots him out.
Magoo Breaks Par
Director
The nearsighted Mr. Magoo sets out for a round of golf but catches the prison paddy wagon instead of the city bus and winds up in prison breaking rocks. He complains to the warden, who he mistakes for the grounds keeper, about the conditions of the golf course, and the warden boots him out.
Matador Magoo
Director
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo, further lost than usual, mistakes a bullring in Mexico for a highway in the United States, and his myopic wanderings through the arena cause much havoc, and draws very few cheers, especially from the bull.
Magoo Goes Overboard
Director
Mr. Magoo and Waldo are on a cruise aboard an ocean liner when the near-sighted MaGoo accidentally falls into the ship's swimming pool and thinks he has fallen overboard. When he tries to rescue one of the swimmers, the ship's captain jumps in and rescues Magoo. The grateful---and talkative---MaGoo informs the ship's captain that he will inform the ship's captain of his good deed and, when last seen, MaGoo is heading in the direction of the swimming pool.
Meet Mother Magoo
Director
Mr. Magoo brings in his mail opening up a flyer for a store's "83rd Anniversary Sale". Magoo thinks that the flyer is a letter from his mother about her "83rd birthday" and begins to worry that maybe he hasn't spent enough time with his mother lately. He goes to pay his mother a visit to make up for lost time but upon arriving, Mother Magoo doesn't quite appreciate Magoo's attempts at being helpful such as baking a feather duster thinking it to be a turkey dinner. So she uses psychology to eventually persuade him to go back home (at least until next year).
Magoo's Problem Child
Director
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo returns from a trip and mistakes a ramshackle shack, near his home, for his palatial home. There, he finds evidence of all manner of crimes, ranging from murder down to counterfeiting, and jumps to the conclusion that his nephew Waldo is responsible. He gets Waldo and runs away seeking a hideout until he can straighten things out. Following Magoo's fugitive-directions, they wind up in the city jail.
Trailblazer Magoo
Director
The near-sighted one decides to take a hunting-and-fishing trip, and hires a Native American guide. He quickly grows impatient with the guide and takes over leading the way. He winds up in a big city and in a park lake, trail-blazing his way over park benches, statutes and through the zoo, releasing a lion along the way.
Mister Magoo's Puddle Jumper
Director
At a used car lot, Mr. Magoo is intent on buying a car for his nephew Waldo. He is slick talked into buying an old clunker thanks to a shifty salesman but he drives it off anyway. Unfortunately, the myopic Magoo drives off a pier and under the ocean where he mistakes the various aquatic surroundings such as fish, sunken boats, and seals for other cars, dilapidated mansions, and a horn happy driver respectively.
Magoo Beats the Heat
Director
Mr. Magoo, intent on going to the beach, winds up in the desert instead. Thinking himself to be at the beach, he tries fishing (he hooks a turtle which he mistakes for a crab) and swimming. Meanwhile, a desert wanderer and his horse are lost beyond hope when suddenly they lay eyes on Magoo's set up. Thinking the whole thing to be a mirage, they decide to make the best of it by devouring Magoo's picnic lunch and refreshments despite Magoo's protests. After the hearty meal, the man wants to thank Magoo before he "fades away" by giving him the only gold nugget he found while trekking the desert. Magoo thinks the gold is a sea-shell and plans to give it to Waldo to add to his collection!
Calling Doctor Magoo
Director
When Rodney, a friend of the nearsighted Mr. Magoo, goes to the hospital, Mr. Magoo decides to visit him and to take along some of his cure-all, homemade elixir. But he makes a wrong turn and ends up on a docked-ship visiting a stranger wearing a turban, thanking he is Rodney, and gives him some of the elixir. He returns home and gets a telephone call from Rodney who is waiting for his visit. He thinks Rodney is delirious and ventures forth for another visit carrying a giant-size bottle of his elixir.
Magoo Goes West
Director
Mr. Magoo is depressed over the constant rainy weather. Well, actually, it isn't raining; he's just left the sprinkler running. Fed up, he plans to venture to California in search of sunny weather. Even though he never actually leaves town, the trip is a long one with Magoo driving through city parks and water fountains. Finally believing himself to be on the home stretch when going through a car wash, he is convinced he has finally made it to California when he crashes into a billboard advertisement for Florida.
Magoo's Canine Mutiny
Director
The nearsighted Mr. McGoo goes shopping for a dog as a pet, and enters the pet store just as it is being robbed by a crook wearing a fur coat. McGoo puts a leash on him and heads for home as the crook thinks this will afford him a safe escape. But a policeman puts the collar on the thief and takes him to jail. McGoo, still wanting a dog, goes shopping for a replacement but ends up in a record store. He exits dragging a s statue of a dog, the 'His Master's Voice' trademark of a record company
Magoo Makes News
Director
Mr. Magoo misreads a newspaper flyer thinking it is a letter from his power company saying they are shutting off his power. Outraged, Magoo heads for the power company intent on giving them a piece of his mind. However, instead of going to the power company, he goes to a newspaper printing officer by mistake getting tangled up in the machinery all the while thinking he is being given "the bum's rush". He returns to his house with the power back on thinking he has won. But the next day, he doesn't like the paper's editorial and heads to the newspaper office wanting to give them a piece of his mind!
Stage Door Magoo
Director
Magoo has been enlisted as the male lead in Mrs. Sticknee's vanity production opera. On his way to the stage, he winds up in the rafters and causes havoc, cutting the various lines, standing in front of a spotlight, falling down stairs and trying to enter through a trap door the diva is standing on, and eventually crashing into a control board, triggering a snowstorm.
Madcap Magoo
Director
Expecting a visit from his practical joker friend Smiley, Mr. Magoo instead entertains an escaped mental patient.
Magoo Express
Director
Foreign-flavored intrigue abounds when Mr. Magoo is mistaken for a fellow spy aboard a European train.
Magoo's Check Up
Director
After a rather unpleasant incident followed by a suggestion that Magoo have his glasses checked, Magoo decides to have his eyes examined. He mistakes a television repair shop for an ophthalmologist/optometrist and the fun begins.
Destination Magoo
Director
The title of this short is a play on the title of the feature film Destination Moon (which itself has an animated sequence made by Walter Lantz and starring Woody Woodpecker) and once again Magoo and his myopia take an adventure, hand in hand, off to the "Moon". The life that man leads!
Kangaroo Courting
Director
It's springtime and love is in the air particularly for Mr. Magoo. Magoo is disappointed to learn his nephew, Waldo, had a fight with his girlfriend, Juliette. Magoo plans to have Waldo and Juliette reunited but instead of going to Juliette's apartment, he goes instead to a boxing ring where a boxing female kangaroo is sparring. Magoo mistakes the kangaroo for Juliette and invites her home to meet Waldo. Unfortunately, the kangaroo is trained to throw punches every time she hears a bell and Waldo is usually at the receiving end of the blows.
Magoo Goes Skiing
Director
Mr. Magoo and his nephew Waldo are vacationing at a ski lodge in the Swiss Alps. Magoo is intent on braving the slopes while Waldo tries to flirt with a pretty girl he meets up with. Unfortunately, Magoo takes the wrong turn while climbing the mountain pass and instead of going to the ski summits, he instead climbs to the top of the steep Matternot. A professor sees Magoo and, sensing danger, sends a St. Bernard up to rescue him. Magoo mistakes the St. Bernard for Waldo and takes the dog with him when he starts skiing eventually causing an avalanche.
When Magoo Flew
Director
Mr. Magoo sets off to go to the movies but goes to an airport by mistake and gets on a plane thinking it to be a theater. Little does Magoo know the man he is sitting next to is actually a thief and when a detective appears on the plane to track the thief down, Magoo thinks it's all part of the movie. After doing some wing walking, Magoo reenters the plane and exposes the thief to the detective. When the plane lands, Magoo remarks that they should have shown a cartoon particularly one with that "delightful near sighted fellow".
Magoo Slept Here
Director
Mr. Magoo decides to sell his old house and plans to make an additional profit by selling off his furnishing as antiques. But, the near-sighted Mr. McGoo can think better than he can see, so he inflates the value to the tax-collector and lowers it to the antique dealer.
Safety Spin
Director
The near-sighted Mr. Magoo (voice of Jim Backus) decides it is time for him to renew his drivers' license. Trust to form, he heads for the motor vehicle bureau but winds up at a maternity hospital.
Magoo's Masterpiece
Director
There is a sculpture contest with large prize money for the winner, and Mr. Magoo decides to become a sculptor and do some sculpturing. He borrows a friend's studio and goes to work on his creation. When a police-pursued jewel thief enter the studio, he convinces the near-sighted Magoo that he is a beautiful model, and Magoo, happy to have a beautiful woman as his model, sculpts away. The police finally arrive, and Magoo gets a reward for the thief's capture, and his sculpture wins the first-place prize money in the sculpture contest.
Captains Outrageous
Director
The near-sighted, and obviously rich, Mr. MaGoo and his nephew, Waldo, set sail on their well-rigged boat to catch Mighty Moe, the elusive giant marlin. Walso falls overboard and Magoo rescues a seal by mistake. Thinking he is giving brandy to Waldo, Magoo serves the seal with cod-liver oil, making the seal very happy. MaGoon ties the cod-liver oil to the anchor, sinks it and promptly catches Mighty Moe. He then sails for port with his prize catch, leaving Waldo, at sea, hanging onto a buoy.
Pete Hothead
Director
This UPA cartoon introduces a new character, Pete Hothead, a feisty little man with a violent temper. Pete Hothead was featured in only one other cartoon. In this one he receives a parrot from a store rather than the radio he ordered. In his attempts to exchange the parrot for a radio, he cause much havoc, disruptions and chaos in the store. He finally gets his radio, but then decides he'd rather have a television set.
Pink and Blue Blues
Director
Mr. Magoo is hired by his neighbors to babysit their little son, Homer. Magoo is delighted to accept but, unfortunately, a notorious cat burglar is intent on entering and robbing the house Magoo is babysitting it. To make matters worse, Magoo is constantly confusing Homer with the family dog and vice versa. When the thief finally breaks in, all chaos breaks loose but everything turns out all right in the end when the thief is apprehended thanks to the dog who is more alert than Magoo was.
The Dog Snatcher
Director
Mr. Magoo's dog is threatened by the dog catcher (who Magoo takes for a policeman). He's given until noon to license it. As he's preparing to leave, a circus goes by; he hitches a ride in a clown car (thinking it's a taxi) and, after a digress through the big top and into the gorilla cage (mayor's office), he ends up in the panther cage. He thinks the panther is his dog, and that he's been captured by the dog catcher, so he slips on the collar and takes it home. When Magoo gets home, the dogcatcher is waiting for him, but at the sight of the panther, he gives Magoo the license and traps the panther under a washtub. As the circus people cart it away, Magoo slips the license onto his tigerskin rug's head.
Sloppy Jalopy
Director
Mr. Magoo heads to a used car lot hoping to buy Waldo a new car for his birthday promising Waldo, "I'll be back with a little surprise for you". The crooked car salesman notices how myopic Magoo is and takes advantage of it by over-pricing the car Magoo chooses. Magoo accepts but the car salesman gets his just desserts when he unwittingly goes for a harrowing test drive with Magoo taking him to an amusement park where Magoo leads the car to the top of roller coasters and ferris wheels among other things with a police officer in hot pursuit.
Grizzly Golfer
Director
Magoo goes golfing in an unbearable way. When Magoo and Waldo go to play golf, they wind up in the middle of a bear hunt. Magoo mistakes a grizzly bear for Waldo and proceeds to make the bear caddy for him. The bear continually gets clobbered by clubs, balls, you name it. Meanwhile, Waldo is nowhere to be found, and the hunters are closing in. Just as Magoo is playing the last hole, the hunters open fire (seeing the bear), and everyone runs away: Magoo, the bear and Waldo.
Bungled Bungalow
Director
Mr. Magoo's house is towed-away by thieves.
Trouble Indemnity
Director
An insurance salesman enters Magoo's house hoping to make a sale. Magoo refuses but the salesman is eventually able to sell Magoo some by posing as one of Magoo's old college chums. Magoo is now worth a hefty sum and is ready to collect after being bitten by a dog (actually a tiger rug) but, instead of going to the insurance building, enters a building under construction next door to it. The salesman and his boss notice Magoo walking around the steel skeleton of the building and realizing, "If he falls, the company falls", they rush over making several attempts to save Magoo's life and keep him from endangering himself.
Spellbound Hound
Director
Mr. Magoo invites a friend to his lakeside cabin, unaware that a bloodhound has pursued an escaped convict to that isolated location.
Swallow the Leader
Animation
Migrating swallows are making their annual spring return to San Juan Capistrano, and a hungry cat awaits them.
High Diving Hare
Animation
Yosemite Sam tries to force Bugs Bunny to do a high-diving act when the regular act cancels.
Kit for Cat
Animation
Elmer Fudd takes in Sylvester Cat and an orange kitten during a cold winter night. He'd like to adopt them both but can only keep one. He decides to go to bed and make up his mind in the morning. Sylvester and the kitten both want to be the one who is adopted. So, each tries to "frame" the other for misdeeds in hopes of swaying Elmer's decision in their favor. The noise escalates to the point that all three- Sylvester, the kitten, and Elmer too- are evicted and must scrounge for food in trash cans.
The Foghorn Leghorn
Animation
Little Henery the Chicken Hawk wants to prove he's big enough to hunt chickens, but he doesn't know what a chicken is. He labels Foghorn Leghorn a loud-mouthed shnook and dismisses him, prompting Foggy to indignantly try to prove he's a chicken and therefore fit to be Henery's prey.
I Taw a Putty Tat
Animation
Woman wonders why her little pet birds keep disappearing. Sylvester the cat knows, but other than burping feathers, he's not saying. But it looks like he's met his match when the woman orders another bird from the pet shop: a little yellow canary named "Tweety".
Part Time Pal
Animation
Tom is given the task of guarding the fridge during the night by Mammy-Two-Shoes, but as soon as he has started he is tricked by Jerry into falling into the basement, where he lands in a barrel of cider. Now drunk, Tom staggers around in the house getting up to no good with Jerry.
Cat Fishin'
Animation
Spike is guarding a private fishing hole - in his sleep. Tom sneaks in to do some fishing - with Jerry as bait. But one particularly vicious fish turns out to be more than Tom or Jerry bargained for, particularly when he wakes up Spike.
Solid Serenade
Animation
Tom ties up Spike and sneaks into the courtyard of the glamorous Toodles Galore with his bass, hoping to woo her with his song, much to the annoyance of a sleeping Jerry.
Trap Happy
Animation
Tom calls the exterminators, but they send a cat, who despite his various tools, doesn't fare much better than Tom usually does.
Tee for Two
Animation
Tom is golfing, but the ball keeps jumping out of the cup, thanks to Jerry. Tom puts Jerry to work as a tee, but Jerry keeps doing things like replacing Tom's ball with a bird's egg that hatches in flight, or tying his club to his tail.
The Mouse Comes to Dinner
Animation
Tom invites Toots to an elegant dinner. However, he's made the mistake of trying to put Jerry to work, as a serving boy, a corkscrew, and other tasks. Jerry puts up with a little of this, but mostly gets revenge on Tom.
Mouse Trouble
Animation
Tom's new book on "how to catch a mouse" doesn't prove too helpful against Jerry; actually, Jerry seems to make better use of it than Tom.
Puttin' on the Dog
Animation
Jerry runs into a dog pound (and right on top of a napping Spike) to escape a rather mangy-looking Tom. To avoid being ripped to shreds, Tom borrows the head of a nearby dog statue. This easily fools the dogs, but not Jerry, and Tom keeps losing his newfound head...
Rats in Spats
G-Man
Live-action short directed by Irv Spence.
The Million Dollar Cat
Animation
Tom inherits $1,000,000 from an eccentric aunt on the condition that he not harm any living thing - even a mouse. And guess which mouse keeps following him around and pointing this out to him?
The Zoot Cat
Animation
Tom's advances on a young jive-talking girl cat get nowhere; nowhere, that is, until Tom gets a zoot suit. Armed with his miles of fabric and a new cool lingo, Tom still has to deal with the tricks of his nemesis, Jerry.
Baby Puss
Animation
Tom is dressed up and treated like a baby by the little girl of the house, and he hates it aside from the bottle of milk, that is. Jerry brings in some alley cats, who tease Tom.
The Yankee Doodle Mouse
Animation
As Tom and Jerry stage their typical fight sequences, the patriotic soldier theme of the title is evidenced by such things as a carton of eggs labeled "Hen Grenades"; Jerry dropping light bulbs from an airplane like bombs; and Jerry sending a telegram with the message "Sighted Cat - Sank Same." Musical phrasings from various patriotic war songs are heard throughout.
The Lonesome Mouse
Animation
Jerry crashes a vase onto Tom's head, which gets Mammy to throw Tom out. Jerry at first revels in his freedom, but soon tires of this, and, under a flag of truce, hatches a plan with Tom.
Sufferin' Cats!
Animation
Tom fights with another cat over Jerry.
Fine Feathered Friend
Animation
Chased by Tom around the barnyard, Jerry takes refuge under a hen, who, in her nest, is sitting on eggs. Tom has to figure out ways to get Jerry out from under the protective hen.
Puss n' Toots
Animation
Tom is playing with Jerry when a cute lady cat is delivered to Mammy for her to take care of. Tom is smitten at first sight.
The Night Before Christmas
Animation
It's snowy and cold outside, and warm inside where Jerry squeezes past a mousetrap to cavort under a present-laden Christmas tree. Mistaking the sleeping Tom for a plush toy, Jerry wakes him and a mad chase ensues.
The Midnight Snack
Animation
Jerry takes a midnight snack from the fridge unaware that Tom is watching him.
Romeo in Rhythm
Animation
This cartoon is by Rudy Ising, and is the last of a long line of black animal musicals done at MGM in the late 30s and early 40s.
The Milky Way
Animation
The three little kittens have lost their mittens and are sent to bed without dinner. From their room, they see the Milky Way and sail up to it, using a basket and helium balloons, passing through some fanciful astronomical bodies, until they reach a Milky Way filled with every conceivable form of milk.
Home on the Range
Animation
To the sound of the title song being sung by a campfire, a cow and her calf are bedding down for the night. The calf is frightened by a shadow, until it's revealed to be a jackrabbit. He follows the rabbit deep into the woods, but neither of them notices the wolf following until it's too late for the calf. The calf is trapped in a niche under some rocks, which the wolf quickly digs out. The wolf is closing in on the calf when the rabbit tries to distract him, to no avail.
Puss Gets the Boot
Animation
Jasper is given an ultimatum by his master: break one more thing and you're out. Rodent Jerry does his best to make sure that his tormentor "gets the boot".
The Bear That Couldn't Sleep
Animation
Barney's settling in for the winter. But water leaks, a loose shutter, a noisy fire, a teakettle left on, and some stray embers all get in the way, and Barney also locks himself out. And that's just the beginning.
Merbabies
Animation
A salt water version of "Water Babies" (1935); adorable redheaded 'merbabies' materialize out of the crashing surf and proceed to the sea floor where they conduct a circus along with a variety of sea creatures.