Harry Tytle

The boss’s pet

Harry Tytle joined the studio in March 1936 as a traffic boy and quickly made himself invaluable by filling in for staff members who were on vacation. This brought him to Walt’s attention. Walt invited him to play polo at night and later to dinner at “Ptomaine Charley’s.” According to Tytle, that free meal was “the only compensation” he received for working nights. Clearly, however, spending time with the boss offered benefits that went far beyond dinner.

Tytle soon rose to a position of trust within the studio. By 1941, Homer Brightman identified him as one of two men — the other being Hal Adelquist — responsible for reporting union-related infractions. He eventually became a producer and continued his career at the studio long after Walt’s passing.

During the production of Snow White, Tytle worked as a “cutter,” a role that involved analyzing recorded dialogue before animation began. He broke the sound into frames and accents, preparing timing sheets that allowed animators to match their drawings precisely to the dialogue. After animation tests were completed, he synchronized picture and sound, assembled the scenes in continuity, and replaced earlier reels with revised versions.