Alan Hale Sr.
Alan Hale Sr. (born February 10, 1892 in Washington, DC , † January 22, 1950 in Hollywood ; actually Rufus Alan McKahan ) was an American actor and director . During his career he appeared in more than 240 Hollywood films. He achieved fame primarily as a sidekick of Errol Flynn in 13 films.
Life
Alan Hale was born in Washington, DC in 1892 to drug maker John MacKahn. After studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania , he initially wanted to be an opera singer. However, he then turned to acting, which was initially unprofitable for him. To supplement his income, he wrote obituaries for a Philadelphia- based newspaper and also tried his hand as an inventor. As such, he developed and financed, for example, foldable theater seats, vehicle brakes and non-greasy chips. After a number of theater engagements, he joined the Lubin Film Co. in Philadelphia in 1911, when he started working for the then still young medium of film, where he was used regularly under the name Alan Hale. From 1913 he was occasionally on stage on Broadway , for example in the play The Poor Little Rich Girl and the musical Rock-a-Bye Baby .
In the 1920s, Hale succeeded in establishing himself on the screen with silent films such as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) and The Caravan (1923). As a sought-after character actor in Hollywood, he was soon committed to the role of the sidekick alongside big stars. On the side, Hale also tried his hand at directing; between 1915 and 1927 he made eight films. He directed Shirley Mason in The Scarlet Honeymoon (1925) and Bessie Love in Rubber Tires (1927). However, the emerging sound film brought him enormous popularity in front of the camera, which is why he did not pursue the work as a director and concentrated again on acting. His most famous role was that of Little John , whom he first played in Robin Hood in 1922 with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in the title role. He was to play this role again in 1938 at the side of Errol Flynn in Robin Hood, King of the Vagabonds .
In the 1930s and 1940s, Hale was part of the Warner Brothers' large cast of regular actors . As a sidekick of Errol Flynn he was seen in a total of 13 films and as such caused the laughs at Flynn's side, for example when he was elected president of a women's association in Lord of the Wild West . In the swashbuckler film Adventures of Don Juan from 1947 were seen together on screen Flynn and Hale one last time. In addition, Hale also worked with stars such as Cary Grant ( destined for Tokyo ) and Humphrey Bogart (in use in the North Atlantic ). Hale was also seen in the Laurel and Hardy comedy Die Doppelganger (1936) as a grumpy beer garden waiter and in Frank Capra's screwball comedy It Happened in One Night (1934) as a singing driver who tries in vain to steal her suitcase from Claudette Colbert . In 1950, Hale played the role of Little John in Robin Hood's Retribution for a third and final time . It was his last of almost 250 screen appearances.
Personal life and honors
Alan Hale was married to the silent film actress Gretchen Hartman (1897–1979) from 1914 until his death . They had three children. His son Alan Hale junior also became an actor, best known for the role of Skipper in the television series Gilligan's Island . On January 22, 1950, Hale died at the age of 57 as a result of liver disease. His grave is in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale , California. Alan Hale received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 .
Filmography (selection)
As an actor
- 1917: The Woman in the Case
- 1921: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse)
- 1921: The Fox
- 1922: Robin Hood
- 1923: The caravan (The Covered Wagon)
- 1923: Cameo Kirby
- 1924: One Night in Rome
- 1925: Dick Turpin, the Gallant Bandit (Dick Turpin)
- 1928: skyscrapers (skyscraper)
- 1928: The Cop
- 1929: Sal of Singapore
- 1929: The Leatherneck
- 1930: She Got What She Wanted
- 1931: Helga's Fall and Rise (Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise)
- 1931: The Sin of Madelon Claudet (The Sin of Madelon Claudet)
- 1932: Gentleman for a day (Union Depot)
- 1932: So big
- 1933: Destination Unknown
- 1934: Where is Madeleine F.'s child? (Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen)
- 1934: The Lost Patrol (The Lost Patrol)
- 1934: It Happened One Night (It Happened One Night)
- 1934: Little Man, What Now?
- 1934: Fog Over Frisco
- 1934: Of Human Bondage
- 1934: The convict's ransom (Great Expectations)
- 1934: Imitation of Life
- 1935: The Good Fairy
- 1935: Crusader - Richard the Lionheart (The Crusades)
- 1935: The Last Days of Pompeii
- 1936: A Message to Garcia
- 1936: The Doppelgangers (Our Relations)
- 1937: River of Truth (God's Country and the Woman)
- 1937: The Prince and the Pauper (The Prince and the Pauper)
- 1937: High, Wide, and Handsome
- 1937: Stella Dallas
- 1937: Music for Madame
- 1938: The Adventures of Marco Polo (The Adventures of Marco Polo)
- 1938: Four Men and a Prayer
- 1938: Robin Hood, King of the Vagabonds (The Adventures of Robin Hood)
- 1938: Algiers
- 1938: Valley of the Giants
- 1938: Three Sisters from Montana (The Sisters)
- 1938: Pacific Liner
- 1939: Lord of the Wild West (Dodge City)
- 1939: The Man in the Iron Mask (The Man in the Iron Mask)
- 1939: Favorite of a Queen (The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex)
- 1939: On Your Toes
- 1939: The Green Hell
- 1940: Gold smuggling to Virginia (Virginia City)
- 1940: The Lord of the Seven Seas (The Sea Hawk)
- 1940: On the Road at Night (They Drive by Night)
- 1940: Land of the Wicked (Santa Fe Trail)
- 1940: Most Beautiful in Town (The Strawberry Blonde)
- 1941: Mr. X going astray (Footsteps in the Dark)
- 1941: Hearts on fire (Manpower)
- 1941: Engagement to Death (The Smiling Ghost)
- 1942: heroes of the air (Captains of the Clouds)
- 1942: Jukebox Fever (Juke Girl)
- 1942: Order of sabotage in Berlin (Desperate Journey)
- 1942: The Cheeky Cavalier (Gentleman Jim)
- 1943: Action in the North Atlantic (Action in the North Atlantic)
- 1943: Destination Tokyo (Destination Tokyo)
- 1943: Thank Your Lucky Stars
- 1943: This Is the Army
- 1944: The Adventures of Mark Twain ( The Adventures of Mark Twain )
- 1944: Janie
- 1944: Hollywood Canteen
- 1945: A Roughly Speaking Woman
- 1945: Hotel Berlin
- 1946: I think of you day and night (Night and Day)
- 1946: Heaven full of violins ( The Time, the Place and the Girl )
- 1947: The Man I Love
- 1947: Persecuted (Persued)
- 1947: My Wild Irish Rose
- 1947: Dirty Dollars (Cheyenne)
- 1948: My Girl Tisa
- 1948: The Adventures of Don Juan
- 1949: contraband (South of St. Louis)
- 1949: They rode with Jesse James (The Younger Brothers)
- 1949: One morning on Hopkins Street (The House Across the Street)
- 1949: Always Leave Them Laughing
- 1949: The Inspector General
- 1950: Stars in My Crown
- 1950: The Secret of the Black Gang (Colt 45)
- 1950: Robin Hood's Retribution (Rogues of Sherwood Forest)
As a director
- 1915: The Passing Storm
- 1925: The Scarlet Honeymoon
- 1925: The Wedding Song
- 1925: Braveheart
- 1926: Forbidden Waters
- 1926: The Sporting Lover
- 1926: Risky Business
- 1927: Rubber Tires
literature
- Hale, Alan . In: Thomas S. Hischak: The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theater, Film, and Television . Oxford University Press, New York City 2008, p. 316.
- Alan Hale Sr. In: Alfred E. Twomey, Arthur F. McClure: The Versatiles: A Study of Supporting Character Actors and Actresses in the American Motion Picture, 1930–1955 . A. S. Barnes, 1969, p. 106.
Web links
- Alan Hale senior in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Alan Hale senior in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Alan Hale senior in the All Movie Guide (English)
- Alan Hale senior in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Arthur Ingram: The Movie Makers . Chartwell, 1978, p. 212.
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Hale, Alan Sr. |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hale, Alan Sr .; McKahan, Rufus Alan (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American actor and director |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 10, 1892 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Washington, DC |
DATE OF DEATH | January 22, 1950 |
Place of death | Hollywood |