Alan Hale Sr.

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Alan Hale (1921)

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

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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