Henry Hull(1890-1977)
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Henry Hull, the actor who created the role of Jeeter on Broadway in
"Tobacco Road," was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 13, 1890,
the son of a drama critic. Originally intending to become an engineer,
Hull became an actor and made his Broadway debut in "Green Stockings"
less than two weeks before his 21st birthday, on October 2, 1911. Two
years later he appeared again on Broadway in support of
John Barrymore in "Believe Me,
Xantippe." He then quit the stage to go prospecting for gold, using his
skills as a mining engineer. When he failed to find his El Dorado, Hull
turned back to acting, appearing in "The Man Who Came Back" in 1916. He
made his first films at the nearby World Pictures in 1917, most
famously starring as the ill-fated
Aleksandr Kerensky in
Rasputin, the Black Monk (1917).
The following year he appeared in the second film adaptation of
Louisa May Alcott's famous novel
Little Women (1918).
Although he appeared in about a dozen films from just after World War
One to the mid '30s, Hull concentrated on the stage until he went to
Hollywood to appear as Magwitch in
Great Expectations (1934). He
even had a play he wrote produced on Broadway, "Manhattan," which made
its debut on August 15, 1922, at the Playhouse Theatre and ran for a
respectable (for the time) 86 performances.
Hull made his mark in the history of the horror film, one of
Hollywood's most venerable genres, by appearing in the title role in
Werewolf of London (1935). Six
feet tall and slender, Hull had a rich and cultured voice, which put
him in demand as a supporting player in the Golden Age of Hollywood. He
was, however, somewhat of a mannered actor in a style that went out of
favor after the death of John Barrymore, and he often gave a
performance, such as that of the newspaper editor in
The Return of Frank James (1940),
that was a thick slice of ham. However, his mannerisms and plummy voice
were perfect for certain roles such as the obnoxious millionaire
conceived by populist John Steinbeck for
Lifeboat (1944).
Hull's greatest success as an actor was on Broadway, limning
Erskine Caldwell's Jeeter in "Tobacco
Road," which still ranks as the longest-running drama in the Great
White Way's history, opening on December 4, 1933, and closing on May 31,
1941, after 3,182 total performances. (Hull, of course, did not play the
entire run; Jeeter was also played by
James Barton and
Will Geer). By early 1936 Hull was starring on
Broadway in Maxwell Anderson's
"The Masque of Kings". When John Ford
went looking to cast roles in his film version of the play
Tobacco Road (1941), he chose
lovable old coot Charley Grapewin for
Jeeter; Grapewin had been memorable as Grandpa Joad the year before in
Ford's classic adaptation of Steinbeck's novel,
The Grapes of Wrath (1940).
Henry Hull's last film appearance was as a sort of chorus along with
Jocelyn Brando in
The Chase (1966). He was the brother of
actor Shelly Hull, the brother-in-law of
Shelly's wife Josephine Hull and the
father of producer Shelley Hull with his
wife, actress Juliet Fremont, with whom he had appeared on Broadway in
1916 in "The Man Who Came Back." Their son Henry Hull Jr. had a minor
career on Broadway, appearing in and serving as assistant stage manager
in his father's "The Masque of Kings," as well as appearing in the
ensemble in the legendary "Hamlet" of
John Gielgud that was on Broadway in 1936.
"Tobacco Road," was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 13, 1890,
the son of a drama critic. Originally intending to become an engineer,
Hull became an actor and made his Broadway debut in "Green Stockings"
less than two weeks before his 21st birthday, on October 2, 1911. Two
years later he appeared again on Broadway in support of
John Barrymore in "Believe Me,
Xantippe." He then quit the stage to go prospecting for gold, using his
skills as a mining engineer. When he failed to find his El Dorado, Hull
turned back to acting, appearing in "The Man Who Came Back" in 1916. He
made his first films at the nearby World Pictures in 1917, most
famously starring as the ill-fated
Aleksandr Kerensky in
Rasputin, the Black Monk (1917).
The following year he appeared in the second film adaptation of
Louisa May Alcott's famous novel
Little Women (1918).
Although he appeared in about a dozen films from just after World War
One to the mid '30s, Hull concentrated on the stage until he went to
Hollywood to appear as Magwitch in
Great Expectations (1934). He
even had a play he wrote produced on Broadway, "Manhattan," which made
its debut on August 15, 1922, at the Playhouse Theatre and ran for a
respectable (for the time) 86 performances.
Hull made his mark in the history of the horror film, one of
Hollywood's most venerable genres, by appearing in the title role in
Werewolf of London (1935). Six
feet tall and slender, Hull had a rich and cultured voice, which put
him in demand as a supporting player in the Golden Age of Hollywood. He
was, however, somewhat of a mannered actor in a style that went out of
favor after the death of John Barrymore, and he often gave a
performance, such as that of the newspaper editor in
The Return of Frank James (1940),
that was a thick slice of ham. However, his mannerisms and plummy voice
were perfect for certain roles such as the obnoxious millionaire
conceived by populist John Steinbeck for
Lifeboat (1944).
Hull's greatest success as an actor was on Broadway, limning
Erskine Caldwell's Jeeter in "Tobacco
Road," which still ranks as the longest-running drama in the Great
White Way's history, opening on December 4, 1933, and closing on May 31,
1941, after 3,182 total performances. (Hull, of course, did not play the
entire run; Jeeter was also played by
James Barton and
Will Geer). By early 1936 Hull was starring on
Broadway in Maxwell Anderson's
"The Masque of Kings". When John Ford
went looking to cast roles in his film version of the play
Tobacco Road (1941), he chose
lovable old coot Charley Grapewin for
Jeeter; Grapewin had been memorable as Grandpa Joad the year before in
Ford's classic adaptation of Steinbeck's novel,
The Grapes of Wrath (1940).
Henry Hull's last film appearance was as a sort of chorus along with
Jocelyn Brando in
The Chase (1966). He was the brother of
actor Shelly Hull, the brother-in-law of
Shelly's wife Josephine Hull and the
father of producer Shelley Hull with his
wife, actress Juliet Fremont, with whom he had appeared on Broadway in
1916 in "The Man Who Came Back." Their son Henry Hull Jr. had a minor
career on Broadway, appearing in and serving as assistant stage manager
in his father's "The Masque of Kings," as well as appearing in the
ensemble in the legendary "Hamlet" of
John Gielgud that was on Broadway in 1936.