Jon Hall
Encyclopedia
Jon Hall was an American
film
actor
.
, and raised in Tahiti
by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty
. Hall began acting in films in 1935 in minor roles, one of which was Charlie Chan in Shanghai
. He achieved success in 1937 when cast opposite another relative newcomer, Dorothy Lamour
, in The Hurricane, which was written by James Norman Hall. His double in The Hurricane was the stuntman and actor Paul Stader
.
He maintained his popularity until the end of the 1940s, usually playing leads in adventure films. In 1940, he portrayed Kit Carson
in a biographical film of the frontiersman's life. He is notable for having made six popular Technicolor
adventure films with Maria Montez
: Arabian Nights
(1942), White Savage (1943), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
(1944), Cobra Woman
(1944), Gypsy Wildcat (1944), and Sudan (1945).
Jon Hall is perhaps best remembered by later audiences as the star of the television series Ramar of the Jungle
, which ran from 1952 to 1954. Hall directed and starred in the 1965 cult horror film The Beach Girls and the Monster
.
from 1934 until 1955, and also twice married and divorced actress Raquel Torres
.
, Hall's health declined to a point that he found unbearable, and after telling friends that the pain of his illness was overwhelming, he committed suicide
in North Hollywood
, California
, and is buried next to his father in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
. His bronze marker reads Charles F. Locher / "Jon Hall" / Beloved Son and Brother / 1915 - 1979.
, for Motion Pictures at 1724 Vine Street and for television at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Biography
Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, CaliforniaFresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, and raised in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty (novel)
For the actual event described in this book, see Mutiny on the Bounty.Mutiny on the Bounty is the title of the 1932 novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, based on the mutiny against Lieutenant William Bligh, commanding officer of the Bounty in 1789. It has been made into several films...
. Hall began acting in films in 1935 in minor roles, one of which was Charlie Chan in Shanghai
Charlie Chan in Shanghai
Charlie Chan in Shanghai is the ninth Charlie Chan film produced by Fox with the title character played by Warner Oland.-Plot:Charlie Chan arrives in Shanghai at the behest of the U.S. government to help stop an opium smuggling ring. He receives a warning aboard ship not to stop in Shanghai...
. He achieved success in 1937 when cast opposite another relative newcomer, Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour was an American film actress. She is best remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope .-Early life:Lamour was born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of Carmen Louise Dorothy...
, in The Hurricane, which was written by James Norman Hall. His double in The Hurricane was the stuntman and actor Paul Stader
Paul Stader
Paul B. Stader, sometimes known as Manny Stader , was an American actor best known for having performed stunts for Johnny Weismuller, Lex Barker, Gregory Peck, and John Wayne. He was also the underwater director of the 1978 film The Return of Captain Nemo.-Working with Weismuller and Barker:Stader...
.
He maintained his popularity until the end of the 1940s, usually playing leads in adventure films. In 1940, he portrayed Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
in a biographical film of the frontiersman's life. He is notable for having made six popular Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
adventure films with Maria Montez
María Montez
María Montez was a Dominican-born motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s as an exotic beauty starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a hot-blooded Latin seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling...
: Arabian Nights
Arabian Nights (1942 film)
Arabian Nights is a 1942 adventure film starring Sabu, Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Leif Erickson and directed by John Rawlins. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but owes more to the imagination of Universal Pictures than the original Arabian stories...
(1942), White Savage (1943), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944 film)
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...
(1944), Cobra Woman
Cobra Woman
Cobra Woman is a 1944 American melodrama/adventure film of the South Seas genre, directed by Robert Siodmak. It was mad in and starring Jon Hall, Sabu, Mary Nash, Lon Chaney, Jr. and, in a dual role, Maria Montez...
(1944), Gypsy Wildcat (1944), and Sudan (1945).
Jon Hall is perhaps best remembered by later audiences as the star of the television series Ramar of the Jungle
Ramar of the Jungle
For a related series, see Jungle Jim , starring Johnny Weismuller, Martin Huston, and Dean Fredericks.Ramar of the Jungle was a syndicated American television series that starred Jon Hall as Dr. Tom Reynolds and Ray Montgomery as his associate. Episodes were set in Africa and India...
, which ran from 1952 to 1954. Hall directed and starred in the 1965 cult horror film The Beach Girls and the Monster
The Beach Girls and the Monster
The Beach Girls and the Monster is a horror film in the beach party style. Unlike most beach party films, it was shot in black & white. For some release prints, the surfing footage was printed in color...
.
Personal life
Hall was married to singer Frances LangfordFrances Langford
Julia Frances Langford was an American singer and entertainer who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and also made film appearances over two decades.-Birth:...
from 1934 until 1955, and also twice married and divorced actress Raquel Torres
Raquel Torres
Raquel Torres was a Mexican-born American film actress. Her sister was actress Renee Torres....
.
Death
When he was stricken with bladder cancerBladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis...
, Hall's health declined to a point that he found unbearable, and after telling friends that the pain of his illness was overwhelming, he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in North Hollywood
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and is buried next to his father in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
. His bronze marker reads Charles F. Locher / "Jon Hall" / Beloved Son and Brother / 1915 - 1979.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hall has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, for Motion Pictures at 1724 Vine Street and for television at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard.