Josephine Hull
Encyclopedia
Josephine Hull was an Academy Award winning American actress who also was a director of plays. She had a successful 50-year career on stage while taking some of her better known roles to film. She won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for Harvey
, a role she originated on the Broadway stage.
to William H. Sherwood and Mary Elizabeth Tewkesbury. She attended the New England Conservatory of Music
(Boston) and Radcliffe College
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
) in 1910. After her husband's death as a young man, the actress retired until 1923, when she returned under the name Josephine Hull. She and Shelley Hull had had no children.
Josephine Hull had her first major stage success in George Kelly's Pulitzer-winning Craig's Wife
in 1926. Kelly wrote a role especially for her in his next play, Daisy Mayme, which also was staged in 1926. She continued working in New York theater throughout the 1920s. In the 30s and 40s, Hull appeared in three Broadway hits, as a batty matriarch in You Can't Take It With You
(1936), as a homicidal old lady in Arsenic and Old Lace
(1941), and in Harvey
(1944). The plays all had long runs, and took up ten years of Hull's career.
Her last Broadway play, The Solid Gold Cadillac
(1954–55), was later made into a film with the much younger Judy Holliday
.
(recreating her stage role) and The Careless Lady. She missed out on recreating her You Can't Take It With You role in 1938, as she was still onstage with the show. Instead, Spring Byington
appeared in the film version. Hull and Canadian-born Jean Adair
did play the Brewster sisters in the 1944 film Arsenic and Old Lace
(starring Cary Grant
), and Hull was in the screen version of Harvey
as well, playing James Stewart
's sister.
It was for that role that Hull won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar
; it was her sole nomination. Variety
credited Hull's performance: "the slightly balmy aunt who wants to have Elwood committed, is immense, socking the comedy for every bit of its worth." After, Hull made only one more film, The Lady from Texas (1951); she had also appeared in the CBS-TV version of Arsenic and Old Lace in 1949, with Ruth McDevitt
, an actress who often succeeded Hull in her Broadway roles, as her sister.
Hull retired in 1955, and died in The Bronx
in 1957 from a cerebral hemorrhage, aged 71 or 74.
Harvey (film)
Harvey is a 1950 film based on Mary Chase's play of the same name, directed by Henry Koster, and starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. The story is about a man whose best friend is a pooka named Harvey—in the form of a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall invisible rabbit.-Plot:Elwood P...
, a role she originated on the Broadway stage.
Background
Hull was born as Josephine Sherwood in Newtonville, MassachusettsNewtonville, Massachusetts
Newtonville is a village of Newton, Massachusetts.Located in Newtonville is Newton North High School, one of the city's two high schools. Also located in Newtonville is the MBTA Commuter Rail train station, which is serviced by the buses 59, 553, 554, and 556....
to William H. Sherwood and Mary Elizabeth Tewkesbury. She attended the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
(Boston) and Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Stage
Hull made her stage debut in stock in 1905, and after some years as a chorus girl and touring stock player, she married actor Shelley Hull (the elder brother of actor Henry HullHenry Hull
Henry Watterson Hull was an American character actor with a unique voice, most noted for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's Werewolf of London .-Life and career:Hull was born in Louisville, Kentucky...
) in 1910. After her husband's death as a young man, the actress retired until 1923, when she returned under the name Josephine Hull. She and Shelley Hull had had no children.
Josephine Hull had her first major stage success in George Kelly's Pulitzer-winning Craig's Wife
Craig's Wife
Craig's Wife is a 1925 play written by American playwright George Kelly, uncle of actress and later Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly. It won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Harriet Craig was played by Chrystal Herne....
in 1926. Kelly wrote a role especially for her in his next play, Daisy Mayme, which also was staged in 1926. She continued working in New York theater throughout the 1920s. In the 30s and 40s, Hull appeared in three Broadway hits, as a batty matriarch in You Can't Take It With You
You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
(1936), as a homicidal old lady in Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace (play)
Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the...
(1941), and in Harvey
Harvey (play)
Harvey is a 1944 play by American playwright Mary Chase. Produced by Brock Pemberton and directed by Antoinette Perry, the play premiered on 1 November 1944 at the 48th Street Theatre on Broadway where it was staged for 1,775 performances before closing on January 15, 1949. The original production...
(1944). The plays all had long runs, and took up ten years of Hull's career.
Her last Broadway play, The Solid Gold Cadillac
The Solid Gold Cadillac
The Solid Gold Cadillac is a 1956 film directed by Richard Quine and written by Abe Burrows, Howard Teichmann and George S. Kaufman. It was adapted from the hit Broadway play of the same name by Teichmann and Kaufman, in which they pillory big business and corrupt businessmen...
(1954–55), was later made into a film with the much younger Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday was an American actress.Holliday began her career as part of a night-club act, before working in Broadway plays and musicals...
.
Film
Hull made only six films, beginning in 1929 with The Bishop's Candlesticks. That was followed by two 1932 Fox features, After TomorrowAfter Tomorrow
After Tomorrow is 1932 film directed by Frank Borzage, and starring Charles Farrell, Marian Nixon, Minna Gombell and William Collier Sr..-Cast:* Charles Farrell ... Peter Piper* Marian Nixon ... Sidney Taylor* Minna Gombell ... Else Taylor...
(recreating her stage role) and The Careless Lady. She missed out on recreating her You Can't Take It With You role in 1938, as she was still onstage with the show. Instead, Spring Byington
Spring Byington
Spring Byington was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of December Bride. She was a key MGM contract player appearing in films from the 1930s through the 1960s.-Early life:Byington was born Spring Dell Byington in Colorado Springs,...
appeared in the film version. Hull and Canadian-born Jean Adair
Jean Adair
Jean Adair was a Canadian actress.Born as Violet McNaughton, she worked primarily on stage but also made several film appearances late in her career, most notably as one of Cary Grant's dotty old aunts in Arsenic and Old Lace, a role she originated on Broadway...
did play the Brewster sisters in the 1944 film Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace (film)
Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 film directed by Frank Capra based on Joseph Kesselring's play of the same name. The script adaptation was by twins Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941, but it was not released until 1944, after the original stage version...
(starring Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
), and Hull was in the screen version of Harvey
Harvey (film)
Harvey is a 1950 film based on Mary Chase's play of the same name, directed by Henry Koster, and starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. The story is about a man whose best friend is a pooka named Harvey—in the form of a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall invisible rabbit.-Plot:Elwood P...
as well, playing James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
's sister.
It was for that role that Hull won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
; it was her sole nomination. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
credited Hull's performance: "the slightly balmy aunt who wants to have Elwood committed, is immense, socking the comedy for every bit of its worth." After, Hull made only one more film, The Lady from Texas (1951); she had also appeared in the CBS-TV version of Arsenic and Old Lace in 1949, with Ruth McDevitt
Ruth McDevitt
Ruth McDevitt was an American stage, film, radio and television actress.-Career:She was born Ruth Thane Shoecraft in Coldwater, Michigan. After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she married Patrick McDevitt and decided to devote her time to her marriage. After her husband's death in...
, an actress who often succeeded Hull in her Broadway roles, as her sister.
Hull retired in 1955, and died in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
in 1957 from a cerebral hemorrhage, aged 71 or 74.
Broadway Appearances
- The Bridge [Sep 4, 1909 - Oct 1909, billed as Josephine Sherwood)
- The Law and the Man (Dec 20, 1906 - Feb 1907, billed as Josephine Sherwood) Role: Cosette (Replacement)
- Neighbors (Dec 26, 1923 - Jan 1924) Role: Mrs. Hicks
- Fata Morgana (Mar 3, 1924 - Sep 1924) Role: George's Mother
- Rosmersholm (May 5, 1925 - May 1925) Role: Madame Helseth
- Craig's WifeCraig's WifeCraig's Wife is a 1925 play written by American playwright George Kelly, uncle of actress and later Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly. It won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Harriet Craig was played by Chrystal Herne....
(Oct 12, 1925 - Aug 1926) Role: Mrs. Frazier - Daisy Mayme (Oct 25, 1926 - Jan 1927) Role: Mrs. Olly Kipax
- The Wild Man of Borneo (Sep 13, 1927 - Sep 1927) Role: Mrs. Marshall
- March Hares (Apr 2, 1928 - Apr 1928) Role: Mrs. Janet Rodney
- The Beaux Stratagem (Jun 4, 1928 - Jun 1928) Role: Servant in the Inn
- Hotbed (Nov 8, 1928 - Nov 1928) Role: Hattie
- Before You're 25 (Apr 16, 1929 - May 1929) Role: Cornelia Corbin
- Those We Love (Feb 19, 1930 - Apr 1930) Role: Evelyn
- Midnight (Dec 29, 1930 - Feb 1931) Role: Mrs. Weldon
- Unexpected Husband (Jun 2, 1931 - Sep 1931) Role: Mrs. Egbert Busty
- After Tomorrow (Aug 26, 1931 - Nov 1931) Role: Mrs. Piper
- A Thousand Summers (May 24, 1932 - Jul 1932) Role: Mrs. Thompson
- American Dream (Feb 21, 1933 - Mar 1933) Role: Martha, Mrs. Schuyler Hamilton
- A Divine Drudge Oct 26, 1933 - Nov 1933) Role: Frau Klapstuhl
- By Your Leave (Jan 24, 1934 - Feb 1934) Role: Mrs. Gretchell
- On to Fortune (Feb 4, 1935 - Feb 1935) Role: Miss Hedda Sloan
- Seven Keys to BaldpateSeven Keys to BaldpateSeven Keys to Baldpate is a 1917 silent film mystery produced by George M. Cohan and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount. It is based on Cohan's play of the novel by Earl Derr Biggers. Cohan himself stars in this silent version along with Anna Q. Nilsson and Hedda Hopper,...
(May 27, 1935 - Jun 1935) Role: Mrs. Quinby - Night In the House (Nov 7, 1935 - Nov 1935) Role: Lucy Amorest
- You Can't Take It With YouYou Can't Take It with YouYou Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
(Dec 14, 1936 - Dec 3, 1938) Role: Penelope Sycamore - An International Incident (Apr 2, 1940 - Apr 13, 1940) Role: Mrs. John Wurthering Blackett
- Arsenic and Old LaceArsenic and Old LaceArsenic and Old Lace may refer to:*Arsenic and Old Lace , by Joseph Kesselring*Arsenic and Old Lace , a 1944 film adaptation directed by Frank Capra...
(Jan 10, 1941 - Jun 17, 1944) Role: Abby Brewster - HarveyHarvey- People :* Harvey , a given name and family name* William Harvey, 16th century physician, first to describe circulation of blood- Places :In the United States* Harvey, Illinois* Harvey, Iowa* Harvey, Louisiana* Harvey, Michigan* Harvey, North Dakota...
(Nov 1, 1944 - Jan 15, 1949) Role: Veta Louise Simmons - Minnie and Mr. Williams (Oct 27, 1948 - Oct 30, 1948) Role: Minnie
- The Golden State (Nov 25, 1950 - Dec 16, 1950) Role: Mrs. Morenas
- Whistler's Grandmother (Dec 11, 1952 - Jan 3, 1953) Role: Kate
- The Solid Gold CadillacThe Solid Gold CadillacThe Solid Gold Cadillac is a 1956 film directed by Richard Quine and written by Abe Burrows, Howard Teichmann and George S. Kaufman. It was adapted from the hit Broadway play of the same name by Teichmann and Kaufman, in which they pillory big business and corrupt businessmen...
(Nov 5, 1953 - Feb 12, 1955) Role: Mrs. Laura Partridge
Broadway Credits as Director
- Why Not? (Dec 25, 1922 - Apr 1923, billed as Mrs. Shelley Hull)
- The RivalsThe RivalsThe Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a comedy of manners in five acts. It was first performed on 17 January 1775.- Production :...
(May 7, 1923 - May 1923, billed as Mrs. Shelley Hull) - The Habitual Husband (Dec 24, 1924 - Jan 1925)
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | The Bishop's Candlesticks | ||
| 1932 | Careless Lady | Aunt Cora | |
| After Tomorrow | Mrs. Piper | ||
| 1944 | Arsenic and Old Lace Arsenic and Old Lace (film) Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 film directed by Frank Capra based on Joseph Kesselring's play of the same name. The script adaptation was by twins Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941, but it was not released until 1944, after the original stage version... |
Aunt Abby Brewster | |
| 1950 | Harvey Harvey (film) Harvey is a 1950 film based on Mary Chase's play of the same name, directed by Henry Koster, and starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. The story is about a man whose best friend is a pooka named Harvey—in the form of a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall invisible rabbit.-Plot:Elwood P... |
Veta Louise Simmons | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year.... |
| 1951 | The Lady from Texas | Miss Birdie Wheeler |