"The Big Blond"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23157, 1 October 1938, Page 20 (Supplement)

"The Big Blond"

Alan Hale's Romantic Beginnings on Screen In Early Biograph Days REGULAR PERFORMER DURING LONG CAREER ' / • . /' By FRANK JENNINGS v

•; i They used to call him, and may do now for all I know; the Big Blond, the Beautiful Beast, of the screen. That was when he was one of the more exciting he-man romanticists of the silent screen. Yes, Alan Hale has been in pictures all that long. Search hack in the records of the silent film era, and you will find htm as a regular contributor to the then current film heroism, or villainy, according to his mood.

Y'vT" AIjE was never a willowy J-rl stem of young manhood, so 1 far as I recall. Always built on cgenerous lines, like some figure from thq, legends'of the old German or Nordic gods. It is probable that he was the first semi-, demi-, platinum blond hero of the films, the Gene Raymond of his time. He has always had thai thoroughly healthy crop of amall yellow curls. Because of his appearance, that stature and that face and that cluster of curls, his screen history has been phot through with many Scandinavian and Teuton character roles. It was, and is, generally Alan Hale playing the hearty German (or Swede, Hungarian) fond of good living and elemental jokes, not averse from a ■woman or two, but not entirely lost to all decency in the latter respect. Hollywood producers always called, and call, upon the big blond bloke to fill the role of the beer-swilling Teuton, the loud-laughing, easy-going bon VIVQUT Real Name MacKahn You can see him now, lumbering into the scene, inevitably over-dressed in the .manner of the middle-European with a fondness for indulging his unfettered' tastes, good-natured to a

"The Crusades." It murt not be held against him that he had to create something out of an. entirely shadowy being, and had no option but resort to something which approached the idiotic. It was a poor part for such an experienced and useful player. Yet his simple clowning was no more out of place than any of the rest. At one time, following his appearance in the silent "Robin Hood," he had a shot at directing. For the old Fox company he made a feature with the appetising title of "Scarlet Honeymoon."

This caused quite a_ stir, leading to De Mille assigning him the handling of a Leatrice Joy film. Still in the nuptial line, that subject was called "Wedding Song," though Hale did not give a directorial encore. Dramatic Roles He went back and did an honest job of acting again. And he kept to acting for a number of years, always dependable and always earning praise for his work. I have a recollection of him playing with William Boyd, a similar type to himself and another De Mille player, in an early talkie. It concerned two rival riveters, a sort of Flagg and Quirt of the skyscrapers. He has long been something of a screen veteran,, so that it is hard to remember all of his best parts. At times he has given stand-out performances, and at others he has suffered the fate of so many character actors of being obscured in the insignificance of his role. _ < There are dim memories of him as a circus performer, probably the strong man or lion tamer, in one film. He is easily recollected in "Little Man, What Now?" In this, he gave one of those excellent, bovine, man-of-the-world portrayals. The typical middle-Europe artisan or shopkeeper, with the money to fling about on pleasures. Not Entirely Buffoon After that, "Imitation of Life," "The Little Minister," and a fine bit of work in "The Lost Patrol." Hale so rarely gets a chance to play an intense, dramatic role, that it comes almost as a surprise to see him expertly getting away with it as in that film. . ■ In an unpretentious production, "It Happened in Hollywood," which. * .was. very amusing for all its modest set-up,' he gave a magnificent comedy performance. Those who saw and remember

decree, with an insatiable appetite for food, wine and Women"; but not caring much if none of them is satisfied. m was born in Washington-and the lianfe was Alan MacKahn, if the record books are to be believed. MacKahn is the nearest you will ever tret to a name made up or both a bit Scotch and a bit German. Not many people can boast of a father who was a manufacturer of patent, medicines. If they could, not many of them could still further say their parent never forced them to taKe his own concoction. . . This did not deter the young giant from deciding upon his own career. After all, inheriting a patent medicine manufacturing plant may not be everything. i £ <« Hollywood Pioneer

You never can tell about patent medicines. They might become a prosperous panacea, or you might still be standing iii the market square 25 years * l6 That is how Alan became Hale and an actojr. He is a Hollywood pioneer among actors. TTia .first effort was called The Cowboy and the Lady," which to-day is being filmed as "The Lady and _ the Cowboy," with Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon hitting home runs for Goldwyn. How time flies. . , . After that masterpiece, he went all dramatic. He took the part of George Washington in a searing trifle named "Fighting Kev. Watts." As the reverend was cut- short; so teas Hale's ambition as a dramatic bigshot. For a long time he joined the band 6f comics making two-reelers tor the old Biograph company. Here he was first given ■ the chance to find out what he could do in the comedy line. Maybe his form of humorous characterisations, essentially Hale, is still just as hearty. But it is nothing compared to the rough slapstick of the Biograph days. Early Comedy Technique Then, the technique invariably used to raise a laugh was to fall over, or get pushed over. , j' The chase, in which everybody dragged into the action ran after some early, entrant into the knocking-over-ladder business, was the sole item on any agenda of the script conference of that day. , , . , Blond baby did not care much where .'he came in the chase, first or last, while ihe was getting paid for it. He would mot have minded being the ladder. As /Hollywood came into being and crew, so did Alan Hale. He grew up with , the Fairbanks-Pickford-Wallace-Reid-Chaplin crowd, if only .on the fringe as one of the lesser lights. He hit the film big-time when he plaved the heavy in "The Covered Waggon," the father in "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," and Little John in Fairbanks Senior s ""Robin Hood." In the last-named, a highly popular character in a highly popular 'picture, hs gave a memorable portrayal,.; r Effort at Directing After all. a those years, he is again filling the role of that legendary figure in the schoolboy's historical fiction. A little more set in figure, and certainly much more mature, in his work, Hale re-acts Little John in the current version of "Robin Hood." One of his unfortunate experiences within' recent memory was- when he essayed another, character of-romantic history, that of Blondel in De Mule »

lIIIMIJMMMUWMW'*" lII' ■ lI——WI mum that picture should have no difficulty in recalling his comedy film producer. He goes from one series of films with one company, to another series with another. Of late, he has appeared in a number of 20th Century-Fox pictures, "A Message to Garcia," "Country Beyond," "Lovely to Look At,?' "Rebecca of Sunny brook Farm," and "Four Men and a Prayer." Currently he has worked in two adventure films, "Robin Hood" and "Marco Polo," and he appears in "Algiers." These hearty, swashbuckling roles may be all'right'for-him, but it is to be . hoped that he will . get back to an-, other-type of -character! . • I always feel that too much is expected from Halefin the Blondel, Little John kind- of role, and that takes in "Marco Polo." Conscientious and consistent performer that he is, he cannot give his best in such obviously contrived roles. He may be ideal for the goodnatured fellow, the lover of good fare arid hearty fun, but he is not so much the complete buffoon as all that. There is a well-defined streak of real acting ability in him, and'the flair to Convey deeper emotions.

"Crime Ring," featuring Allan Lane and Frances Mercer, is the : main picture at the Mayfair Theatre, commencing next Friday, and "Maid's Night Out," with Joan Fontaine and Allan« Lane, will be the second attraction. Both pictures are from the RKO Radio studios.