Huntz Hall Movies
The 14th of 16 children born to a New York air-conditioner repairman and his wife, Henry Richard Hall was nicknamed "Huntz" because of his Teutonic-looking nose. At the ripe old age of one year, Huntz made his stage debut in Thunder on the Left. He went on to attend New York's Professional Children's School, perform in radio programs and at least one experimental TV broadcast, and sing with a youthful quintette; the last activity came to an end when he "ruined" his voice hawking peanuts at Madison Square Garden.In 1935, Hall was cast as slum-kid Dippy in Sidney Kingsley's Dead End, repeating the role in the 1937 screen version. Together with his fellow "Dead End Kids" Leo Gorcey, Gabriel Dell, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan and Bernard Punsley. Hall was signed by Warner Bros in 1938. In between such Warners' assignments as Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) and They Made Me a Criminal (1939), Hall co-starred with Halop, Dell, Punsley and Leo Gorcey's brother David in Universal's Little Tough Guy, the first of many "Dead End Kid" spin-offs. During his years at Universal, Hall began developing his trademarked goofy comic style, which came to full fruition when he was reunited with Leo Gorcey in Sam Katzman's East Side Kids series at Monogram. Previously, his character name (and character) had changed from film to film: at Monogram, Hall was consistently cast as Gorcey's perennial punching bag Glimpy. Occasionally, he accepted non-"East Side Kids" assignments in the mid-1940s, earning high critical praise for his performance as Carraway in Lewis Milestone's A Walk in the Sun.
In 1946, Hall, Gorcey and producer Jan Grippo created the Bowery Boys series for Monogram. Hall played the increasingly buffoonish Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones in 48 inexpensive but profitable "Bowery Boys" entries, graduating to top billing when Gorcey left the series in 1955. After the final Bowery Boys entry in 1958, he appeared in nightclubs and dinner-theater productions. Thanks to his 10% ownership of the Bowery Boys series and his investments in offshore oil, Hall was wealthy enough to retire in the early 1960s, but he was never able to completely divest himself of the urge to perform. His post-"Sach" appearances include a semi-heavy role in Ivan Tors' Gentle Giant (1977), regular stints in the weekly TV series The Chicago Teddy Bears (1971), The Ghost Busters (1975) and Uncle Croc's Block (1977), his unexpectedly effective portrayal of movie mogul Jesse Lasky in Ken Russell's Valentino (1977), and any number of supporting roles in such R-rated fare as Gas Pump Girls and Auntie Lee's Meat Pies. He also turned director for the made-for-TV feature Lost Island (1979). Hall was appointed by Princess Grace to Monaco's Council on Drug Abuse in the 1970s. Huntz Hall remained active on the nostalgia-convention circuit into the 1990s until his death in early 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
In this fast-paced actioner, a brave young woman must deliver a specially designed, top-secret super-destructo armored motorcycle that runs on oxygen to the US military after the man assigned to deliver it, her lover, is murdered by enemy agents. Soon after finding his body, the woman finds a video he made that tells her how to work the machine and where she must take it. Unfortunately for her, the enemy is out there waiting and determined to steal the bike for themselves. Part of the fun in this film is looking for popular B movie stars from years' past. Such stars include Huntz Hall, Troy Donahue, and Michael Reagan. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Thomas, Jeffrey Combs, (more)
- 1984
Made for cable television, The Ratings Game was directed by Danny DeVito, who co-starred in the film with his wife Rhea Perlman. DeVito plays the owner of a New Jersey trucking firm who yearns for a televison career. He offers several TV-series ideas to a receptive network programming head. On the verge of being fired, the network exec decides to have his revenge on his ex-bosses by selecting the very worst of DeVito's concepts. The "born to fail" series becomes a hit, and soon DeVito is the hottest programmer in the industry! More truthful than many of us are willing to admit, The Ratings Game premiered with astonishingly little fanfare over The Movie Channel cable service on December 15, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, (more)
The Escape Artist represents the laudable directorial debut of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. Griffin O'Neal, the real-life son of Ryan O'Neal, plays Danny Masters, the offspring of a famed magician. Determined to match his dad's accomplishment, Danny runs into nothing but trouble. His biggest mistake is picking the pocket of the son of a corrupt town mayor. When not running from adults, the boy is being exploited by them. A critic's favorite, Escape Artist has slowly built up a cult following over the years, thanks largely to its eclectic supporting cast, including Raul Julia, Desi Arnaz Jr., Joan Hackett, Teri Garr, Jackie Coogan, Huntz Hall and M. Emmet Walsh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Griffin O'Neal, Raul Julia, (more)
- 1979
- R
Not exactly meant for intellectuals or feminists, this juvenile comedy-drama centers around the competition between a decaying, old-fashioned gas station and that of a sleek, modern version across the street. Neither Uncle Joe (Huntz Hall) nor his station are doing well. So niece June (Kirsten Baker) comes to the rescue, enlisting three buxom friends with names like April (Sandy Johnson) and January (Rikki Marin) who help fill out the rest of the calendar year, and occasionally fill up tanks when not disco dancing in the garage. Using the only weapons they have, the young women wear as little as possible to distract the competition, to attract customers, to distract the gangsters sent over to teach them a lesson, and to distract attention away from the script. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirsten Baker, Dennis Bowen, (more)
- 1977
- R
Rudolph Valentino, born in Italy in 1895 as Alfonzo Raffaele Pierre Philibert Guglielmi, emigrated to the U.S. and became for a time the reigning male romantic lead of the silent-film era. He died in 1926, having led a short, troubled and tempestuous life which included several stints in prison. The crowds surrounding his coffin before and during his funeral were among the largest ever seen in the U.S. In this film, Ken Russell has used events from the famous actor's life as the basis for an extended meditation on the nature of stardom, and especially on what it means to be a sex idol. Beginning and ending with the funeral of Valentino (Rudolf Nureyev), the story chronicles his rise to Hollywood stardom from life as an Italian emigrant dishwasher and show-dancer. Often embroiled in controversies about his manliness (or perceived lack of ), in the film he dies as a result of internal injuries suffered in a boxing match he fought in to defend his honor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rudolf Nureyev, Leslie Caron, (more)
- 1976
- PG
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This spoof makes fun of a certain famous German shepherd movie star from the 1920s. The mayhem begins when the head honcho of a financially struggling studio turns a lost dog into a legend. The story features a number of old stars making cameo appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, (more)
- 1975
- PG
Detective movies and film-noir are parodied in this comedy that tells the story of a rookie detective who is hired via mail-order to find out who killed the milkman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabriel Dell, Will Geer, (more)
- 1975
The central "character" of the Disney made-for-TV movie The Sky's the Limit is a battered old biplane. The aircraft comes in handy when a spry old farmer (Pat O'Brien) makes an effort to "reach" his truculent grandson (Ike Eisenmann). It so happens that the farmer was a World War I ace, and as such promises to take the boy up in the air for a crop-dusting session. Next step: get the biplane into flying shape. Also starring Lloyd Nolan and Jeanette Nolan (no relation), The Sky's the Limit premiered as a two-part Wonderful World of Disney episode on January 19 and 26, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Herbie Rides Again is the first sequel to Disney's fabulously successful The Love Bug. The emphasis here is on Mrs. Steinmetz (Helen Hayes), a feisty old San Franciscan who refuses to sell her home to conniving developer Alonzo Hawk (Keenan Wynn). Hawk's nephew, lawyer Willoughby Whitfield (Ken Berry), joins Mrs. Steinmetz's camp when he falls in love with her niece Nicole (Stefanie Powers). (This, of course, is after Nicole angrily slaps Willoughby with a boiled lobster, sending him plummeting over a balcony railing and into the drink). The day is saved by Herbie, the almost-human Volkswagen, who rallies every VW in town to thwart Hawk's machinations. Herbie Rides Again performed admirably enough to inspire still another sequel, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Hayes, Ken Berry, (more)
- 1971
The first of two TV movies bearing the title Escape, this 1971 film was the pilot for a potential series. Christopher George stars as Cameron Steele, a famous escape artist who solves crimes on the side. Steele and his faithful assistant Nicholas Slye (Avery Schreiber) tackle the case of a kidnapped scientist (William Windom). The scientist's daughter (Marilyn Mason) is likewise in jeopardy, but leaves it to Steele to out-Houdini Houdini in rescuing both father and daughter from the clutches of Numero Uno villain John Vernon. Escape was originally offered as an ABC Movie of the Week on April 6, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
Have you ever longed for the day when James Brown, Martha Raye, and Col. Harland Sanders would appear in a movie together? Well, that's barely the tip of the improbable casting iceberg in this bizarre cold-war spoof. The leaders of the American intelligence organization the S.S.A. ("Super Secret Agency") are becoming increasingly alarmed by the disappearance of a number of B-list celebrities, who are being spirited off to Communist Albania. Eager to bring the fading stars back to the Land of the Free, the S.S.A. come up with a simple plan: They'll find four typical guys in their mid-twenties, have them form a rock group, make them into international stars, and wait until they get invited to play a gig in Albania, which will allow them to find out what's become of Rudy Vallee, Butterfly McQueen, and Huntz Hall, among others. Unemployed philosopher Michael A. Miller, Native-American honor student Ray Chippeway, phys-ed major Dennis Larden, and male model Lonny Stevens are drafted by the S.S.A., and after some intensive training by experts (Trini Lopez shows them a few guitar chords, and Richard Pryor gives them a crash course in soul), they become an overnight sensation as The Phynx (yes, it's pronounced "Finks"). Their album sells 17 million copies on the strength of songs like "What Is Your Sign?," and their groupies have to be cleared away by forklift. But fun and games have to go to the back burner when Albanian ruler Markevitch (George Tobias) and his wife, Ruby (Joan Blondell), invite the Phynx to perform at the behest of their son. Pat O'Brien, Xavier Cugat, Patty Andrews, and Dick Clark are just a few of the other notables who make cameo appearances in The Phynx, which had a very brief theatrical release before being sold to television in the early '70s. Legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller penned the songs performed by The Phynx (and Stoller composed the background score), though for some reason they're not covered nearly as often as "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog," or "Yakkety Yak." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Miller, Ray Chippeway, (more)
- 1967
The title character is a benign 7-foot-tall grizzly bear (perhaps all grizzlies are benign, but we're not about to get close enough to find out). Little Clint Howard befriends the bear, naming the beast Ben. Clint's wildlife-officer dad Dennis Weaver and mom Vera Miles have some trouble adjusting to the boy's new pet, but all ends happily after a lengthy sojourn in the Everglades. The best scenes involve ex-Bowery-Boy Huntz Hall, here playing a grizzled old swamp tramp. The upshot of Gentle Giant's success was the TV series Gentle Ben, which also starred Howard and Weaver and which ran from 1967 through 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Weaver, Vera Miles, (more)
- 1965
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In this musical comedy, an enterprising young husband decides to help out his wife by staging a benefit with Country and Western singers when the Italian opera company she had scheduled suddenly cancels. Mayhem ensues when two bunglers get confused and show up dressed in Italian costumes. Songs include: "Young Love," "Don't Let Me Cross Over," "Hello Walls," "Columbus Stockade Blues," "John Henry," "Born to Lose," "Honky Tonk Angels," "Abilene," "Ain't that a Shame," and "Careless Love." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1958
This is the very last entry in the long-running Bowery Boys saga. This time the gang gets involved with English diamond smugglers after they are hired to safely escort a valuable poodle on a Transatlantic voyage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this entry in the long-running series, The Bowery Boys must help their leader after he becomes hypnotized by an unscrupulous mesmerizer who sends him back in time to the swashbuckling days of Blackbeard the pirate. There he is to find a buried treasure. The lad finds it, but upon awakening, he finds the hypnotist holding a gun on him. The crook then escapes to find the loot. Fortunately the other boys beat him to it. At the location, they learn that the treasure is really the hidden loot from an old theft of a jewelry store. The honest boys hand the crook, and the treasure over to the police. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this entry in the long-running "Bowery Boys" series Sach sells his soul to the Devil so he can atone for spending a charity fund at the track. The bargain enables the young man to successfully predict winning horses at the track. Soon Sach finds himself pursued by greedy mobsters who want him to work with them. Sach demurs and then ends up riding a horse in the big race. Despite his efforts to force the steed to slow down and lose, it wins. Fortunately, the horse is disqualified because Sach was an illegal rider. This has the added benefit of proving the Devil wrong and nullifying their contract. To pay for his crimes, Sach must work in a diner. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
When a city cafe owner buys himself a peaceful country manse to relax in, the Bowery Boys are quite excited. Unfortunately, they arrive to discover the house in a terrible stage of decay and so agree to help fix it up. No sooner do they begin repairs than they find a fortune hidden inside the house. The boys use the money to pay off the house. The makes the greedy real estate agent suspicious. Suspecting there is more money hidden around, the agent decides to convince the gang to sell back the house by making it seem as if it were haunted. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this episode of the long-running "Bowery Boys" series, Sach reminisces about the time he and the gang spent helping the Allies in North Africa during WW II. The boys were working as spies and were assigned to bring in "The Hawk" a key member of the African underground. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
This is one of the last episodes of the long-running Bowery Boys film series. This time the trouble begins when a spoiled child television star swipes their car. They go to get it back and in so doing teach the kid a lesson or two. TV executives, frustrated from trying to deal with the youth on their own are so impressed that they hire the boys to keep the kid in line. Of course, that's not nearly as easy as it sounds, especially after the little star gets kidnapped. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The Bowery Boys find themselves up to their unwashed necks in international intrigue when they agree to help the exiled king (Sig Ruman) and the lovely princess (Lisa Davis) of the mythical country of Truania. It seems that sweet shop owner Louie (Bernard Gorcey) was born in Truania and is still loyal to its monarchy, thus Bowery boys Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) are entrusted with a valuable half-coin that will be conjoined with its other half when it is safe for the king to return to his homeland. The king's "faithful" retinue (Leon Askin and Veola Vonn) turn out to be traitors, hoping to trap the king by doctoring the coin. Plots and counterplots are hatched in and around Louie's sweet shop, but the Bowery Boys vanquish the traitors and save the throne. The best scenes involve Sach, who is periodically put under a hypnotic spell by the wily female traitor. Spy Chasers isn't exactly John Le Carre, but as a Bowery Boys epic it's one the best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
- 1956
In this entry in the long running Bowery Boys series, the boys begin working as free-lance photographers. Trouble ensues when they take a picture of a crime lord. They are in such a rush to get the picture back to the paper they work for that they accidently destroy the negative. To get another photo, one of the boys begins impersonating a Chicago gangster. He then sneaks his camera into a nightclub. While there he gets fake money from the crimelord, which he gives to the police as evidence. Thanks to his efforts, the boss and his gang are brought to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
In this entry in the Bowery Boys series, one of the members suddenly finds that he can predict winning numbers after he suffers an electrical shock. He and the boys take this special talent and use it on a TV game show. They win a trip to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, his winning streak attracts the interest of local gangsters who trick the clairvoyant lad into believing he killed a man. They use this to blackmail him into forking over his winnings. The gang comes to his aid. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The Bowery Boys--Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall) et. al.--are suckered into buying a uranium mine near the western town of Panther Pass. Though the boys find none of the precious mineral, a gang of bad guys, led by Ron Haskell (Harry Lauter), are led to believe that mine is valuable. The crooks try to chase our heroes off their property, but before long the tables are turned, and the film wraps up with a zany jeep pursuit. Director Edward Bernds and screenwriter Elwood Ullman reuse several old Three Stooges gags in Dig That Uranium, including the poker game routine from the Stooges' Out West (1947). The film's best bit is an extended parody of High Noon, replete with really slow bullets. Incidentally, the doofus who sells the boys the uranium mine in the opening scene is none other than Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Filmed at Iverson's Ranch in the San Fernando Valley, Dig That Uranium was the final "Bowery Boys" outing for Bernard "Louie Dumbrowski" Gorcey, who died in a traffic accident shortly after filming was completed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
- 1955
In this entry in the long-running series, the Bowery Boys must help a reporter who was beaten up during an undercover investigation at a local prison. With the consent of the reporter's editor, the boys pull off a phony jewel caper and two of them are imprisoned. In the pokey, they learn that the editor is the real thief and that they really are in prison. Hijinks ensue until they expose a scam surrounding prison guards on the take from inmates who pay them to give them easier jobs. This allows them to prove their innocence and eventually expose the evil editor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
It's the Bowery Boys again, in their 35th feature film. Sach (Huntz Hall) buys a battered oil lamp, which turns out to have belonged to Aladdin some 2000 years earlier. Out pops a genial genie (Eric Blore), who grants every wish of Sach and his pal Slip (Leo Gorcey). Gangsters steal the lamp, but discover that the genie won't grant any wishes unless Slip and Sach tell him to, so the baddies snatch Our Heroes as well. The boys escape by insisting that the genie take them home. He does--to his home, ancient Baghdad. Slip and Sach barely escape the scimitar of the angry Caliph; they return to the Bowery minus the genie but with their heads intact. In typical Bowery Boys fare, this entry is pepped up by the appearance of veteran comic actor Eric Blore in his final screen appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
