The New Movie Magazine (Jan-Sep 1935)

Actors Are Nobodies It takes a great actor to say that — and that is what Henry Hull is, for all his modesty Bv HAL HALL ACTORS are nobodies. They do not exist. i-\ Only as the characters they portray do they A. A. count. This vehement outburst, delivered with an accompaniment of a bony fist crashing down on a table in Universal's lunch room; spoken in a tone that rang with honesty and sincerity, while his flashing brown eyes fairly bored through the interviewer, best tells the story of Henry Hull, one of America's most outstanding character actors, a man who has Hollywood gasping because he is modest enough to reveal that he thinks he still has a lot to learn about acting. But Hull is like that. He tells you frankly that he was born in 1890, and doesn't try to make you believe that he is in his early thirties, as is the usual Hollywood custom. "Why not tell my age?" he asked. "An actor of forty-four should be a better actor than one of Henry Hull once swore he could play a child's part in "Little Lord Fauntleroy" — and did it! How completely he can lose himself in a characterization is shown by the large photograph at the right. Have you seen "Great Expectations"? Would you ever know the snar ing "Magwitch" was the handsome man above? Vreulich thirty — that is, if he takes his work seriously and makes a study of his profession. Acting is no different from engineering and an engineer becomes more valuable as the years of experience roll by." Hull, incidentally, knows something about engineering, for he was educated to follow that profession but gave it up to follow in the footsteps of his two illustrious brothers, Shelley, now dead, and Howard. It was in Louisville, Kentucky, that Hull first saw the light of day. His father was a newspaperman on the Louisville CourierJournal. He named Henry after his boss, Colonel Henry Watterson, the famous newspaper figure for half a century. Hull's father wanted his boys to be something. So he gave them the benefit of excellent educations. Henry attended the grammar schools of Louisville followed with four years at DeWitt Clinton and Commerce high schools in New York. Then studied in turn at the College of the City of New York, Cooper Union and Columbia University. While his brothers went on the stage, he became an engineer, going into the Cobalt mines at Halisbury, New Liskeard and Ungava. He was doing well when he went to Chicago to attend the wedding of his brother, Shelley. There he conceived the idea of becoming an actor. He told his brother who promised to find him a chance. Three months later he left the Cobalt mines and signed on to do three small "bits" with Guy Bates Post's company in New York. This was in 1911. It was his start, and all that Henry Hull needs in anything is an opportunity. "I realized that I needed experience," he said, "so when I finished with that company in June, 1912, I went to Syracuse where I joined a stock company. Raoul Walsh, now a director, was a member of the company. All that Summer I studied and watched the more experienced players, and in the Fall I was signed for Margaret Anglin's Greek repertory company and played with her for two and a half years. That was training, for I played every type of role from comedy to tragedy." It was not until 1916 that Hull really began to arrive. It was then he created the role of Henry Parker in "The Man Who Came Back," one of his most famous characterizations. He played it for thirty months. In 1918 and 1919 he played the male lead in Rachel Crother's "39 East," and then created the leading role in "The Cat and the Canary," which ran at the National Theater for forty-two weeks. This was followed in turn by "Roger Bloomer," "In Love With Love" and "The Naked Man." Then Henry Hull really stepped into the leading ranks of the character actors when he created the famous character of the negro barber in the Belasco production, "Lulu Belle." That role meant stardom for Hull, and when he finished the run of two years he was starred in A. A. Milne's "Ivory Door." He followed this with "The Grey Fox" and "Michael and Mary," which he says was his finest performance. Later he played Baron von Gaigen in Vicki Baum's "Grand Hotel." Next came "Springtime for Henry." His latest Broadway play was "Tobacco Road," a difficult play depicting the life of the uneducated backwoods settlers of Georgia. It was while playing in {Please turn to page 70) 30 The New Movie Magazine, April, 1935