Jon Hall at Brian's Drive-In Theater

biography

Born Charles Locher in Fresno, California, on February 26, 1915, matinee idol Jon Hall was raised in Tahiti and educated in England and his father's native Switzerland. He stumbled into an acting career while in his late teens and signed a contract with Warner Bros. after being spotted in a play in 1934. While the Warner Bros. contract went nowhere, he landed a supporting role in his first film, the poverty row romance Women Must Dress (1935; with Minna Gombel) using his real name. More programmers followed, including Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935; with Warner Oland) and The Girl from Scotland Yard (1937; with Karen Morley). With the production of his first important film The Hurricane (1937; with Dorothy Lamour), he changed it to Jon Hall. In June 1938, Hall married popular radio singer Frances Langford. In the early 1940s, Hall's career gained further momentum at Universal; he starred alongside Maria Montez in six Technicolor fantasies, including Arabian Nights (1942; Universal's first three-strip Technicolor production), White Savage (1943), and Cobra Woman (1944). Wildly popular with war-weary audiences, the press dubbed Hall and Maria Montez the King and Queen of Technicolor.

LEFT and CENTER A: Beefcake photos of Jon Hall. CENTER B: With first wife Frances Langford at Ciros in 1954. RIGHT: Being interviewed by William Lundigan during a film premiere in the 1940s

Although induction into the Army threatened to derail Hall's career momentum, he was discharged after six months due to gall bladder problems. Unfortunately, much like old Technicolor stock, after the end of World War II Hall's career began to fade, along with that of Maria Montez. Other wartime movie stars suffered similar fates. Nonetheless, he continued to work, mostly in westerns and jungle adventure films. From 1952 to 1954, he starred in the syndicated TV series Ramar of the Jungle, which proved very popular with children. In addition to owning the show, Hall also profited from prolific merchandising. Several Ramar films followed, which were merely spliced episodes of the series. After the show ended, Hall mostly concentrated on business interests rather than acting.

the films of jon hall

The Lion Man (1936)

From the low-budget adventure The Lion Man

The Hurricane (1937)

LEFT: Hall as Terangi in the action romance The Hurricane, perhaps Hall's best film. CENTER and RIGHT: With Dorothy Lamour

South of Pago Pago (1940)

Olympe Bradna, Jon Hall, and Victor McLaglen

With Olympe Bradna and Victor McLaglen in the adventure South of Pago Pago

Kit Carson (1940)

From the United Artists western Kit Carson with Dana Andrews and Lynn Bari

Arabian Nights (1942)

With frequent co-stars Maria Montez and Sabu in Universal's adventure Arabian Nights. This was the first of six films in which hall and Montez costarred

White Savage (1943)

Again with Maria Montez in White Savage

Cobra Woman (1944)

LEFT: With Mary Nash in Universal's colorful adventure Cobra Woman. RIGHT: With Maria Montez

Lady in the Dark (1944)

From the Paramount comedy Lady in the Dark

The Vigilantes Return (1947)

With Margaret Lindsay in the Universal western The Vigilantes Return

The Prince of Thieves (1948)

From the Columbia Robin Hood adventure The Prince of Thieves with Patricia Morison

The Mutineers (1949)

With Adele Jergens in Columbia's actioner The Mutineers

Zamba (1949)

With June Vincent and Jane Nigh in the Eagle-Lion adventure Zamba

On the Isle of Samoa (1950)

Susan Cabot, Raymond Greenleaf, and Jon Hall

From the adventure flick On the Isle of Samoa. LEFT: With Susan Cabot. RIGHT: With Susan Cabot and Raymond Greenleaf

Hurricane Island (1951)

With Marie Windsor in Hurricane Island

Last Train from Bombay (1952)

From the Columbia adventure Last Train from Bombay

Hell Ship Mutiny (1957)

LEFT: From Hall's underwater adventure Hell Ship Mutiny. Production of this film benefited from the use of Hall's underwater cameras, which he often leased to studios. CENTER and RIGHT: With Peter Lorre

The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965)

From Hall's last film, The Beach Girls and the Monster

later years

Hall's marriage to singer Frances Langford ended in 1955 after 17 years of marriage, yet they parted friends. After the cancellation of his TV series Ramar of the Jungle, Hall put his film career on the back burner, focusing instead on his photographic equipment business that specialized in underwater cameras. His business venture proved very successful, as he rented underwater equipment to film studios and occasionally supervised underwater sequences. Hall considered marrying starlet Carol Brewster in the late 1950s, but in February 1959, he married the beautiful 1930s Mexican actress Raquel Torres, who was then the widow of producer Stephen Ames. The couple had a rocky marriage and divorced in 1963, remarried, and divorced again in 1967. In 1964, he began production on his final film, The Beach Girls and the Monster, a film in which he acted and also is credited with directing. He married once more, in 1969, but this marriage ended as well. By the late 1970s, Hall was suffering from bladder cancer; to end his pain, he took his own life on December 15, 1979, at the age of 64. He was survived by his sister, with whom he was living.

filmography

FILM
The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965) with Sue Casey and Walker Edmiston; Hall is credited as director
Forbidden Island (1959) with John Farrow and Jonathan Haze
Hell Ship Mutiny (1957) with John Carradine, Peter Lorre, and Peter Coe
Thunder Over Sangoland (1955) with Marjorie Lord and Myron Healey
Phantom of the Jungle (1955) with Anne Gwynne
Eyes of the Jungle (1953)
White Goddess (1953)
Last Train From Bombay (1952) with Donna Martell
Brave Warrior (1952) with Jay Silverheels and Michael Ansara
China Corsair (1951) with Ernest Borgnine
Hurricane Island (1951) with Marie Windsor and Lyle Talbot
When the Redskins Rode (1951) with Mary Castle
On the Isle of Samoa (1950) with Susan Cabot
Zamba (1949) with June Vincent, George O'Hanlon, Beau Bridges, and Ray 'Crash' Corrigan
Deputy Marshal (1949) with Frances Langford and Dick Foran
The Mutineers (1949) with Adele Jergens, George Reeves, and Lyle Talbot
The Prince of Thieves (1948) with Adele Jergens
Last of the Redmen (1947) with Buster Crabbe and Evelyn Ankers
The Vigilantes Return (1947) with Andy Devine
The Michigan Kid (1947) with Victor McLaglen and Andy Devine
Men in Her Diary (1945) with Louise Allbritton and Peggy Ryan
Sudan (1945) with Maria Montez, Turhan Bey, and Andy Devine
San Diego I Love You (1944) with Louise Allbritton
Gypsy Wildcat (1944) with Maria Montez and Peter Coe
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944) with Evelyn Ankers, John Carradine, and Leon Errol
Cobra Woman (1944) with Maria Montez, Lon Chaney Jr., and Sabu
Lady in the Dark (1944) with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944) with Maria Montez, Turhan Bey, and Andy Devine
White Savage (1943) with Maria Montez, Turhan Bey, and Sabu
The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942) with Charles Laughton
Arabian Nights (1942) with Maria Montez, Turhan Bey, and Sabu
Invisible Agent (1942) with Ilona Massey and Peter Lorre
Aloma of the South Seas (1941) with Dorothy Lamour
Eagle Squadron (1941) with Robert Stack and Evelyn Ankers
Kit Carson (1940) with Lynn Bari, Clayton Moore, and Dana Andrews
South of Pago Pago (1940) with Frances Farmer
Sailor's Lady (1940) with Joan Davis, Dana Andrews, and Buster Crabbe
The Hurricane (1937) with Dorothy Lamour, Mary Astor, and John Carradine
The Girl From Scotland Yard (1937)
The Lion Man (1936)
Mind Your Own Business (1936) with Lyle Talbot
Winds of the Wasteland (1936) with John Wayne, Lane Chandler, and Phyllis Cerf
The Clutching Hand (1936) with Jack Mulhall and Mae Busch
The Mysterious Avenger (1936) with Charles Starrett and Roy Rogers
Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935) with Warner Oland and Irene Hervey
Women Must Dress (1935) with Minna Gombell and Arthur Lake

TELEVISION SERIES
Ramar of the Jungle, 1952-1954 syndicated TV series; a total of 52 episodes were produced. Hall portrayed Dr. Tom Reynolds, aka Ramar. Some episodes were spliced together and released as films

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Feather Cloak, originally aired February 11, 1965
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Festive Felon, originally aired November 28, 1963

jon hall trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Jon Hall's 1937 adventure The Hurricane

jon hall television appearances

Watch a May 1953 episode of Jon Hall's TV series Ramar of the Jungle titled The Voice in the Sky

jon hall film now showing

Watch Jon Hall's 1965 horror film The Beach Girls and the Monster

Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered September 10, 2002
Copyright and Disclaimer Information

Jon Hall

(1915-1979)