Hal Skelly
Hal Skelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 1891 |
| Died | June 16, 1934 (aged 43) |
| Cause of death | Train/truck accident |
| Resting place | Mount Calvary Cemetery Davenport, Iowa 41°33′48″N 90°33′51″W / 41.56337°N 90.56403°W |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1918-1934 |
Hal Skelly (May 31, 1891– June 16, 1934) was an American Broadway and film actor.
Biography
J. Harold Skelly was born in Alleghenyville, Pennsylvania and spent his early years in Davenport, Iowa.[1] He left home at the age of 15 and joined the circus. He acted in his first stage production, The Time, the Place and the Girl, at the LaSalle Theater in Chicago.[2] He became a veteran of medicine shows, musical comedy, burlesque, Lew Dockstader's minstrels[2] and opera. His eccentric dancing ability earned him the nickname "Tumbling Harold Skelly".[1]
Skelly made his Broadway debut in the Fiddler’s Three in 1918 and went on to appear in ten other shows on Broadway. He received a starring role along side of Barbara Stanwyck, who was in her first Broadway hit, in Burlesque in 1927. The two were invited by Paramount Studio to star in the1929 film version of the show. Stanwyck turned down the offer, while Skelly reprised his role as Skid Johnson. The title was changed to The Dance of Life as the studio thought the original title was too risqué for movie audiences.[1] Skelly made a total of ten films, including the "Woman Trap" (1929), "Behind the Make-Up" (1930) and "The Shadow Laughs" (1933). He was also featured on two movie soundtracks.
Skelly was killed in a train/vehicle accident in West Cornwall, Connecticut when the truck he was driving was struck by a New York-Pittsfield train at a crossing. His widow brought his body back to New York City for the funeral.[1] His mother and his brother Hugh went to New York and accompanied the body back to Davenport for burial at St. Marguerite’s Cemetery, now known as Mount Calvary Cemetery.
Broadway[3]
- Fiddlers Three (1918), as Sam Wigglesbury
- The Night Boat (1920), as Freddie Ides
- The Girl in the Spotlight (1920), as Watchem Tripp
- Orange Blossoms (1922), as Jimmy Flynn
- Mary Jane McKane (1923-1924), as Joe McGillicudy
- Betty Lee (1924-1925), as Wallingford Speed
- Burlesque, (1927-1928), As Skid
- Melody (1933), as François Trapadoux
- Ghost Writer (1933), as Bill Harkins
- Queer People (1934), as Theodore Anthony White
- Come What May (1934), as Chet Harrison
Filmography[4]
- The Dancing Town (1928; short)
- The Dance of Life (1929) as Ralph 'Skid' Johnson
- Woman Trap (1929) as Dan Malone
- Behind the Make-Up (1930) as Hap Brown
- Men Are Like That (1930) as J. Aubrey Piper
- The Gob (1930; short)
- The Struggle (1931) as Jimmie Wilson
- Hotel Variety (1933)
- The Shadow Laughs (1933) as Robin Dale
- The Chump (1934; short)
Discography[4]
- The Dance of Life (1929) featured: "True Blue Lou" / "The Flippity Flop"
- Men Are Like That (1930) featured: "In the Gloaming" 1877
References
- ^ a b c d Longden, Tom. "Skelly, Hal". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
- ^ a b "Oxford Companion to American Theater: Hal Skelly". Answers.com. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
- ^ "Hal Skelly". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
- ^ a b "Hal Skelly". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-04-21.