Warren Hull

Warren Hull
File:Warren hull 1937.JPG in 1937
Born	John Warren Hull (1903-01-17)January 17, 1903 Gasport, New York, U.S.
Died	Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Cause of death	Congestive heart failure
Resting place	North Cemetery
Nationality	American
Other names	J. Warren Hull
Education	Lockport High School
Alma mater	New York University Eastman School of Music
Occupation	Actor, radio and television personality
Years active	1923–1964
Spouse(s)	Agnes Briggs (m. 1926; div. 1928) Dorothy Daye (m. 1929; div. 1944) Elouise Gilmore Shea (m. 1945; div. 1950) Susan Fossum Stevens (m.?; 1974)
Children	4

John Warren Hull (January 17, 1903 – September 14, 1974), known professionally as Warren Hull, was an American actor and television personality active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in the action-adventure field.

Early years

Born in Gasport, New York, Hull was one of three children born to John and Laura (nee Shafer) Hull. Both of his parents were Quakers. Hull attended Lockport High School, graduating in 1922. He then attended New York University with the intention of pursuing a career in business. He later decided to pursue a career in music and enrolled at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied voice. After completing his studies, he moved to New York City, where he became a chorus boy in Shubert operas and operettas. This eventually led to Hull working in Broadway musicals. In 1923, he began working as a radio announcer. Hull was the master of ceremonies for the first Your Hit Parade radio program and also worked as an announcer for The Bea Lillie Show.

Career

Films

In the mid 1930s, Hull moved to Los Angeles to pursue a screen career. He made his screen debut in 1934 for Educational Pictures, a short-subject studio. He co-starred opposite singer Sylvia Froos in the Young Romance series of musical comedies filmed in New York; Hull often joined Froos in song. In 1935 Hull was signed to a contract by Warner Bros., and spent the next few years playing leading men both in dramas and musicals. One of Hull's better-known appearances of this period came in The Walking Dead (1936), a horror movie starring Boris Karloff and directed by Michael Curtiz. Some of Hull's early appearances have him billed as "J. Warren Hull."

When his Warners contract expired, Hull had no trouble finding work at other studios. He teamed with Patricia Ellis, one of his leading ladies at Warners, for the Republic Pictures musical Rhythm in the Clouds (1937). He also played romantic leads in a string of features for Monogram Pictures.

In 1938, Columbia Pictures terminated its association with the Weiss Brothers, independent producers who had been making adventure serials for Columbia release, and decided to make its own cliffhangers. Warren Hull was signed for Columbia's first (and probably best) serial production, The Spider's Web (1938), based on a popular magazine character. Hull played three parts: criminologist Richard Wentworth, his masked-and-caped alter ego The Spider, and, in a second masquerade, lowlife mobster Blinky McQuade. The personable Hull brought a breezy sense of humor to his serial roles; he is probably the only serial hero who ever laughs on screen. Hull kept audiences following the Spider's thrilling exploits, making The Spider's Web the most popular and profitable serial of the year, outstripping such worthy cliffhangers as Buck Rogers and Dick Tracy Returns by a wide margin, according to a tally published in the Motion Picture Herald.

Pleased with Hull's performance, Columbia cast him as Mandrake the Magician in its 1939 serial. Universal Pictures starred the now-established serial hero in The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1941) and Columbia put him back in the mask and cloak for The Spider Returns (1941).

Radio and television

In the mid 1940s, Hull returned to radio announcing, appearing with frequency on such programs as Your Hit Parade and Vox Pop. In 1947, he hosted his own radio show, The Warren Hull Show, for CBS radio. During this time, Hull also hosted Cavalcade of Bands for Dumont radio. The following year, he began hosting the radio series Strike It Rich. He continued as host when the series was adapted for television in 1951. In 1953-54, Warren Hull, with former Miss America Bess Myerson, hosted a game show called "The Big Payoff" that lasted for several seasons. Hull was also the emcee of Spin to Win, only the second game show created by the team of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. During the next two decades he hosted TV programs such as Top Dollar, Beat the Odds, and Public Prosecutor. By the early 1960s, Hull was largely retired and was living in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 1962, he came out of retirement to host the game show Who in the World.

Personal life

Hull was married four times and had four children. His first three marriages ended in divorce. His fourth marriage to Susan Fossum Stevens lasted until his death in 1974.

Death

On September 14, 1974, Hull died of congestive heart failure at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut, at the age of 71. His funeral was held on September 18 at the Church of the Epiphany in Southbury, Connecticut, after which he was buried at the North Cemetery in Waterbury.

For his contributions to the radio and television industry, Warren Hull has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star for radio is located at 6270 Hollywood Blvd., and the star for television is located at 6135 Hollywood Blvd.

Selected filmography

• Miss Pacific Fleet (1935)
• Freshman Love (1936)
• Bengal Tiger (1936)
• Rhythm in the Clouds (1937)
• Her Husband's Secretary (1937)
• Michael O'Halloran (1937)
• Hawaii Calls (1938)
• The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940)

External links

• Warren Hull at the Internet Broadway Database
• Warren Hull at AllMovie
• Warren Hull at the Internet Movie Database
• Warren Hull at Find a Grave