Alan Hale, Jr.

Alan Hale, Jr.
Born	Alan Hale Mackahan, Jr. March 8, 1921(1921-03-08) Los Angeles, California, United States
Died	January 2, 1990 (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, United States
Spouse(s)	Naomi Hale, married 1964–1990 (his death)

Alan Hale, Jr. (born Alan Hale Mackahan, March 8, 1921 – January 2, 1990) was an American movie and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper (Jonas Grumby) on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island.

Life

He was born in Los Angeles, California. His father was character actor Alan Hale, Sr. and his mother was Gretchen Hartman (1897–1979), a silent film actress. His father (whom his son greatly resembled), had an extremely successful career in movies both as a leading man in silent films and as a supporting actor in sound movies, appearing in many Errol Flynn films, acting in 235 movies altogether, and playing Little John in Robin Hood films three times over a 28-year span, beginning with the silent Douglas Fairbanks version. Hale, Jr. never matched his father's extraordinary career. While his father was adapting to sound films, Hale, Jr. began his career while still a baby.

During the Second World War, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. After his father's death in 1950, Junior was dropped from his name.

His first important roles were as a member of Gene Autry's recurring cast of players. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, he frequently appeared in Autry movies and The Gene Autry Show on TV. He also starred in television series, such as 1952–53's Biff Baker U.S.A.. He guest starred in the NBC western anthology Frontier. He later played the lead role in classic syndicated western series Casey Jones (32 black and white episodes of 25 minutes from 1957 to 1958). In 1961, he appeared in Audie Murphy's short-lived NBC western detective series, Whispering Smith, as the witness to a murder. In 1962, Hale also appeared on The Andy Griffith Show as Jeff Pruitt, a rough, back-woods bachelor who comes to Mayberry to find a bride. In the episode, he refers to Barney Fife more than once as "little buddy," a nickname he would later use in his most famous and beloved role, that of the Skipper on Gilligan's Island, which ran from 1964 to 1967. He appeared in an episode of CBS's The New Phil Silvers Show in the 1963–1964 season.

His work was not confined to comedies and Casey Jones. In 1958, he guest starred on NBC's adventure series Northwest Passage, co-starring Buddy Ebsen. In 1962, he guest starred in an episode of ABC's crime drama Target: The Corruptors! with Stephen McNally. He starred with Bob Denver (Hale's Gilligan co-star) in The Good Guys (1968–70). He appeared in three episodes of ABC's Fantasy Island in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

During his career, he was noted for his supporting character roles in such movies as Up Periscope with James Garner, The Fifth Musketeer, The Lady Takes a Flyer, stock car racing film Thunder in Carolina, The Giant Spider Invasion, Hang 'Em High with Clint Eastwood, and The West Point Story with James Cagney as well as The Gunfighter with Gregory Peck.

The Skipper on Gilligan's Island (1964–1967) proved to be the most prominent role for Hale, as the show continued to be popular for later generations of viewers due to syndicated re-runs. The popularity of the show typecast its actors, making it difficult for them to successfully pursue diversified acting opportunities. They received no substantial residual payments for their roles, and the difficulty in finding roles often created financial hardship and resentment. However, Hale often said he did not mind being so closely identified with the Skipper. He co-owned a restaurant in the West Hollywood area (Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel) and would often greet customers in his "Skipper" hat.

During the weekends of 1974 to 1977, a new generation enjoyed the cartoon version of The New Adventures of Gilligan and by 1978, they brought back the original crew for a two-part episode named Rescue From Gilligan's Island. Hale also portrayed the Skipper in two more TV reunion movies in 1979 and 1981, and participated in numerous reunions with the cast throughout the 1980s. His final appearances as the Skipper were on a 1988 episode of the sitcom ALF, and for several 1989 clips promoting Gilligans Island reruns on TBS (TV network), both alongside his old friend Bob Denver. Hale was the second cast member of Gilligan's Island to die. (Jim Backus had died less than a year earlier of Parkinson's disease, and Natalie Schafer died less than a year later of cancer.)

Hale was known for his great love of children. When he was dying of cancer, he learned there was a sick child in the same hospital who loved the Gilligan's Island show. He went to see the boy and said "The Skipper's here, son, everything is going to be all right." The child, having noticed all the weight Hale had lost due to cancer, inquired about it. Hale made up a story on the spot about how there was a new version of the show in the works, and he was going to play Gilligan.

Death

A resident of Hollywood, California, in the final years, Hale died of thyroid cancer at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Los Angeles January 2, 1990 (aged 68). He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.^[1]

References

More or better citations are needed. (February 2009)

External links

• Alan Hale, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database Retrieved on 2009-02-28
• Alan Hale, Jr. at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2009-02-28
• Alan Hale Jr. fan site