Alexander Hall (January 11, 1894 – July 30, 1968) was an American film director, film editor and theatre actor.

Biography

Hall acted in the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

from the age of four through 1914, when he began to work in

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid ...

s. Following his military service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he returned to Hollywood and pursued a career in film production. He worked as a

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

and

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

until 1932, when he directed his first

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, ''Sinners in the Sun''. From 1937 to 1947, he was a contract director at

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, where he earned a reputation for sophisticated comedies. He was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

for ''

Here Comes Mr. Jordan ''Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' is a 1941 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall, in which a boxer, mistakenly taken to Heaven before his time, is given a second chance back on Earth. It stars Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains ...

'' (1941). From 1934 to 1936, Hall was married to actress Lola Lane. He was also married to Marjorie Hunter. In 1952 Hall had a home in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by lan ...

. He was engaged briefly to

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

, who left him when she met

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

. The couple later hired him to direct their 1956 film ''

Forever, Darling ''Forever, Darling'' is a 1956 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall, written by Helen Deutsch, and starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, and James Mason. In the film, Ball stars as a wife who tries to save her struggli ...

''.''Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz'' by Coyne Steven Sanders and Tom Gilbert, William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1993, pp. 102–103 () Hall died of complications from a stroke in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. He was survived by a son.

Partial filmography

* '' The Leech'' (1921) * ''

A Game of Craft A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Heart of a Siren ''Heart of a Siren'' (also titled ''Heart of a Temptress'') is a 1925 silent romantic drama film directed by Phil Rosen and distributed by First National Pictures. Barbara La Marr starred in one of her last movies. It was based on the Broadway p ...

'' (1925) * '' Miss Nobody'' (1926) * '' The Crash'' (1928, editor) * '' Kismet'' (1930, editor) * '' Sinners in the Sun'' (1932) * '' Madame Racketeer'' (1932) * ''

The Girl in 419 ''The Girl in 419'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Hall and George Somnes and written by Allen Rivkin, Manuel Seff and P.J. Wolfson. The film stars James Dunn, Gloria Stuart, David Manners, William Harrigan, ...

'' (1933) * ''Midnight Club'' (1933) * '' Torch Singer'' (1933) * '' Limehouse Blues'' (1934) * ''

Little Miss Marker ''Little Miss Marker'' (also known as ''The Girl in Pawn'') is an American Pre-Code 1934 comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Hall. It was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Lehman after a 1932 short story of the same n ...

'' (1934) * ''

Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen ''Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen'' is a 1934 pre-Code American comedy-drama film, starring Dorothea Wieck, Alice Brady, and Baby LeRoy, written by Adela Rogers St. Johns and Jane Storm from a novel and story by Rupert Hughes, and directed by Alexan ...

'' (1934) * '' The Pursuit of Happiness'' (1934) * ''

Goin' to Town ''Goin' To Town'' is a 1935 musical comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and written by Mae West. The film stars Mae West, Paul Cavanagh, Gilbert Emery, Marjorie Gateson, Tito Coral and Ivan Lebedeff. The film was released on April 25, 1935, ...

'' (1935) * '' There's Always a Woman'' (1938) * '' I Am the Law'' (1938) * ''

There's That Woman Again ''There's That Woman Again'' is a 1938 American comedy mystery film directed by Alexander Hall. It is the sequel to '' There's Always a Woman'', released the same year. In both films, Melvyn Douglas stars as a private investigator whose wife invo ...

'' (1938) * '' The Lady's from Kentucky'' (1939) * '' Good Girls Go to Paris'' (1939) * '' The Amazing Mr. Williams'' (1939) * '' He Stayed for Breakfast'' (1940) * '' This Thing Called Love'' (1940) * ''

Bedtime Story A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockma ...

'' (1941) * ''

My Sister Eileen ''My Sister Eileen'' is a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney, originally published in ''The New Yorker'', which eventually inspired many other works: her 1938 book ''My Sister Eileen'', a play, a musical, a radio play (an ...

'' (1942) * ''

They All Kissed the Bride ''They All Kissed the Bride'' is a 1942 American screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas. The plot follows a trucking firm executive who falls in love. Crawford took over the title role a ...

'' (1942) * ''

She Wouldn't Say Yes ''She Wouldn't Say Yes'' is a 1945 screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Rosalind Russell and Lee Bowman. Plot A psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Lane, is leaving a military hospital after spending two weeks working with patients ...

'' (1945) * ''

Down to Earth (1947 film) ''Down to Earth'' is a 1947 musical comedy film starring Rita Hayworth, Larry Parks, and Marc Platt, and directed by Alexander Hall. The film is a sequel to the 1941 film '' Here Comes Mr. Jordan'', also directed by Hall. While Edward Everett Ho ...

'' (1947) * '' The Great Lover'' (1949) * '' Louisa'' (1950) * ''

Because You're Mine ''Because You're Mine'' is a 1952 musical comedy film starring Mario Lanza. Directed by Alexander Hall, the film also stars Doretta Morrow, James Whitmore, and Dean Miller. Plot Opera singer superstar Renato Rossano (Mario Lanza) is drafted i ...

'' (1952) * '' Let's Do It Again'' (1953) * ''

'' (1956)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Alexander 1894 births 1968 deaths American film directors American male stage actors Male actors from Boston