Arch Hall, Sr.
| Arch Hall, Sr. | |
|---|---|
 Arch Hall, Sr.in Eegah | |
| Born |
Archibald Williams Hall December 21, 1908 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died |
April 28, 1978 (aged 69) Los Angeles |
| Other names |
Archie Hall Arch Hall Nicholas Meriwether Nicholas Merriweather Nicholas Merriwether William Watters |
| Occupation | Actor, screenwriter and film producer |
| Spouse(s) | Addalyn Pollitt (m. 1934–78) |
Archibald Williams Hall (December 21, 1908 – April 28, 1978), better known as Arch Hall Sr., was an American actor, screenwriter, and film producer, best known for making a series of B-movies in the early 1960s which starred his son, Arch Hall, Jr. Hall used various names throughout his career including Nicholas Merriwether, William Waters, and Archie Hall.
Early life and career
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hall grew up in South Dakota, a genuine cowboy. He spoke the Sioux language and had a Sioux name, "Waa-toe-gala Oak-Shilla" (translation: Wild Boy). Hall graduated from the University of South Dakota, wrote for radio, interviewing elderly native-Americans on KOTA, and was a pilot in the United States Army Air Forces. Hall's experience in the Air Force was satirized in The Last Time I Saw Archie, a 1961 film by Bill Bowers which starred Jack Webb, Robert Mitchum, and France Nuyen. The film was loosely based on Hall's experience in the Army after being declared to be too old to fly fighters, but too inexperienced to fly bombers, leaving his only option to fly troop transport gliders.
He then worked as a stuntman in Hollywood in the 1930s, a job which expanded into small acting roles in various films, usually Westerns. Hall Sr. formed his own movie studio, Fairway Productions, in Burbank, California. In the 1960s it made a series of B-films targeted towards the drive-in market, that were later hailed as some of the worst films ever made. They starred himself, his son Arch Jr., his wife would appear as an extra or character actor, and the sound was handled by Arch Jr. and his friend from high school, Alan O'Day (who later wrote No. 1 pop songs in the 1970s).
Personal life
He married Addalyn Faye Pollitt (born June 5, 1906 in Decorah, Iowa). She worked with him in the radio days, as a staff writer. During World War II, she was a Navy Inspector at Lockheed Aircraft. They had one child, Arch Hall, Jr., born in 1943.
Death
Hall died of a heart attack on April 28, 1978 in Los Angeles, and was buried with honors in a Sioux funeral in Philip, South Dakota. The service was presided over by the Lakota Sioux spiritual leader Frank Fools Crow.
His life and times are extensively discussed in the 51-page interview with Arch Hall, Jr. that appears in the 2005 book Earth vs. the Sci-Fi Filmmakers, by Tom Weaver (North Carolina: McFarland & Co.).
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Dick Tracy Returns | Blackie, Phony Intern (Chs. 11–12) | Uncredited |
| Overland Stage Raiders | Joe Waddell | Credited as Archie Hall | |
| The Mysterious Rider | Rancher Andrews | Credited as Arch Hall Alternative title: Mark of the Avenger | |
| Rhythm of the Saddle | Rusty – Henchman in Stage | Credited as Archie Hall | |
| 1940 | The Sagebrush Family Trails West | Jim Barton | Credited as Archie Hall Alternative title: The Sagebrush Kid Goes West |
| 1941 | Two Gun Sheriff | Henchman Dunn | Credited as Archie Hall |
| Tumbledown Ranch in Arizona | Rodeo announcer | Uncredited | |
| The Lone Rider in Ghost Town | Brent's partner | Credited as Archie Hall Alternative title: Ghost Mine | |
| The Lone Rider in Frontier Fury | Clyde Barton | Credited as Archie Hall Alternative title: Rangeland Racket & Frontier Fury | |
| Billy the Kid Wanted | Henchman | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | Raiders of the West | Entertainer Tex | Uncredited |
| The Lone Rider in Texas Justice | Fake Padre Tremmer | Alternative titles: The Lone Rider & Texas Justice | |
| 1945 | His Brother's Ghost | Deputy Bentley | Credited as Archie Hall |
| Apology for Murder | Paul | Credited as Archie Hall Alternative title: Murder with Apology | |
| Border Badmen | Banker Gillian | Credited as Archie Hall | |
| 1961 | Magic Spectacles | Producer Alternative title: Tickled Pink | |
| The Choppers | Jim Bradford | Uncredited Producer Writer (as Arch Hall) | |
| 1962 | Eegah | Robert Miller | Credited as William Watters Alternative title: Eegah! The Name Written in Blood Producer (as Nicholas Merriwether) Director and story (as Nicholas Merriwether) |
| Wild Guitar | Mike McCauley | Credited as William Watters Producer and writer (as Nicholas Merriwether) | |
| 1963 | The Sadist | Opening Narration/Radio Announcer (Voice) | Uncredited Alternative titles: Sweet Baby Charlie & Profile of Terror |
| 1964 | What's Up Front! | Cash Johnson | Credited as William Watters Alternative titles: The Fall Guy & A Fourth for Marriage Executive producer (as Nicholas Merriwether) Writer |
| The Thrill Killers | Producer | ||
| The Nasty Rabbit | Marshall Malout/Malcolm McKinley | Credited as William Watters Alternative title: Spies-a-Go-Go Producer (as Nicholas Merriwether) | |
| 1965 | Deadwood '76 | Boone May | Credited as William Watters Producer (as Nicholas Meriwether) Story Writer |
| 1971 | The Irv Carlson Show | Morrison Whales | Credited as Arch Hall Alternative title: The Weird Ones Producer Writer |
| 1972 | The Corpse Grinders | Writer (as Arch Hall) Alternative title: The Flesh Grinders |