Ken G. Hall

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Kenneth George Hall, AO, OBE (22 February 1901 – 8 February 1994), better known as Ken G. Hall, was an Australian film producer and director, considered one of the most important figures in the history of the Australian film industry.

He was the first Australian to win an Academy Award.

Early years

Hall was born Kenneth George Hall in Paddington, Sydney, Australia in 1901, the third child of Charles and Florence Hall. He was educated at North Sydney Boys' High School.

At age 15, with the help of his father, he gained a cadetship at the Sydney Evening News, where he became friends with a young Kenneth Slessor, then a cadet for another paper. Two years later, he became a publicist for Union Theatres, initially working as an assistant to Gayne Dexter. He had a six-month stint as manager for the Lyceum Theatre then returned to publicity, working his way up to national publicity director, "the highest post in film publicity in Australia" at that time.

In 1924, Hall joined the American distribution company First National Pictures as a publicist, and visited Hollywood the following year.

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Directing career

When he first arrived at First National he was supposed to recut and shoot additional scenes for a German film about the Battle of Cocos, Our Emden. The Exploits of the Emden film that followed was a local hit.

Hall returned to Union Theatres, promoting the State Theatre in Sydney and campaigning against Stanley Bruce's government's inception of the proposed entertainment tax. He later became Stuart F. Doyle, the company's managing director, before being named assistant.

Doyle commissioned Cinesound Productions to produce local films, and Hall was given the opportunity to direct a number of short films, including Thar She Blows. (1931), A whaling industry, and That's Cricket (1931). Hall was given the opportunity to direct a film adaptation of Steele Rudd's classic play On Our Selection, adapted by Bert Bailey from Walter Rudd's books on a fictional Australian farming family's life, as well as the perennial father-and-son pair 'Dad and Dave'. Bailey was asked to reprise his stage appearance as Dad Rudd, according to Hall. The result was a hugely popular film, one of Australia's top four most popular films in 1932, with £46,000 in Australia and New Zealand by the end of 1933.

Hall and Cinesound decided to continue with another interpretation of a play written by Bailey, The Squatter's Daughter (1933). It was a melodrama set in the Australian bush and starred Jocelyn Howarth, who later spent time in Hollywood as "Constance Worth." It was a success at the box office. During this period, he made a short documentary called Ghosts of Port Arthur (1933).

The Silence of Dean Maitland (1934), another melodrama based on a novel, was Hall's third feature (and not based on a novel). It starred English stage actor John Longden. The film had censorship issues, but it was extremely popular. Dean Maitland was released on a double bill with Cinesound Varieties (1934), a short film produced by Hall starring several musical performers.

Strike Me Lucky (1934), Hall's fourth film, was a tribute to stage comedian Roy "Mo" Rene, one of Australia's most popular performers. It was Hall's first film original, and not based on other information. However, the film was not well received, and Hall later said that it was the only one of his films not to go into revenue.

Hall wanted a safe hit, but Hall convinced Bert Bailey to reprise his role as Dad Rudd in Grandad Rudd (1935), based on a Bailey co-written script. It was a hit, but not as big a hit as On Our Pick.

Hall had intended to film this film with a Robbery Under Arms version but decided against it due to fear arising from a ban on filming bushrangers. Cinesound stopped production for several months in 1935 to allow Hall to travel to Hollywood and try new methods of research production.

With new filmmaking equipment and an American screenwriter Edmond Seward, who was supposed to take over Cinesound's story section, Hall returned to Australia. Thoroughbred (1936), a horse racing drama based on Phar Lap's life, was written by Seward. Helen Twelvetrees, an imported Hollywood actor, made it a hit and was a huge success.

Orphanage of the Wilderness (1936), Seward's next film, told the tale of a boxing kangaroo. It was supposed to be a 50-minute film in the vein of Cinesound Varieties, but Hall decided to extend it to feature length.

With It Isn't Done (1937), Hall returned to comedy, based on an idea by the film's star, Cecil Kellaway. It was the first movie Hall made from a Frank Harvey script, who would write the bulk of his subsequent films. It was also Shirley Ann Richards' debut film debut.

Richards was the female lead in Hall's next film, Tall Timbers (1937), an adventure tale set in logging country based on a Frank Hurley story.

George Wallace: Let George Do It (1938) and Gone to the Dogs were two of Hall's comedies.

Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938), Rudd's third Rudd film, included a young Peter Finch's appearance.

In Mr Chedworth Steps Out (1939), a vehicle for Cecil Kellaway, Hall gave Finch a bigger part. Hall co-wrote and wrote, but did not direct Come Up Smiling (1939), a Will Mahoney vehicle.

Rudd, Dad Rudd, M.P., made his fourth and final Rudd, Rudd, M.P. Grant Taylor was introduced in 1940, which gave rise to Grant Taylor.

Post-war career

After the war, Hall returned to film production, enjoying a huge success with Smithy, a film about Australia's most prominent aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, which he produced, co-wrote, and directed. Columbia Pictures, which went on to give its actor Ron Randell, a long-term Hollywood actor, a long-term deal, was financed this film.

However, plans by Hall to produce further feature films (particularly an adaptation of Robbery Under Arms, which he later described as "the film I wanted to make more than any other") were not fruitful, partly because the Greater Union cinema chain, who had supported all of Cinesound's films in the 1930s, was no longer interested in investing in local production. He was also stymied by the fact that the Australian government refused to release funds for films over a certain amount. In particular, an attempt to raise £160,000 to make two films in collaboration with Ealing Studios, including a version of Robbery Under Arms, was refused government permission.

Can John Braund Cure Cancer? (1948), Seeing Blood (1951), and Overland Adventure (1956).

The Kurnell Story (1957) was his last film.

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