Hal Skelly

Hal Skelly

Born: May 31, 1891
Died: June 16, 1934
in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA
Dancer Hal Skelly was born in Pennsylvania in 1891. He left home at 15 to join a circus, at 17 went into comedy, toured with light opera in China and Japan, joined after that Dockstader's Minstrels, made his Broadway debut in 1918 in "Fiddlers Three." His biggest success was the Broadway play, "Burlesque," in which he played opposite future movie star Barbara Stanwyck. He also starred in the film version of it, "The Dance of Life." He died in 1934, when his friend's car, in which he was traveling, was hit by a train on a crossing.

Movies for Hal Skelly...

The Shadow Laughs
Title: The Shadow Laughs
Character: Robin Dale
Released: March 26, 1933
Type: Movie
The police investigate a bank robbery, and when they don't seem to be making much headway, a newspaper reporter decides to investigate it on his own.
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Hotel Variety
Title: Hotel Variety
Released: January 7, 1933
Type: Movie
A New York City boarding house for vaudeville performers, none of whom have any steady work....
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The Struggle
Title: The Struggle
Character: Jimmie Wilson
Released: December 10, 1931
Type: Movie
A young couple's marriage is jeopardized by the husband's descent into alcoholism.
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Galas de la Paramount
Title: Galas de la Paramount
Character: Self (from original version)
Released: July 31, 1930
Type: Movie
Spanish-language version of PARAMOUNT ON PARADE (q.v.), with new sequences of interest to Spanish-speaking audiences mixed with original- version sequences.
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Men Are Like That
Title: Men Are Like That
Character: J. Aubrey Piper
Released: March 22, 1930
Type: Movie
A loud-mouthed lout alienates everyone except his patient wife.
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Behind the Make-Up
Title: Behind the Make-Up
Character: Hap Brown
Released: January 18, 1930
Type: Movie
Gardoni, a down-on-his-luck vaudeville performer, is taken in by a fellow performer, a clown who has a bicycle riding act. Gardoni shows his appreciation by stealing the clown's act and his girlfriend, whom he marries.
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Woman Trap
Title: Woman Trap
Character: Dan Malone
Released: September 28, 1929
Type: Movie
In Woman Trap, Hal Skelly is hard-bitten police sergeant Dan Malone, whose mission in life is to rid his community of gangsters. The revelation that Dan's own brother Ray is the secret head of all local criminal activities does not weaken Dan's resolve in the least. The barely relevant title is a reference to "heroine" Kitty Evans, the wife of a minor gang functionary. Screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz, presumably on a dare, makes a brief appearance as a crime reporter.
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The Dance of Life
Title: The Dance of Life
Character: Ralph 'Skid' Johnson
Released: August 16, 1929
Type: Movie
A vaudeville comic and a pretty young dancer aren't having much luck in their separate careers, so they decide to combine their acts. In order to save money on the road, they get married. Soon their act begins to catch on, and they find themselves booked onto Broadway. They also realize that they actually are in love with each other, but just when things are starting to look up, the comic starts to let success go to his head.
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The Dancing Town
Title: The Dancing Town
Character: Tom Kinch
Released: October 26, 1928
Type: Movie
Young kids face off in a dance competition.