Porter Hall gave nervous, irritable and pompous supporting men a sharpness we value. He was effective across comedy and drama, though the habit of casting him as unpleasant company could make his presence a little predictable.
Fi1m perspective
Mr Jackson's caution in Double Indemnity (1944) is a good reason to notice Porter Hall. We tend to remember the nervous, ill-tempered and pompous men, but here is a supporting actor who could make simple wariness interesting. His characters need not be agreeable to be worth watching. We rate the clarity of his character work, particularly in films where the leading players give us plenty else to look at.
His film debut came in 1931, followed by steady character work through the 1930s and 1940s. In His Girl Friday (1940), where he plays Murphy, he is part of Howard Hawks's clamorous newspaper comedy. We laughed at Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell's sparring because of the precision with which they conduct it. Hawks makes the work attractive without pretending the people are decent. Hall fits comfortably into that unflattering company, although the leads remain the reason to begin here.
Preston Sturges casts him as Mr Hadrian in Sullivan's Travels (1941), another film with use for an actor practised in human self-importance. The filmmaker who thinks comedy beneath him supplies plenty of that, while Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake keep the comedy human. Hall's contribution belongs within that larger achievement; we would not mistake a good supporting turn for the main reason to see the film. Billy Wilder gives his cautious Mr Jackson a more distinctive place in Double Indemnity, and the part is worth seeking out for Hall himself.
Later came Granville Sawyer, the ill-tempered psychologist in Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and Jacob Q. Boot in Wilder's Ace in the Hole (1951). That return to Wilder is worth noting in a career that moved between comedy and drama without escaping typecasting. There is a limit to how often irritability alone can surprise us, and our appreciation of Hall comes with that reservation. His effectiveness in different kinds of film matters more than the sheer number of disagreeable men he played. Start with Double Indemnity, and give Mr Jackson a little of the attention usually reserved for the leads.
Biography
Porter Hall was an American character actor. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he began his career as a stage actor and appeared in Broadway productions including The Great Gatsby in 1926. He made his film debut in the 1931 drama Secrets of a Secretary.
Hall appeared in numerous films during the 1930s and 1940s. He is credited as Mr. Jackson in Double Indemnity (1944). Other roles include Senator Monroe in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Murphy in His Girl Friday (1940), Granville Sawyer in Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and Herbert MacCaulay in The Thin Man (1934). His final screen appearance was in the 1954 film Return to Treasure Island, released after his death on 6 October 1953 in Los Angeles.
