Like father, like son
Kids these days probably wouldn’t recognize him, but there was a time that he was one of the most recognized actors in the country. Even if you are one of those who is familiar with Alan Hale, you might still be surprised to learn that his real, first name was Rufus, not Alan. And his last name was MacKahan, not Hale. Even more surprising to many is that Hale was a trained opera singer, he directed eight films, and he was an inventor. He is credited with the invention of a version of hand-held fire extinguisher, greaseless potato chips, and the flip-up theater seat (to make it easier to let others pass by).
Hale was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, after appearing in 235 films, and directing eight others. Most of his acting roles were either as the featured star or as co-star with the likes of Errol Flynn, Lon Chaney, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart and Ronald Reagan. “Hold on” you may be saying, “He wasn’t old enough to have co-starred with some of those actors, was he?”
To that I say, you must be thinking of Alan’s son, Alan Jr., who after his father’s death, dropped the suffix. (Incidentally, his birth name was actually Alan Hale MacKahan.) Like his dad, the younger Alan Hale was a very accomplished actor in his own right, acting in featured and co-star roles with the likes of John Wayne, Gene Autrey, Gregory Peck, Glenn Ford and Clint Eastwood. He, too, was prolific, appearing in more than 200 film and television roles from westerns to dramas to comedies.
You can see him in re-runs of Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rawhide, Perry Mason, Lassie, and The Andy Griffith Show, to name a few. But the role for which Alan Hale MacKahan is indelibly linked is that of Jonas Grumby, the skipper of the ill-fated charter boat, the SS Minnow. It is said that not only young patients, but parents, nurses, doctors and others would be charmed by frequent visits to hospitals by the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island.
And here’s an interesting bit of trivia: Hale (Jr.) was finishing a shoot for a western-themed film in a remote part of Utah when an offer came to audition for the part of the Skipper on a planned TV series called Gilligan’s Island. The catch was that the final screen test would take place in Los Angeles the next day. With no plane or vehicle to get there, he hopped on the horse he’d been riding for the movie and hurried to the nearest highway. Dismounting, he turned the horse back to where they’d come from, knowing he would return to the movie set. Then Hale stuck out his thumb and hitchhiked 120 miles to Las Vegas. There, he caught a plane to L.A. and arrived just in time to win the role.
Like his father, Alan Hale Jr. has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
