Hal E. Chester

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Hal E. Chester
Born
Harold Ribotsky[1]

(1921-03-06)March 6, 1921
Brooklyn, New York, US
DiedMarch 25, 2012(2012-03-25) (aged 91)
London, UK
Occupation(s)Film producer, writer, director, actor
Years active1935–2003
Spouse
Virginia Wetherly
​
​
(m. 1948; died 1980)​
Children3

Hal E. Chester (born Harold Ribotsky; March 6, 1921 – March 25, 2012),[1] was an American film producer, writer, director, and former juvenile actor.[1][2]

Early life and career

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, he was the youngest of seven children born to affluent Polish-Jewish immigrants; his father was a property developer.[3] After the Wall Street Crash, he took up work as a magician's assistant to help the family finances.[4]

Originally credited as "Hally Chester" in theater productions (taking the surname of his step-mother),

Universal, appearing also in Juvenile Court (1938) for Columbia, in which Rita Hayworth appears,[4] and the East Side Kids for Monogram Pictures. His last appearance in this series was in Sea Raiders
(1941).

Hal E. Chester, as he was now known, managed to convince Monogram to place him on contract as a producer in 1945. Meanwhile, he entered into an agreement with comic strip writer-cartoonist

Joe Kirkwood, Jr beginning with Joe Palooka, Champ
(1946).

He also produced

Models Inc (1952). Working with stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, he produced The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), based on a Ray Bradbury story, in which a monster, created by the effects of atomic bomb tests terrorises Manhattan.[4] From a budget of $250,000, its rentals totaled $5 million.[3] Crashout (1955), a film about convicts on the run, followed.[5] He co-wrote and produced The Bold and the Brave (1956) starring Nicole Maurey and Mickey Rooney, which led to Academy Award
nominations for Rooney and the screenplay writer.

British career

After sailing to Britain on

The Two Headed Spy (1958) and School for Scoundrels (1960) with Terry-Thomas, Ian Carmichael, Alastair Sim and Janette Scott. This comedy, derived loosely from the books of Stephen Potter was a box-office success, but also the last hit of Chester's career.[4]

Chester later produced

Take A Girl Like You (1970) directed by Jonathan Miller. It was based on the Kingsley Amis novel, was adapted by George Melly, and stars Hayley Mills and Oliver Reed.[4] For the remake of School for Scoundrels (2006) Chester was credited as an executive producer.[2]

Chester's second son died in a car accident in 1978, as did his wife in 1980. In 2003, Hal E. Chester suffered a stroke which left him severely incapacitated and died in London on March 25, 2012.[3]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1938 Crime School Boy Uncredited
1938 Little Tough Guy Dopey
1938 Personal Secretary Newsboy Uncredited
1938 Juvenile Court Lefty
1938 Little Tough Guys in Society Murphy
1938 Newsboys' Home Murphy
1939 Off the Record Reform School Inmate Uncredited
1939 Code of the Streets Murph
1939 When Tomorrow Comes Newsboy Uncredited
1939 The Witness Vanishes Copy Boy Uncredited
1939 Call a Messenger Murph
1940 East Side Kids Fred 'Dutch' Kuhn
1940 You're Not So Tough Second Newsboy Uncredited
1940 Boys of the City Buster
1940 Junior G-Men Murph Uncredited
1941 Hit the Road Trusty
1941 Mob Town Boy Uncredited
1941 Sea Raiders Swab Serial (final film role)

References

  1. ^ a b c d Quinn, Michael (May 30, 2012). "Hal E Chester". The Stage. London. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Hal E. Chester". BFI Film Forever. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Hal E. Chester". The Times. London. May 2, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2018. (subscription required)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Vallance, Tom (May 23, 2012). "Hal E Chester: Producer of cult hit Night of the Demon". The Independent. London. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Finler, Joel (April 16, 2012). "Hal E Chester obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved September 4, 2018.

External links

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