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Barbara Hale
1922-
Updated 3/17/2008.
biography
Born in DeKalb, Illinois, in April 1921, pretty Barbara Hale became a sought-after model upon completing high school. When her ambitions turned to acting, it wasn't long before Hale signed a contract with RKO Pictures (in 1942). While at RKO, Hale was first given bit parts in several RKO film series, including Lupe Velez's Mexican Spitfire series and The Great Gildersleeve. Her first credited performance was in the big budget 1943 musical Higher and Higher, and following this film Hale moved into bigger roles in the The Falcon film series starring Tom Conway. After a few more comedies and westerns, in 1948 Barbara Hale left RKO for greener pastures at Columbia; her first film at Columbia was also the biggest of her career, Jolson Sings Again (1949). Throughout the 1950s Hale acted in a number of westerns, often with husband Bill Williams. Although she has acted in nearly 50 films---both A's and B's---Barbara Hale is best known for her role as Della Street on the 1957-1966 CBS TV series Perry Mason.
LEFT: Mid 1940s photo of Barbara Hale. CENTER: Late 1940s Columbia photo (thanks to Dave). RIGHT: Hale's husband Bill Williams starred in many westerns in the 1940s and 1950s
While a starlet at RKO, in 1946 Barbara Hale met and married fellow RKO contract player Bill Williams, best known for his portrayal of Kit Carson in the 1951-1955 television series The Adventures of Kit Carson. Among their three children is actor/director William Katt, who has acted in films and television for more than 30 years. Katt has worked with his mother numerous times in films such as Big Wednesday (1978) and in the Perry Mason television films (from 1985 to 1995).
the films of barbara hale
Jolson Sings Again (1949)
Images from the 1949 Columbia musical Jolson Sings Again. LEFT: A 1949 article from Picturegoer magazine. RIGHT: Promotional photo with Larry Parks, Tamara Shayne, and Ludwig Donath
Lone Hand (1953)
With Joel McCrea in the western Lone Hand
Seminole (1953)
From the Universal-International western Seminole. LEFT: With Rock Hudson. RIGHT: With Richard Carlson
The Far Horizons (1955)
With Charlton Heston in Paramount's western The Far Horizons
Unchained (1955)
Sheet music from the Warner Bros. film noir thriller Unchained
Perry Mason (1957-1966 CBS TV Series)
Raymond Burr portrayed Perry Mason on the TV series of the same name, and Hale portrayed Mason's secretary Della Street. William Hopper rounded out the cast as Paul Drake
The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)
Poster from Bill Rebane's The Giant Spider Invasion. This film was once featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Big Wednesday (1978)
With William Katt and Lee Purcell in the Warner Bros. surf epic Big Wednesday
barbara hale today
After the 1993 death of Perry Mason star Raymond Burr, Burr was replaced by Paul Sorvino and later Hal Holbrook. When production wrapped on the 1995 Perry Mason episode titled The Case of the Jealous Jokester, the series of television films ended. Sadly, Hale's husband Bill Williams passed away in 1992, a year before Burr died. Now in her 80s, Barbara Hale is retired from acting.
Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition [DVD] DVD
Perry Mason: Season 1, Vol. 1 [DVD](1957) DVD
The first 19 episodes from the series's debut season--including "The Case of the Restless Redhead," "The Case of the Angry Mourner," "The Case of the Crimson Kiss," "The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse," and "The Case of the Haunted Husband"--are featured in a five-disc set. 16 2/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 1, Vol. 2 [DVD](1958) DVD
The remaining 20 episodes from the series's debut season--including "The Case of the Lonely Heiress," "The Case of the One-Eyed Witness," "The Case of the Daring Decoy," "The Case of the Lazy Lover," and "The Case of the Rolling Bones"--are featured in a five-disc set. 17 1/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 1, Vols. 1 & 2 (1957) [DVD] DVD
All 39 episodes from the series's debut season--including "The Case of the Restless Redhead," "The Case of the Angry Mourner," "The Case of the Crimson Kiss," "The Case of the One-Eyed Witness," and "The Case of the Rolling Bones"--are featured in a 10-disc set. 33 1/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 2, Vol. 1 [DVD](1958) DVD
The first 15 episodes from the series's second season--including "The Case of the Corresponding Corpse," "The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant," "The Case of the Married Moonlighter," "The Case of the Perjured Parrot," and "The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll"--are featured in a four-disc set. 12 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 2, Vol. 2 [DVD](1959) DVD
The remaining 15 episodes from the series's second season--including "The Case of the Fraudulent Foto," "The Case of the Jaded Joker," "The Case of the Lost Last Act," "The Case of the Spanish Cross," and "The Case of the Lame Canary"--are featured in a four-disc set. 13 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Crossroads, Vol. 1 [DVD] DVD
Includes "9:30 Action," "Last Strand," "Lifeline," and "Paratrooper Padre." 100 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Airport Terminal Pack [DVD] DVD
All four entries in the action-packed disaster film series are available in a two-disc set. First, "Airport" (1970) mixes a blizzard, a bomb and a plane filled with passengers into a thrilling drama. Dean Martin, Burt Lancaster, Jacqueline Bisset, and George Kennedy star. A 747 and a small private plane collide in mid-air and now the pilotless jumbo jet is on a collision course with destruction in "Airport 1975" (1974), with Charlton Heston, Karen Black and Kennedy. "Airport '77" (1977) stars Jack Lemmon, James Stewart and Olivia de Havilland as passengers trapped in a jetliner that crashes in the Bermuda Triangle. And a ruthless businessman tries to blow up a goodwill U.S.-Soviet flight in "The Concorde: Airport '79" (1979).
West Of The Pecos [DVD](1945) DVD
Robert Mitchum turned this unusual Zane Grey sagebrusher into a hit with his cool demeanor. He's the cowboy who tries to turn a young punk kid into a real man. Little does Mitchum realize that the kid is really a girl dressed like a man in order to elude nasty villains. Barbara Hale plays the kid in man's clothing. 66 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; featurettes.
The Boy With Green Hair [DVD](1948) DVD
Moving family drama of the senselessness of war and prejudice. After the death of his parents, a young boy's hair turns green, turning him into an outcast among all but his fellow war orphans. With Dean Stockwell and Pat O'Brien. 82 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono.
Jolson Sings Again [DVD](1949) DVD
The saga of legendary entertainer Al Jolson continues, from his entry into sound films and decline in the `30s to his comeback and rediscovery by a new generation of fans. Larry Parks returns as Jolie, who supplied his own singing voice. Barbara Hale, William Demarest co-star. 95 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, Japanese.
The Far Horizons [DVD](1955) DVD
Bold historical drama chronicles the intrepid 1804-1806 journey of American explorers Lewis and Clark. Following the U.S.' acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from the French, Meriwether Lewis (Fred MacMurray), William Clark (Charlton Heston), and their Native American guide Sacagawea (Donna Reed) set out to find a waterway that would connect St. Louis and the Pacific Ocean. Barbara Hale co-stars. AKA: "Untamed West." 107 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English.
Couples Only [DVD](1955) DVD
Creepy sci-fi suspenser about a young married couple (Bill Williams and Barbara Hale) who discover a shocking secret about their apartment building's maintenance man (Peter Lorre), an enigmatic character with an array of bizarre, high-tech machinery and the ability to see through the back of his head. AKA: "Young Couples Only." Also includes "Way Stations in Space" (1960), a fascinating documentary, produced for elementary schools, that explores the possibility of constructing orbital rest stops.
Buckskin [VHS](1968) VHS
A thrilling sagebrush saga about a nasty mine owner who sabotages a town by stopping their water supply. Marshal Barry Sullivan tries to stop the ornery fellow and save the town. Joan Caulfield, Wendell Corey and Lon Chaney, Jr. also star. 98 min.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 10.2 [DVD] DVD
Four-disc set includes "Swamp Diamonds," "The Giant Gila Monster," "Teen-Age Strangler," and "The Giant Spider Invasion." 6 2/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English; interview; music videos; outtakes; more.
The Flight Of The Grey Wolf [VHS](1976) VHS
When a family's tame pet wolf is mistaken for a killer and sent off into the woods, it must overcome its training and depend on instinct in order to survive. Thrilling family adventure stars Jeff East, Barbara Hale, Bill Williams. 82 min. NOTE: This Title Is Out Of Print; Limit One Per Customer.
Big Wednesday [DVD](1978) DVD
Gary Busey, Jan-Michael Vincent and William Katt star as three surfing buddies who are kings of the beach in '60s California, only to find themselves 10 years later in an adult world they don't understand. Fine, underrated surfer drama from John Milius ("Red Dawn") with great sports footage. 119 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish; audio commentary; theatrical trailer.
The Greatest American Hero: Season Two [DVD](1981) DVD
All 22 episodes from the second season--including "Operation Spoil Sport," "Classical Gas," "The Shock Will Kill You," "A Chicken in Every Pot," and "Lilacs, Mr. Maxwell"--are collected in a six-disc set. 18 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; interviews; photo gallery; DVD-ROM content.
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filmography
This listing is mostly complete but does not include titles of Perry Mason made-for-TV films:
Perry Mason Returns (1985) with Raymond Burr and William Katt
Big Wednesday (1978) with William Katt, Jan Michael Vincent, Reb Brown, and Gary Busey
The Young Runaways (1978) with Anne Francis and Gary Collins
Flight of the Grey Wolf (1976) with Bill Williams
The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) with Steve Brodie, Leslie Parrish, Alan Hale Jr., and Bill Williams; once featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Chester, Yesterday's Horse (1973) with Bill Williams
Buffalo Soldiers (1970) with Cesar Romero, Isabel Sanford, and Robert DoQui
Airport (1970) with Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, and Dana Wynter
Buckskin (1968) with Barry Sullivan, Wendell Corey, Lon Chaney Jr., John Russell, Richard Arlen, and Bill Williams
Desert Hell (1958) with Richard Denning and Brian Keith
Slim Carter (1957) with Jock Mahoney, Julie Adams, William Hopper, Joanna Moore, and Bill Williams
The Oklahoman (1957) with Joel McCrea and Gloria Talbott
The Houston Story (1956) with Gene Barry and Jeanne Cooper
7th Cavalry (1956) with Randolph Scott, Jeanette Nolan, and Frank Faylen
The Far Horizons (1955) with Fred MacMurray, Charlton Heston, Donna Reed, and Larry Pennell
Unchained (1955) with Chester Morris
A Lion Is in the Streets (1953) with James Cagney, Anne Francis, and Lon Chaney Jr.
Lone Hand (1953) with Joel McCrea, Charles Drake, and Alex Nicol
Seminole (1953) with Rock Hudson, Hugh O'Brian, Russell Johnson, Richard Carlson, Anthony Quinn, and James Best
The First Time (1952) with Robert Cummings, Jeff Donnell, and Bea Benaderet
Last of the Comanches (1952) with Broderick Crawford, Lloyd Bridges, Martin Milner, and Steve Forrest
Lorna Doone (1951) with Richard Greene and Carl Benton Reid
Emergency Wedding (1950) with Larry Parks, Una Merkel, and Jim Backus
The Jackpot (1950) with James Stewart and Fred Clark
The Clay Pigeon (1949) with Bill Williams and Martha Hyer
The Window (1949) with Bobby Driscoll and Ruth Roman
And Baby Makes Three (1949) with Robert Young
Jolson Sings Again (1949) with Larry Parks and William Demarest
The Boy with Green Hair (1948) with Pat O'Brien and Robert Ryan
A Likely Story (1947) with Bill Williams
Lady Luck (1946) with Robert Young and Frank Morgan
West of the Pecos (1945) with Robert Mitchum and Bill Williams
First Yank Into Tokyo (1945) with Tom Neal
Goin' to Town (1944) with Chester Lauck and Norris Goff (Lum and Abner) and Grady Sutton
The Falcon in Hollywood (1944) with Tom Conway, Veda Ann Borg, Rita Corday, and Robert Clarke
Heavenly Days (1944) with Jim and Marion Jordan (Fibber McGee and Molly) and Eugene Pallette
The Falcon Out West (1944) with Tom Conway and Lyle Talbot
Higher and Higher (1943) with Frank Sinatra, Jack Haley, Leon Errol, Mary Wickes, and Mel Torme
TELEVISION SERIES
Perry Mason, 1957-1966 CBS TV series. Hale portrayed Della Street. Also in the cast were Raymond Burr, William Hopper, William Talman, and Ray Collins. Additionally, Hale reprised her role as Della Street in more than 30 Perry Mason made-for-TV films between 1985 and 1995
barbara hale links
The Barbara Hale Home Page
Visit the Barbara Hale Home Page for biographical information, a filmography, and an extensive gallery of photos.
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This page premiered April 11, 2003.
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