Howard St. John
Howard St. John (October 9, 1905 – March 13, 1974) was a Chicago-born character actor who specialized in unsympathetic roles. His work spanned Broadway, film and television. He is probably best remembered for his bombastic General Bullmoose, which he played in the stage and screen versions of the 1956 musical Li'l Abner.[1]
Howard St. John | |
---|---|
St. John in 711 Ocean Drive (1950 film) | |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | October 9, 1905
Died | March 13, 1974 68) New York City, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1926–1972 |
Spouse(s) | Lois Bolton
( m. 1939; |
On stage
Howard St. John made his Broadway debut in 1926 in the comedy The Blonde Sinner, and subsequently starred or co-starred in more than 20 Broadway productions including Someone Waiting and The Highest Tree.
St. John's most high-profile role was that of General Bullmoose in the hit musical Li'l Abner. As Bullmoose he introduced the song "Progress is the Root of All Evil." His final Broadway role came in 1968's Tiger at the Gates.
In film
St. John began film work in the early 1930s and made an impression in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train in 1951.[2] He continued in stuffy, rigid or authoritarian roles for most of his career, including memorable ones in The Tender Trap and Born Yesterday. He also re-created his stage role in the film version of Li'l Abner.
Death
St. John died of a heart attack in New York City at age 68 in 1974 and was survived by his widow.[3]
Partial filmography
- Shockproof (1949) - Sam Brooks
- The Undercover Man (1949) - Joseph S. Horan
- Customs Agent (1950) - Charles Johnson
- 711 Ocean Drive (1950) - Lt. Pete Wright
- David Harding, Counterspy (1950) - David Harding
- The Men (1950) - Ellen's Father
- Mister 880 (1950) - Chief
- The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950) - The Warden
- Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950) - Counterspy David Harding
- Born Yesterday (1950) - Jim Devery
- Goodbye, My Fancy (1951) - Claude Griswold
- Strangers on a Train (1951) - Police Capt. Turley
- Saturday's Hero (1951) - Belfrage
- Close to My Heart (1951) - I.O. Frost
- The Big Night (1951) - Al Judge
- Starlift (1951) - Steve Rogers
- Stop, You're Killing Me (1952) - Commissioner Mahoney
- Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) - Burgoyne
- Illegal (1955) - E.A. Smith
- The Tender Trap (1955) - Mr. Sayers
- I Died a Thousand Times (1955) - Doc Banton
- World in My Corner (1956) - Harry Cram
- Li'l Abner (1959) - General Bullmoose
- Cry for Happy (1961) - Vice Adm. Junius B. Bennett
- Sanctuary (1961) - Governor Drake
- Madison Avenue (1961) - J.D. Jocelyn
- One, Two, Three (1961) - Wendell P. Hazeltine
- Lover Come Back (1961) - Mr. John Brackett
- Madison Avenue (1962) - George Washington
- Strait-Jacket (1964) - Raymond Fields
- Fate Is the Hunter (1964) - Mark Hutchins
- Quick, Before It Melts (1964) - Harvey T. Sweigert
- Sex and the Single Girl (1964) - Randall
- Strange Bedfellows (1965) - Julius L. Stevens
- Banning (1967) - J. Pallister Young
- Matchless (1967) - General Shapiro
- Don't Drink the Water (1969) - Ambassador Magee
References
- Hischak, Thomas (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical p. 437. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1953-3533-0.
- "'Strangers on a Train'". The Hollywood Reporter. June 30, 1951. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- "Howard St. John, Stage, Film Actor". The New York Times. March 17, 1974. Retrieved September 7, 2018.