Robert F. Hill

Robert F. Hill
Born(1886-04-14)April 14, 1886
DiedMarch 18, 1966(1966-03-18) (aged 79)
Other namesRobert Allen
Jimmy Hawkey
Rock Hawkey
Rock Hawley
Bob F. Hill
Bob Hill
Robert Hill
Robt. F. Hill
Bob Stillman
Occupation(s)Actor, director, screenwriter
Years active1915–1966

Robert F. Hill (April 14, 1886 – March 18, 1966) was a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor.

Career

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Bob Hill began his screen career in 1915 at Universal Pictures. In those early days, members of film crews were sometimes called upon to do double duty, and young actor Hill also showed a talent for writing and directing. Universal had several popular series of short subjects, and Hill contributed to several. He became an action specialist, working in westerns, outdoor adventures, and serials.

Like other established silent-film directors Christy Cabanne, William Beaudine, Elmer Clifton, Lambert Hillyer, and Harry Fraser, Hill was given fewer major assignments in talking pictures. Although Hill began the sound era with Universal, he soon was forced to freelance for independent producers like Sol Lesser, Max and Arthur Alexander, and Sam Katzman. Sometimes the producers' budgets were so very low that Hill was challenged to make his films look presentable. His 1935 serial Queen of the Jungle was largely composed of silent footage filmed in 1922 for The Jungle Goddess; Hill shot new "jungle" scenes on an indoor soundstage to tie the silent material together. Likewise, Hill's 1937 serial Shadow of Chinatown, starring Bela Lugosi, suffered from Sam Katzman's typically cheap production mountings, but Hill (under the pseudonym Rock Hawkey) fashioned a serviceable screenplay that kept the various perils within the budget.

Hill became one of Katzman's standbys, sometimes directing Olympic athlete and action star Herman Brix. Hill's last film for Katzman was East Side Kids (1940), launching a popular knockoff of the Dead End Kids. Hill returned to direct major-studio work only once; he co-directed Universal's 1938 serial Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars.

Hill often played cameo roles in films he directed -- not out of vanity, but because he was handy if an actor was suddenly needed. In the 1940s Hill gave up the feverish pace of low-budget filmmaking and returned to acting full-time. Now white-haired and bespectacled, he played doctors, ministers, judges, and professional men.

He retired from the industry in 1950, and died in 1966 at the age of 79.

Selected filmography

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Temptation and the Man (1916)
Year Film Role Notes
1915 Destiny's Trump Card
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Story
1919 The Great Radium Mystery
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Director
1919 Almost a Husband
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Story
1919 Jubilo
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Story
1919 Full of Pep
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Story
1920 The Flaming Disc
-
Director
1920 Water, Water, Everywhere
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Story
1921 The Adventures of Tarzan
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Director, writer
1922 The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
-
Director
1923 Around the World in Eighteen Days
-
Director
The Social Buccaneer
-
Director
The Phantom Fortune
-
Director
1925 Idaho
-
Director
Wild West
-
Director
1926 The Bar-C Mystery
-
Director
1927 The Return of the Riddle Rider
-
Director
Blake of Scotland Yard
-
Director, writer
The Cat and the Canary
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Adaptation
1928 Life's Mockery
-
Director
Haunted Island
-
Director
A Million for Love
-
Director
1931 Heroes of the Flames
-
Director
Sundown Trail
-
Director
1932 Love Bound Ship passenger Director
The Last Frontier
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Writer
1933 Tarzan the Fearless
-
Director
1934 A Demon for Trouble
-
Director
Frontier Days
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Director
Cowboy Holiday Mr. Hopkins, Ruth's Father Director, writer
1935 Queen of the Jungle
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Director
Danger Trails
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Director
1936 Prison Shadows
-
Director
Rip Roarin' Buckaroo
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Director
The Phantom of the Range Auctioneer Robert Director
Idaho Kid
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Director
Shadow of Chinatown Serial and/or Feature film Director
1937 Cheyenne Rides Again Townsman Director
1938 Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
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Director
1939 Overland Mail Director
1941 Flying Wild Mr. Woodward
1943 Keep 'Em Slugging Mr. Woodward Credited as Bob Hill
Wild Horse Rustlers Judge
Wolves of the Range Judge Brandon
Calling Dr. Death Judge Uncredited
1944 Men on Her Mind Undetermined role Uncredited
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