John Hodiak

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Hey, all, sorry I haven't posted videos in a while, I guess I've been kind of lazy lately. Anyway, here's my latest. John Hodiak (1914-1955) was a handsome actor who came to prominence in 1940s Hollywood, used to MGM's advantage when many of Tinseltown's male stars were serving their country. The oldest of four children, born to a Polish mother and a Ukrainian father in Pittsburg, young John was just four when the family moved to Detroit. He had an interest the arts from an early age, and was also quite athletic. In addition to dramatics, he sang with his church choir and played the clarinet. As a young man, in between jobs like golf caddying and such, he found work on radio and he was spotted by an MGM scout. His surname remained, despite Louis B. Mayer's suggestion of a different moniker that would look better on marquees. Signed by the most powerful studio in Hollywood, he began in bit parts and small roles, and eventually rose to second-leading man status when he appeared in the Lana Turner vehicle "Marriage Is A Private Affair" (1944). He was also loaned out to Fox for Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" the same year. High blood pressure caused him to be considered unsuitable for military service, so Hodiak was able to get many leading roles during the 40s, varying from dramas such as "Sunday Dinner For A Soldier" (1945, costarring his future wife Anne Baxter), "A Bell For Adano" (1946) to musicals "The Harvey Girls" (1946) and film noir "Somewhere In The Night" (1946). John married Anne Baxter in 1946, the couple had a daughter, Kathryn in 1951, but the couple divorced in 1953. After WWII, Hodiak found himself relegated to second-string and unworthy roles with the likes of Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and the like returned from military service. Although popular with audiences and his peers, the critics often labeled him as stiff and bland, and Hodiak often took their comments to heart. After his MGM contract expired he freelanced in low-budget productions, earned very favorable notices for his stage work, and made appearances on the new medium of television. In early 1955 he made a triumphant screen comeback in "Trial" and was looking forward to more work on both film and television when he died suddenly from coronary thrombosis in the home he built for his parents. He was shaving and preparing to head to the studio to finish work on "The Threshold Of Space" (1956). His death was a complete shock and surprise, since he had no history of heart trouble. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles. I don't think Hodiak was as limited as the critics claimed. Perhaps the roles he was given hampered him (playing opposite such leading ladies as Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Tallulah Bankhead, Gene Tierney, Lucille Ball, and Hedy Lamarr), and many of his later ones didn't give him the depth that he may have been capable of. He did think that he had the tendency to play himself, and maybe that was true. All I know is that I enjoy watching him, and he certainly seemed to enjoy his work. Some personal quotes: "No part has even come easily to me. Every one has been a challenge. I've worked as hard as I could on them all." "I don't know whether I'm an actor or not because I've never been sure what acting is. I've played different types, but it seems to me they turn out to be just myself every time." I urge everyone here to check out Hodiak's appearance on "What's My Line?" which is uploaded on youtube. It's a very funny segment and shows John's sense of humor. The clips are from "The Harvey Girls" and his appearance on WML. Music by Patti Page.