Hugh Herbert (August 10, 1885 – March 12, 1952)Hugh Herbert - L.A. Times Hollywood Star Walk
/ref> was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches.

Career

Born in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflu ...

, Herbert attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. As an actor, he "had many serious roles, and for years was seen on major vaudeville circuits as a pathetic old Hebrew." The advent of talking pictures brought stage-trained actors to Hollywood, and Hugh Herbert soon became a popular movie comedian. His screen character was usually absent-minded and flustered. He would flutter his fingers together and talk to himself, repeating the same phrases: "hoo-hoo-hoo, wonderful, wonderful, hoo hoo hoo!" So many imitators (including

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (; October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), known professionally as Curly Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the American comedy team the Three Stooges, which also featured his elder ...

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

Andy Hardy Andrew "Andy" Hardy is a fictional character best known for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer series of 16 films in which he was played by Mickey Rooney. The films were released from 1937 to 1946, except for a final one made in 1958 in an unsuccessful att ...

and

Etta Candy Etta Candy is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as the best friend of the superhero Wonder Woman. Spirited and vivacious, with a devil-may-care attitude, Etta debuted as a young white woman with ...

in the

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

comic book series) copied the catchphrase as "woo woo" that Herbert himself began to use "woo woo" rather than "hoo hoo" in the 1940s. Herbert's earliest movies, like Wheeler & Woolsey's feature '' Hook, Line and Sinker'' (1930), cast him in generic comedy roles that could have been taken by any comedian. He developed his own unique screen personality, complete with a silly giggle, and this new character caught on quickly. He was frequently featured in

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

films of the 1930s, including '' Bureau of Missing Persons'', ''

Footlight Parade ''Footlight Parade'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell and featuring Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert and Ruth Donnelly. The film was written by Manuel Seff and Jam ...

'' (both 1933), ''

Dames ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the British honours system and those of several other Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and New Zeala ...

'', '' Fog Over Frisco'', '' Fashions of 1934'' (all 1934), and '' Gold Diggers of 1935'' (1935), as well as ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' (also 1935), a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play. He played leads in "B comedies", notably ''

Sh! The Octopus ''Sh! The Octopus'' is a 1937 comedy-mystery film produced by Warner Bros., directed by William McGann and starring Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins and Marcia Ralston. While contract players Herbert and Jenkins frequently appeared in the same pictu ...

'' (1937), a comedy-mystery featuring an exceptional unmasking of the culprit. Herbert was often caricatured in Warners'

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

shorts of the 1930s/40s, such as ''

Speaking of the Weather ''Speaking of the Weather'' is an animated cartoon short in the ''Merrie Melodies'' series produced by Leon Schlesinger for Warner Bros. Released to theaters on September 4, 1937, it was directed by Frank Tashlin and animated by Joe D'Igalo and Vo ...

'' (1937) and ''

The Hardship of Miles Standish ''The Hardship of Miles Standish'' is a 1940 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 27, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd. The title is derived from the narrative poem '' The Courtship of Miles Standish' ...

'' (1940). One of the minor characters in the

Terrytoons Terrytoons was an American animation studio in New Rochelle, New York, that produced animated cartoons for theatrical release from 1929 to 1973 (and briefly returned between 1987 and 1996 for television in name only). Terrytoons was founded by P ...

short '' The Talking Magpies'' (1946) is also a recognizably Hugh Herbertesque bird. In 1939 Herbert signed with

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, where, as at Warners, he played supporting roles in major films and leading roles in minor ones. One of his best-received performances from this period is in the Olsen and Johnson comedy '' Hellzapoppin''' (1941), in which he played a nutty detective. Herbert joined

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

in 1943 and became a familiar face in short subjects, with the same actors and directors who made the Stooges shorts. He continued to star in these comedies for the remainder of his life. Herbert wrote six screenplays, co-writing the screenplays for the films '' Lights of New York'' (1928) and '' Second Wife'' (1930) and contributing to '' The Great Gabbo'' (1929), among others. He acted in a few films co-written by the much more prolific (but unrelated) screenwriter F. Hugh Herbert: '' Fashions of 1934'' (1934), '' We're in the Money'' (1935) and '' Colleen'' (1936). He also directed one film, '' He Knew Women'' (1930).

Recognition

Herbert has a star at 6251 Hollywood Boulevard on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.

Personal life and death

Herbert was married to Rose Epstein, who was also known by the name Anita Pam. Herbert died on March 12, 1952 at age 66 from

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

North Hollywood, Los Angeles North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

Brother

Hugh's brother, Tom Herbert, was a screen comedian who played mildly flustered roles. He is featured in the

short subject ''Double or Nothing'' (1940) as his brother Hugh's movie double.

Selected filmography

*''

Husbands for Rent ''Husbands for Rent'' is a 1927 American synchronized sound comedy film directed by Henry Lehrman and written by C. Graham Baker, Joseph Jackson and Jimmy Starr. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musica ...

'' (1927) .... Valet *'' Caught in the Fog'' (1928) .... Detective Riley *''Mind Your Business'' (1928, Short) *'' Danger Lights'' (1930) .... Professor - the Hobo *'' Hook, Line and Sinker'' (1930) .... Hotel House Detective *''She Went for a Tramp'' (1931, Short) *'' Laugh and Get Rich'' (1931) .... Joe Austin *''

The Sin Ship ''The Sin Ship'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by the actor Louis Wolheim in his only directorial effort. The film marks the last contribution Wolheim made to the film industry ...

'' (1931) .... Charlie *'' Traveling Husbands'' (1931) .... Hymie Schwartz *'' Friends and Lovers'' (1931) .... McNellis *'' The Lost Squadron'' (1932) .... Fritz *'' Million Dollar Legs'' (1932) .... Secretary of the Treasury *''

Faithless Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold milli ...

'' (1932) .... Mr. Peter M. Blainey *''Sham Poo, the Magician'' (1932, Short) .... Sham Poo *'' Strictly Personal'' (1933) .... Wetzel *'' Diplomaniacs'' (1933) .... Chinaman *'' She Had to Say Yes'' (1933) .... Luther Haines *'' Goodbye Again'' (1933) .... Harvey Wilson *'' Bureau of Missing Persons'' (1933) .... Hank Slade *''

'' (1933) .... Bowers *''Tis Spring'' (1933, Short) *'' College Coach'' (1933) .... J- Marvin Barnett *'' From Headquarters'' (1933) .... Manny Wales *'' Convention City'' (1933) .... Hotstetter *'' Easy to Love'' (1934) .... Detective *'' Fashions of 1934'' (1934) .... Joe Ward *'' Wonder Bar'' (1934) .... Pratt *'' Harold Teen'' (1934) .... Ed Rathburn *'' Merry Wives of Reno'' (1934) .... Colonel Fitch *'' The Merry Frinks'' (1934) .... Joe 'Poppa' Frink *'' Fog Over Frisco'' (1934) .... Izzy Wright *''

'' (1934) .... Ezra Ounce *''

Kansas City Princess ''Kansas City Princess'' is a 1934 American comedy film starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. The film was directed by William Keighley with a script written by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff. Warner Bros. sought to duplicate the success of ' ...

'' (1934) .... Junior Ashcraft *''Good Badminton'' (1935, Short) .... Hugh *'' Sweet Adeline'' (1935) .... Rupert Rockingham *'' Gold Diggers of 1935'' (1935) .... T. Mosley Thorpe *'' Traveling Saleslady'' (1935) .... Elmer *'' We're in the Money'' (1935) .... Lawyer Homer Bronson *''

'' (1935) .... Snout - the Tinker *'' To Beat the Band'' (1935) .... Hugo Twist / Elizabeth Twist *'' Miss Pacific Fleet'' (1935) .... Mr. J. August Freytag *'' Colleen'' (1936) .... Cedric Ames *'' One Rainy Afternoon'' (1936) .... Toto *''

We Went to College ''We Went to College'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley, written by Richard Maibaum and Maurice Rapf, and starring Charles Butterworth, Walter Abel, Hugh Herbert, Una Merkel and Edith Atwater. It was released on June 19 ...

'' (1936) .... Professor Standish *'' Love Begins at Twenty'' (1936) .... Horatio Gillingwater *'' Sing Me a Love Song'' (1936) .... Siegfried Hammerschlag *''

Top of the Town ''Top of the Town'' was a 1950s radio programme, broadcast on the BBC Light Programme and hosted by Terry-Thomas. The pilot episode was broadcast on 5 June 1953 on the BBC Home Service; the first series started shortly afterwards, on 1 November ...

'' (1937) .... Hubert *'' That Man's Here Again'' (1937) .... Thomas J. Jesse *''A Day at Santa Anita'' (1937, Short) .... Himself (uncredited) *'' The Singing Marine'' (1937) .... Aeneas Phinney / Clarissa *'' Marry the Girl'' (1937) .... John B. Radway *''

The Perfect Specimen ''The Perfect Specimen'' is a 1937 film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Joan Blondell. The picture is based on a novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams. It was Flynn's first comedy. Plot Gerald Wicks, the heir to a large fortune, ...

'' (1937) .... Killigrew Shaw *''

'' (1937) .... Kelly *''

Hollywood Hotel The Hollywood Hotel was a famous hotel, society venue of early Hollywood, and landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible fr ...

'' (1937) .... Chester Marshall *'' Gold Diggers in Paris'' (1938) .... Maurice Giraud *''

Men Are Such Fools ''Men are Such Fools'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy directed by Busby Berkeley and written by Norman Reilly Raine and Horace Jackson. The film stars Wayne Morris, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Hugh Herbert, Johnnie Davis, and Penny Si ...

'' (1938) .... Harvey Bates *''

Four's a Crowd ''Four's a Crowd'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell, and Patric Knowles. It was written by Casey Robinson and Sig Herzig from a story by Wallace Sulli ...

'' (1938) .... Jenkins *'' The Great Waltz'' (1938) .... Hofbauer *'' The Family Next Door'' (1939) .... George Pierce *'' The Lady's from Kentucky'' (1939) .... Mousey Johnson *'' Eternally Yours'' (1939) .... Benton *'' Little Accident'' (1939) .... Herbert Pearson *''

La Conga Nights ''La Conga Nights'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Lew Landers and written by Jay Dratler, Harry Clork and Paul Gerard Smith. The film stars Hugh Herbert, Dennis O'Keefe, Constance Moore, Ferike Boros, Eddie Quillan and Armida. The ...

'' (1940) .... Henry I. Dibble Jr. / Faith Dibble / Hope Dibble / Charity Dibble / Prudence Dibble / Mrs. Henry I. Dibble Jr. / Henry I. Dibble Sr. *'' Private Affairs'' (1940) .... Angus McPherson *'' A Little Bit of Heaven'' (1940) .... Pop Loring *'' The Villain Still Pursued Her'' (1940) .... Frederick Healy *''

Hit Parade of 1941 ''Hit Parade of 1941'' is a 1940 American film written by Bradford Ropes, F. Hugh Herbert and Maurice Leo and directed by John H. Auer. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song at the 13th Academy Awards with the song "Who Am I?", with mus ...

'' (1940) .... Ferdinand Farraday *''

Slightly Tempted ''Slightly Tempted'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Lew Landers and written by Arthur T. Horman. The film stars Hugh Herbert, Peggy Moran, Johnny Downs, Elisabeth Risdon, George E. Stone and Gertrude Michael. The film was released on ...

'' (1940) .... Professor Ross *'' Meet the Chump'' (1941) .... Hugh Mansfield *'' The Black Cat'' (1941) .... Mr. Penny *''

Hello, Sucker ''Hello, Sucker'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Maurice Leo and Paul Gerard Smith. The film stars Hugh Herbert, Tom Brown, Peggy Moran, Lewis Howard, June Storey, Walter Catlett and Robert Emmett ...

'' (1941) .... Hubert Worthington Clippe *'' Badlands of Dakota'' (1941) .... Rocky Plummer *'' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) .... Quimby *'' Don't Get Personal'' (1942) .... Elmer Whippet / Oscar Whippet *'' You're Telling Me'' (1942) .... Hubert Abercrombie Gumm *'' There's One Born Every Minute'' (1942) .... Lemuel P. Twine / Abner Twine / Colonel Cladius Zebediah Twine *''

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' is a 1901 novel by American author Alice Hegan Rice, about a southern family humorously coping with poverty. It was highly popular on its release,Lowell Hayes Harrison, ''A New History of Kentucky'' (1997), p. ...

'' (1942) .... Marcus Throckmorton *'' It's a Great Life'' (1943) .... Timothy Brewster *'' Stage Door Canteen'' (1943) .... Himself *''Pitchin' in the Kitchen'' (1943, Short) .... Adam Spiggott *'' Who's Hugh?'' (1943, Short) .... Himself *''Oh, Baby!'' (1944, Short) .... Elmer 'Picklepuss' Burns *''His Hotel Sweet'' (1944, Short) .... Himself *'' Kismet'' (1944) .... Feisal *'' Ever Since Venus'' (1944) .... P.G. Grimble *''A Knight and a Blonde'' (1944, Short) .... Himself *'' Music for Millions'' (1944) .... Uncle Ferdinand *''Woo, Woo!'' (1945, Short) *''Wife Decoy'' (1945, Short) .... Hughie Hawkins *''The Mayor's Husband'' (1945, Short) .... Himself *'' One Way to Love'' (1946) .... Eustace P. Trumble *''When the Wife's Away'' (1946, Short) .... Himself *''Get Along Little Zombie'' (1946, Short) .... Himself *''Honeymoon Blues'' (1946, Short) .... Himself *''Hot Heir'' (1947, Short) .... Himself *''Nervous Shakedown'' (1947, Short) .... Mr. Penn *''

Blondie in the Dough ''Blondie in the Dough'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is 21st of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood and his boss are frantically s ...

'' (1947) .... Llewellyn Simmons *''Should Husbands Marry?'' (1947, Short) .... Himself *'' On Our Merry Way'' (1948) .... Eli Hobbs *''Tall, Dark and Gruesome'' (1948, Short) .... Hugh Sherlock, playwright *''

So This Is New York ''So This Is New York'' is a 1948 satirical movie comedy starring acerbic radio and television comedian Henry Morgan and directed by Richard Fleischer. The cynically sophisticated screenplay was written by Carl Foreman and Herbert Baker from ...

'' (1948) .... Mr. Lucius Trumball *''

One Touch of Venus ''One Touch of Venus'' is a 1943 musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the 1885 novella ''The Tinted Venus'' by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygmal ...

'' (1948) .... Mercury (scenes deleted) *'' The Girl from Manhattan'' (1948) .... Aaron Goss *'' A Song Is Born'' (1948) .... Professor Twingle *''A Pinch in Time'' (1948, Short) .... Himself *''Trapped by a Blonde'' (1949, Short) .... Himself *'' The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend'' (1949) .... Doctor *''Super Wolf'' (1949, Short) .... Aunt Fanny / Dave McGurk alias Dave the Drip *'' One Shivery Night'' (1950, Short) .... Himself *''A Slip and a Miss'' (1950, Short) .... Himself *''Woo-Woo Blues'' (1951, Short) .... Himself *''

Havana Rose ''Havana Rose'' is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring Estelita Rodriguez, Bill Williams and Hugh Herbert. It was one of a number of American films set in Havana during the era.Pérez Firmat p.54 Plot T ...

'' (1951) .... Filbert Fillmore *''Trouble In-Laws'' (1951, Short) .... Himself *''The Gink in the Sink'' (1952, Short) .... Himself (final film role)

As writer

*''Sunny California'' (1928, Short) *'' Lights of New York'' (1928) *''Mind Your Business'' (1928, Short) *'' The Great Gabbo'' (1930) *'' The Second Wife'' (1930) *'' He Knew Women'' (1930) *''

'' (1931)

As director

*'' He Knew Women'' (1930)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Hugh 1885 births 1952 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male screenwriters Vaudeville performers Actors from Binghamton, New York 20th-century American male actors Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Columbia Pictures contract players Cornell University alumni People of Scottish descent