The Hurricane in
The Hurricane Samuel Goldwyn was preparing a big budget spectacular,
The Hurricane (1937), based on a novel by Nordhoff and Hall and directed by
John Ford. They were having trouble finding someone to play the native whose wrongful imprisonment is the focus of the drama. Ford introduced Hall to Goldwyn, who signed Hall to a long-term contract and cast him as Terangi.
Hurricane became a big success. Goldwyn paid Hall $150 a week, which eventually rose to $200 a week. Hall spent the next two and a half years idle under his contract while Goldwyn—who made only a few movies each year—contemplated what to do with him. There was some talk of a sequel to
The Hurricane; of playing the lead in
Golden Boy; of
Black Gold, a film about firefighters in Oklahoma; of ''
The Fleet's In; of Tahiti
, based on a book by Somerset Maugham. Alexander Korda wanted Hall for The Thief of Bagdad''. These films were either not made at all or were made without Hall. Discussing the hiatus, Hall said "At first it's alright because you tell [people]... what you believe to be true, that the studio is trying to find you a right script. But after a year, after a year and a half, after two years, you start to go nuts. You find yourself ducking across the street to avoid people who will ask you what you are doing."
Edward Small After two and a half years of inactivity, Hall made three films in quick succession: ''
Sailor's Lady (1940), a comedy with Nancy Kelly that was developed by Goldwyn and sold to 20th Century Fox; South of Pago Pago (1940), a South Seas adventure with Frances Farmer, for producer Edward Small; and Kit Carson'' (1940), in the title role, again for Edward Small. Dorothy Lamour had gone to Paramount, and she was reunited with Hall in the South Seas tale,
Aloma of the South Seas (1941). Hall stayed in that genre for
The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942) with
Charles Laughton at
RKO, from a novel by Nordhoff and Hall.
Universal and Maria Montez Goldwyn agreed to share Hall's contract with
Universal Pictures, which put the actor in a supporting role in
Eagle Squadron (1942), produced by
Walter Wanger and directed by
Arthur Lubin. It was a huge hit. They gave him the lead in
Invisible Agent (1942), the fourth in their "Invisible Man" series. Wanger called upon Hall for another movie at Universal, a big budget "exotic" spectacular co-starring
Maria Montez and
Sabu,
Arabian Nights (1942). It was Universal's first color film in years and was a massive hit. Universal promptly reunited Montez, Hall and Sabu in two more films:
White Savage (1943), directed by Lubin, and
Cobra Woman (1944), directed by
Robert Siodmak. Lubin called Hall "not a very good actor. He was a charming boy." Paramount borrowed Hall for the musical
Lady in the Dark (1944), in which he played the role originated on Broadway by
Victor Mature. Back at Universal Hall returned to the Invisible Man series with ''
The Invisible Man's Revenge'' (1944), making him the only actor to have portrayed an Invisible Man more than once in the original
Universal series. Hall was meant to be reunited with Montez and Sabu for three more technicolor films. However Sabu was drafted into the army and was replaced by
Turhan Bey for
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), directed by Lubin. Bey was going to reteam with Hall and Montez in
Gypsy Wildcat (1944), but he was needed for another film, and was replaced by Peter Coe. Hall appeared in a comedy,
San Diego, I Love You (1945), and then was reunited with Montez and Bey in
Sudan (1945) – although this was the one Hall-Montez film where she wound up with someone else at the end: Bey. Hall appeared in a comedy
Men in Her Diary (1945), filmed in early 1945 and then went into the army. He was out of the Army by April 1946 and made a pair of Westerns,
The Michigan Kid (1947) and
The Vigilantes Return (1947). After this, Hall made no further films for Universal, although he was still under contract to Goldwyn. In August 1946, he cancelled his contracts with Goldwyn and Universal and signed a one-picture deal with
Sam Katzman. ==Later career==