SKELLY, HAL

(1891-1934)

Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Joseph Harold Skelley developed his comedy skills in the circus before making hislegitimatetheatre debut in Chicago in the musicalThe Time, the Place and the Girl(1908), after which he joined Lew Dockstader'sminstrelshow. Although most of his Broadway appearances were in musicals, he scored a major success in the George Mahker Watters and Arthur Hopkins playBurlesque(1927) in the role of Skid, a dissolute comedian. Skelly appeared in 10 early sound motion pictures, including an adaptation ofBurlesqueretitledThe Dance of Life(1929). Hispost-Burlesquestage appearances,Melody(1933),The Ghost Writer(1933),Queer People(1934), andCome What May(1934), were all failures. He was killed when his car was struck by a train in Connecticut.