Jimmy Hunt, the freckle-faced young prodigy who graced the silver screen in classics such as "Pitfall," "Sorry, Wrong Number," "Cheaper by the Dozen," "Invaders From Mars," and an impressive total of 31 other films before bowing out of acting at the tender age of 14, has passed away at the age of 85. His daughter-in-law, Alisa Hunt, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Hunt succumbed to a heart attack he had suffered six weeks prior, on Friday, in a Simi Valley hospital.
During his heyday, Hunt portrayed William Gilbreth, one of the dozen children of an efficiency expert (played by Clifton Webb) and a psychologist (Myrna Loy), in the beloved 1950 film "Cheaper by the Dozen." He reprised his role as another sibling, Fred, in its sequel, "Belles on Their Toes" (1952). As an orphan in the enchanting romantic comedy "The Mating of Millie" (1948), starring Evelyn Keyes and Glenn Ford, Hunt's character drove the narrative forward. On set, Ford taught him the art of marble shooting, a skill that undoubtedly added a touch of authenticity to his performance. In "The Lone Hand" (1953), Hunt starred as the son of a widowed farmer (Joel McCrea) and also took on the role of the film's narrator, an experience he cherished dearly.
Hunt's on-screen family tree was a veritable who's who of Hollywood legends, including Jane Wyatt and Dick Powell in "Pitfall" (1948), Claudette Colbert in "Family Honeymoon" (1949), Ronald Reagan in "Louisa" (1950), Teresa Wright in "The Capture" (1950), and Patricia Neal in "Week-End With Father" (1951). He also played the brother to Margaret O'Brien in "Her First Romance" (1951).
However, it was his portrayal of David MacLean in the cult sci-fi classic "Invaders From Mars" (1953), directed by the renowned production designer William Cameron Menzies, that etched his name in cinematic history. In this film, made in just 3 1/2 weeks for under $300,000, David spots a flying saucer from his bedroom window and notices his father (Leif Erickson) acting strangely. Soon after, he's pulled underground, where he encounters a Martian and his green humanoid accomplices aboard the saucer, leaving viewers wondering if it was all just a dream.
Decades later, in Tobe Hooper's 1986 remake of "Invaders," Hunt came out of retirement to play a police chief. As he approaches a hill where the flying saucer may have landed, he utters the line, "I haven't been here for 40 years." Ironically, this was the only film in his career for which he received residuals. "Every now and then, the Screen Actors Guild sends me a check for, like, nine dollars," he chuckled in 2022.
Born on December 4, 1939, in Los Angeles, James Walter Hunt's acting journey began when an MGM scout visited his second-grade class in Culver City, just blocks away from the studio. The scout was so impressed by the 6-year-old redhead that he was cast as a younger version of Van Johnson's Navy pilot in "High Barbaree" (1947). Under contract with MGM, Hunt appeared in five films released that year and another eight in 1948, while attending the studio's Little Red Schoolhouse, where he rubbed shoulders with future stars like Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor.
"We were strictly lower middle-class people," Hunt reminisced in 1986. "Actually, that's the way we stayed. As long as [my parents] were satisfied that I was getting a good education, the acting was just fine by them."
In the heart-wrenching scene of "Cheaper by the Dozen," young Erickson, portraying the character of William, shed tears as he conveyed to his on-screen siblings the tragic news of their father's demise. Reflecting on the film's production in Seal Beach, California, at the 2022 Cinecon Classic Film Festival, Erickson recounted, "During that time, my real father was employed by a company and had to relocate to Kentucky to establish a plant. He was away for several months. My imagination painted a picture of him returning home on a plane that不幸 crashed. This vivid imagery deeply affected me."
Erickson's impressive big-screen credits also included roles in classics such as "Sorry, Wrong Number" (1948), where he played the father to Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster's characters; "Fuller Brush Man" (1948), starring Red Skelton; "Rusty's Birthday" (1949), the concluding chapter in Columbia Pictures' series about a boy and his loyal German shepherd; "The Sainted Sisters" (1948), featuring Veronica Lake; "Top O’ the Morning" (1949), with Bing Crosby in the lead; "Shadow on the Wall" (1950), starring Ann Sothern; and "She Couldn’t Say No" (1954), alongside Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons.
In a 2017 interview, Erickson reminisced, "I carried my little lunch pail each day and reported to work, where the director would guide me on what was expected of me." During the filming of Douglas Sirk's "Week-End With Father," Erickson sustained a broken arm while rehearsing a potato-sack race with Van Heflin. Despite the injury, he persisted, stating, "No one compelled me to complete the film under such circumstances. It was my own decision. I considered myself a professional. Truthfully, I experienced few hardships as a child actor."
After wrapping up "Invaders," for which Erickson was reportedly compensated with approximately $4,000, he was summoned back to shoot additional scenes for the UK release, as the original ending did not meet the censors' approval there. Ironically, "Invaders" marked his final straw. "As I aged, I became increasingly meticulous about nailing a scene on the first take," he admitted. "Adult actors would joke about flubbing their lines, but as a kid, it just made me feel stupid. Acting thus became increasingly challenging for me."
At the tender age of 14, Erickson made a decisive choice: "I opted to play sports in high school rather than continue making movies, so I retired from acting," he explained. He subsequently pursued college education and served a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, where he specialized in intercepting and deciphering codes. Post-military, he embarked on a career as a sales manager for an industrial tool and supply company catering to aerospace firms in the San Fernando Valley.
Decades later, even seven decades after "Invaders" premiered, Erickson still received fan mail from admirers of his work. He is survived by his beloved wife, Roswitha, whom he met in Germany during his military service and married in January 1963; his sons, Randy and Ron; another daughter-in-law, Christina; his sister, Bonnie; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Sadly, his daughter, also named Roswitha, passed away more than a decade ago.
