Howard St. John (October 9, 1905 – March 13, 1974[1]) was a Chicago-born character actor who specialized in unsympathetic roles. His work spanned Broadway, film and television. Among his best-remembered roles are the bombastic General Bullmoose in the stage and screen versions of the 1956 musical Li'l Abner,[2] and his supporting roles in the classic comedies Born Yesterday (1950) and One, Two, Three (1961).
Early years
St. John was born in Chicago and grew up in several Canadian cities.[3] When he was a boy, his main interest lay in sports. His participation in football and hockey led to his breaking his nose three times.[4]
St. John toured Canada as a boy singer,[4] and he was a newspaperman and a stockbroker.[3]
Stage
St. John made his Broadway debut portraying James Manton in The Blonde Sinner (1926), and subsequently appeared in more than 20 Broadway productions including Someone Waiting and The Highest Tree.[1]
St. John's most high-profile role was that of General Bullmoose in the hit musical Li'l Abner. As Bullmoose he introduced the song "Progress is the Root of All Evil." His final Broadway role came in 1968's Tiger at the Gates.[citation needed]
Film
St. John began film work in the early 1930s and made an impression in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train in 1951.[5] He continued in stuffy, rigid or authoritarian roles for most of his career, including memorable ones in The Tender Trap and Born Yesterday. He also re-created his stage role in the film version of Li'l Abner.
^Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 509. ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7.
