Vintage Hunk: Jeffrey Hunter

Jeffrey Hunter was one of the most beautiful young actors of the 1950s who
seemed headed for top stardom; however, his career fizzled out and he died in 1969, at the early age of 43, almost forgotten except for the few who still remembered
and loved him.

Jeffrey Hunter became a star at 20th Century Fox and most of his films there
were pretty forgettable. Fellow rising star Robert Wagner supplanted Hunter
and started getting the studio buildup. As Mr. Wagner had neither the looks or
talent of Jeffrey Hunter, we will leave the reasons for this switch in the
studio's affections to the imaginations of our readers.

Jeffrey Hunter's great roles were for movie icon John Ford.

In the 1950s, John
Ford (4-time best director Oscar winner Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My
Valley, The Informer and The Quiet Man) cast Hunter in three of his films— two of them are classics. Ford chose Jeff Hunter (over Robert Wagner, I might add) for the part of Martin Pawley in the epic Western The Searchers. This famous film was a big hit when released in 1956 and has gone to be considered one of the greatest films ever made.

Jeff was fabulous in this film, especially in his shirtless scenes and in his classic moment with Natalie Wood (the future Mrs. Robert Wagner) where he protects her from being killed by John Wayne who can't accept the fact this his kidnapped niece (Wood) has been raised by, and sexually active with, the Indians who took her as a child.

Jeff Hunter was so good in this film that Ford used him again in The Last
Hurrah (1958) starring Spencer Tracey as the corrupt but lovable former Irish
mayor of Boston. In this black and white film, Hunter has never looked sexier
than in his tweeds and button down Ivy League clothes, and gave one
of the finest performances in this excellent film.

Jeff Hunter worked for John Ford one more time in Sergeant Rutledge but this was a less successful film. The zenith or nadir of Jeffrey Hunter's film career was being chosen by director Nicolas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) to star as Jesus in The King of Kings (1961). Although this film and Hunter received OK notices and made some money, it was dubbed by Hollywood pundits as "I Was A Teenage Jesus" and probably did more harm to Hunter's career than any other film he ever made.

On a personal note, I can remember seeing this film when it first came out and
feeling a bit alarmed as I realized I had a sexual attraction to Jesus! This did
not seem quite right to a teenager just coming to terms with his sexuality! (of
course, I bet there were plenty of straight men who had the hots for Jennifer
Jones as Bernadette back in 1943 as well!)

Hunter's film career wound down as the 60's wore on. His last claim to fame
was playing the Captain in the original pilot for Star Trek— a role which eventually went to William Shatner. Had Hunter done the series and not died after suffering a series of strokes that resulted in a cerebral hemorrhage, we might still be seeing him on TV or film enjoying the last stages of a long career.

Unfortunately, all we have of Jeffrey Hunter are the memories of him in his films
of the 1950's— especially The Searchers and for playing a blue eyed Christ
(with shaved armpits!) in The King of Kings. For these memories, I fondly salute Jeffrey Hunter as one of— if not THE— most handsome man who starred in
American movies during the Eisenhower era.