Dick Hallorann

Last updated
Dick Hallorann
The Shining character
Dick Hallorann.jpg
Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann in The Shining
First appearance
Last appearance
Created by Stephen King
Portrayed by Scatman Crothers (1980)
Melvin Van Peebles (1997)
Arthur Woodley (2016)
Carl Lumbly (2019)
In-universe information
Full nameRichard Hallorann
OccupationHead Chef at The Overlook Hotel
FamilyCarl Hallorann (brother; deceased)
Rose Hallorann (grandmother)
Andy Hallorann (grandfather)

Richard Hallorann is a fictional character created by Stephen King from his 1977 novel The Shining . He has telepathic abilities he called "the shining" and is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He meets Danny Torrance, a young boy who is also telepathic, and learns that the evil spirits of the hotel have taken control of Danny's father, Jack.

Contents

Hallorann is portrayed by Scatman Crothers in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of the novel. He was later portrayed by Melvin Van Peebles in the 1997 miniseries adaptation, Arthur Woodley in the 2016 operatic adaptation and Carl Lumbly in the 2019 film Doctor Sleep , an adaptation of the 2013 novel of the same name. [1]

Novels

The Shining

Hallorann first appears in The Shining , where he is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado. While packing away for winter one day, Hallorann meets the new caretaker, Jack Torrance, and his family: his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny. Hallorann discovers that Danny carries the same psychic abilities as him. He tells Danny that, when Hallorann was a child, he discovered that he and his grandmother could carry conversations with each other without even moving their lips. She called this telepathy “shining.” Hallorann warns Danny that the Overlook can be dangerous, especially to those who “shine.” Later, Hallorann is contacted by Danny, who reveals that his father has been influenced by Delbert Grady and the other spirits inhabiting the hotel. Hallorann returns to the hotel in an attempt to rescue Danny and Wendy from Jack, and the three of them escape together as the hotel explodes and kills Jack.

It

Hallorann is mentioned in Stephen King's 1986 horror novel, It , as being one of the founders of The Black Spot, a bar in Derry, Maine which catered towards African-American soldiers. The Black Spot was eventually burned down in an act of racial hatred by a group titled "The Maine Legion of White Decency". Hallorann uses his Shining ability to find survivors and rescue them, one of them being Will Hanlon, who went on to become the father of Mike Hanlon, a central character in It. It is suggested that the arson of The Black Spot was initiated by Pennywise, the novel's main antagonist. [2] [3] The Black Spot was also referenced in King's novel, Insomnia . [4]

Doctor Sleep

In Stephen King's 2013 sequel, Doctor Sleep , which occurs several years after the events of The Shining, Hallorann remains close with Wendy and Danny, and becomes something of a mentor to the latter. One night, Danny wakes up to use the restroom, only to encounter Lorraine Massey, one of the spirits from The Overlook, prompting Wendy to call Hallorann for help. Hallorann reveals that, as a child, he was emotionally, physically and sexually abused by his grandfather, Andy. After Andy's death, Hallorann was haunted by his ghost, but his grandmother taught Hallorann how to lock away such ghosts in an imaginary "lockbox". Hallorann teaches Danny this technique.

Years later, Danny (now going simply by "Dan") attempts to locate Hallorann for help protecting fellow "Shiner" Abra Stone from the True Knot Cult. Dan discovers that Hallorann had died in 1999, but he is still able to communicate with and advise Dan by briefly possessing the body of Eleanor Ouellette, a woman in the hospice where Dan works. [5]

Other media

The Shining (film)

Hallorann was portrayed by musician Scatman Crothers in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation The Shining . While the film departs from King's novel in many ways (much to King's chagrin), one of the most notable changes is Hallorann's death. In King's novel, Hallorann survives Torrance's rampage. However in the film, Hallorann arrives at the Overlook Hotel after sensing that Danny and Wendy are in danger. Torrance subsequently strikes Halloran in the chest with an axe, killing him. His dead body is then discovered by Wendy when the Overlook attempts to trick her. [6] [7] [8]

The role of Hallorann eventually went to Crothers, who had stated that he had wanted to play the role of Hallorann before the film had even started production. Crothers had a difficult time filming with Kubrick, who had a reputation for repeating takes multiple times to get the perfect shot. For example, Kubrick did 148 takes of the scene in which Hallorann explains The Shining ability to Danny, at the end of which Crothers burst into tears. The shot of Hallorann in a state of shock and horror after being contacted by Danny while staying in Miami also took another 60 takes, which again proved strenuous to Crothers. [9] [10] [11]

The Shining (miniseries)

In Stephen King's 1997 miniseries adaptation of the novel directed by Mick Garris, Hallorann is portrayed by Melvin Van Peebles. In this interpretation, Torrance attacks Hallorann with a croquet mallet rather than an axe, and Hallorann survives the encounter, as in the novel. While the miniseries itself earned mixed reviews, Van Peebles' performance as Hallorann was critically acclaimed. [12] [13]

The Shining (opera)

Hallorann appears in the operatic adaptation of King's novel portrayed by Arthur Woodley in a baritone part. In this adaptation, he is again attacked with a mallet by Torrance, but is left unconscious and remains in the Overlook Hotel when it explodes. [14]

Doctor Sleep (film)

Similarly to the novel, Hallorann's ghost instructs Dan to use "lockboxes" to lock away the bad apparitions. Hallorann's spirit later appears again to instruct Dan to protect Abra. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Possible Hallorann film

Prior to the release of Doctor Sleep, Warner Bros. had enough confidence in the film that they hired Mike Flanagan to script a prequel focusing on the character, with the working title Hallorann. Following the disappointing box office performance of Doctor Sleep, however, the future of the project is unclear. [23]

Reception

Hallorann's portrayal in the book, as well as the performance by Scatman Crothers, have been positively received by fans. While not as well acclaimed as Crothers' portrayal, Melvin Van Peebles' portrayal of Hallorann in the 1997 miniseries adaptation also received positive reviews. [24]

Hallorann's death in the film adaptation of The Shining is seen as being one of the first movies to start the trope of "The Black Guy Always Dies First In Horror Movies". This is a trope that recognises the fact that African-American or minority characters often do not survive horror movies, and are sometimes the first to be killed off. Despite being the first person killed in The Shining, Hallorann is also the only person (aside from Jack Torrance) to die during the film, and is the only on-screen death. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]

For his performance as Hallorann, Crothers won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1981, as well as Best Supporting Actor from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror for his portrayal. [31] [32]

In The Simpsons 's Treehouse of Horror parody of The Shining, dubbed "The Shinning", the role of Hallorann is filled by Groundskeeper Willie, who refers to the ability to "Shine" as "The Shinning". Willie is killed by Homer Simpson, who fills in for the role of Jack Torrance. [33] Hallorann is again parodied in the music video for "Spit It Out" by heavy metal band Slipknot. The video parodies the film as a whole, with the band's keyboardist, Craig Jones, filling in for the role of Hallorann in the narrative. [34] [35] [36]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Shining</i> (novel) 1977 novel by Stephen King

The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is King's third published novel and first hardcover bestseller; its success firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. The setting and characters are influenced by King's personal experiences, including both his visit to The Stanley Hotel in 1974 and his struggle with alcoholism. The novel was adapted into a 1980 film and a 1997 miniseries. The book was followed by a sequel, Doctor Sleep, published in 2013, which in turn was adapted into a film of the same name in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scatman Crothers</span> American entertainer (1910–1986)

Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man, and Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980). He was also a prolific voice-over actor who provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon in the Harlem Globetrotters animated TV series, Jazz the Autobot in The Transformers and The Transformers: The Movie (1986), the title character in Hong Kong Phooey, and Scat Cat in the Disney animated film The Aristocats (1970).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelley Duvall</span> American actress and producer (1949–2024)

Shelley Alexis Duvall was an American actress and producer. Known for her collaborations with Robert Altman and for playing eccentric characters, she won a Cannes Film Festival Award and was nominated for a British Academy Film Award and two Emmy Awards. Four of her films are preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

<i>The Shining</i> (film) 1980 film by Stanley Kubrick

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. It is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, and Scatman Crothers. The film presents the descent into insanity of a recovering alcoholic and aspiring novelist (Nicholson) who takes a job as winter caretaker for a haunted resort hotel with his wife (Duvall) and clairvoyant son (Lloyd).

<i>The Shining</i> (miniseries) 1997 American horror television miniseries

The Shining is a 1997 three-episode horror television miniseries based on the 1977 Stephen King novel of the same name. Directed by Mick Garris from King's teleplay, it is the second adaptation of King's book after the 1980 film by Stanley Kubrick and was written and produced by King based on his dissatisfaction with Kubrick's version. The miniseries was shot at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, King's inspiration for the novel, in March 1996.

"Autopsy Room Four" is a short story by American writer Stephen King. It was first published in King's limited-edition collection Six Stories in 1997 and appeared in the anthology Robert Bloch's Psychos later the same year. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual. It was adapted into a short film in 2003. It was also part of TNT's Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King series in the summer of 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Lloyd</span> American former child actor (born 1972)

Daniel Edward Sidney Lloyd is an American former child actor best known for playing Danny Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining. After appearing in the 1982 television film Will: G. Gordon Liddy, Lloyd retired from acting. He became a professor at the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Torrance</span> Fictional character in The Shining

John Daniel Edward "Jack" Torrance is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Stephen King's horror novel The Shining (1977). He was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the novel's 1980 film adaptation, by Steven Weber in the 1997 miniseries, by Brian Mulligan in the 2016 opera and by Henry Thomas in the 2019 film adaptation of Doctor Sleep. The American Film Institute rated the character the 25th-greatest film villain of all time. In 2008, Jack Torrance was selected by Empire magazine as one of the 100 greatest movie characters. Premiere magazine also ranked Torrance on their list of their 100 greatest movie characters of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Torrance</span> Fictional character in The Shining and Doctor Sleep

Daniel Anthony Torrance, also known as Doctor Sleep, is a fictional character who first appears in the 1977 novel The Shining by Stephen King as a child with psychic powers called "the shining". His parents are father Jack Torrance and mother Wendy Torrance. The character was portrayed in the 1980 film adaptation The Shining by Danny Lloyd and by Courtland Mead in the 1997 television miniseries The Shining.

<i>Doctor Sleep</i> (novel) 2013 horror novel by Stephen King

Doctor Sleep is a 2013 horror novel by American writer Stephen King and the sequel to his 1977 novel The Shining. The book reached the first position on The New York Times Best Seller list for print, ebook, and hardcover fiction. Doctor Sleep won the 2013 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.

<i>Room 237</i> 2012 film

Room 237 is a 2012 American documentary film directed by Rodney Ascher about interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining (1980) which was adapted from the 1977 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The documentary includes footage from The Shining and other Kubrick films, along with discussions by Kubrick enthusiasts. Room 237 has nine segments, each focusing on a different element within The Shining which "may reveal hidden clues and hint at a bigger thematic oeuvre." Produced by Tim Kirk, the documentary's title refers to a room in the haunted Overlook Hotel featured in The Shining.

Part of the New Hollywood era of cinema, Kubrick's films are considered by film historian Michel Ciment to be "among the most important contributions to world cinema in the twentieth century", and he is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential directors in the history of cinema. According to film historian and Kubrick scholar Robert Kolker, Kubrick's films were "more intellectually rigorous than the work of any other American filmmaker."

The Shining is an American opera in two acts and an epilogue, with music by composer Paul Moravec and a libretto by Mark Campbell, based on the 1977 novel by Stephen King. The opera received its world premiere on May 7, 2016 at the Ordway Music Theater, Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is part of the "New Works Initiative" of Minnesota Opera.

<i>Doctor Sleep</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Mike Flanagan

Doctor Sleep is a 2019 American supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Mike Flanagan. It is an adaptation of the 2013 novel of the same name by Stephen King and sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance, a man with psychic abilities and a drinking problem, who struggles with childhood trauma caused by the horrors at the Overlook Hotel. Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, and Cliff Curtis have supporting roles as new characters: Abra Stone and Billy Freeman team up with Dan to take down Rose the Hat and her gang of followers.

"Midnight, the Stars and You" is a British-American popular foxtrot song written by Harry M. Woods, Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly and published in 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose the Hat</span> Fictional character

Rose the Hat is a fictional character created by American writer Stephen King. She is the primary antagonist in his 2013 novel Doctor Sleep and in the 2019 film of the same name, in which she's played by Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Torrance</span> Fictional character

Winnifred "Wendy" Torrance is a fictional character and protagonist of the 1977 horror novel The Shining by the American writer Stephen King. She also appears in the prologue of Doctor Sleep, a 2013 sequel to The Shining.

<i>The Shining</i> (franchise) American horror franchise

The Shining is an American supernatural horror media franchise that originated from the 1977 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The novel was later adapted into a 1980 film and a 1997 television miniseries. King later wrote a 2013 sequel novel, Doctor Sleep, which was adapted to film in 2019.

References

  1. ↑ Hunt, James (August 30, 2019). "Why A "Dead" Character From The Shining Returns In Doctor Sleep". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  2. ↑ Haysom, Sam (October 28, 2017). "These Stephen King characters all appear in multiple books". Mashable . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  3. ↑ Tyler, Adrienne (August 14, 2019). "Other Stephen King Stories Set in Derry". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  4. ↑ Bunch, Sonny (September 8, 2017). "In film, 'It' tosses out the most powerful part of Stephen King's novel". The Washington Post . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  5. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (October 25, 2019). "Why Would You Dare Return to the Overlook Hotel?". Vanity Fair . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  6. ↑ Allen, Avalon (October 30, 2019). "Why 'The Shining' Remains so Frightening Almost 40 Years Later". MXDWN. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  7. ↑ Tyler, Adrienne (September 7, 2019). "The Shining: The Movie's Biggest Changes From The Book". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  8. ↑ Wood, Matt (March 30, 2017). "Why The Shining's Ending Was Changed For The Movie". CinemaBlend . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  9. ↑ Danko, Meredith (October 28, 2018). "25 Things You Might Not Know About The Shining". Mental Floss . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  10. ↑ Burns, James H. (February 14, 2017). "BEHIND THE SCENES OF "THE SHINING" WITH SCATMAN CROTHERS". Scraps From The Loft. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  11. ↑ Gittell, Noah (March 31, 2017). "Let's try that again … the most difficult scenes to film in cinema history". The Guardian . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  12. ↑ Wood, Rocky (2017). Stephen King: A Literary Companion. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 69. ISBN   9780786485468.
  13. ↑ Vander Kaay, Chris (August 2, 2017). "We Rank Every Stephen King TV Movie & Mini-Series!". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  14. ↑ Anthony, Michael (May 8, 2016). "'Shining' opera premiere is scary good". Star-Tribune . Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  15. ↑ Davis, Brandon (October 25, 2019). "Doctor Sleep Director on Recasting The Shining Characters". Comicbook.com. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  16. ↑ Travis, Ben (September 3, 2019). "Doctor Sleep: The Shining's Dick Hallorann Returns In Exclusive Image". Empire. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Characters From The Shining That May Show Up in Doctor Sleep". AMC Theatres. October 23, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  18. ↑ Morse, Chris (September 5, 2019). "New Doctor Sleep Photo Reveals Dick Hallorann, Final Trailer Coming This Sunday". Dead Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  19. ↑ Tyler, Adrienne (October 20, 2019). "How Doctor Sleep Is A (Very) Different Movie To The Shining". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  20. ↑ Evangelista, Chris (October 3, 2019). "'Doctor Sleep' Featurette Goes Back to the Overlook With Tons of New Footage From 'The Shining' Sequel". /FILM . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  21. ↑ Eisenberg, Eric (June 13, 2019). "How Doctor Sleep Is Both A Sequel To Stephen King's And Stanley Kubrick's The Shining". CinemaBlend . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  22. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 1, 2018). "'Doctor Sleep' Gets Carl Lumbly For Dick Halloran, Alex Essoe For Wendy Torrance". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  23. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (11 November 2019). "Box Office: 'Doctor Sleep's' Dismal $14M Debut Terrifies Hollywood". The Hollywood Reporter .
  24. ↑ Icenesse, Rebekah (2019-10-29). "Scary Movie Classics: "The Shining" Review". Decaturian. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  25. ↑ Bruney, Gabrielle (March 27, 2019). "With 'Us', Jordan Peele Forces Audiences to Feel Black Characters' Pain". Esquire . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Mike Hanlon, Dick Hallorann, and Stephen King's Magical Negroes". Constant Readers. August 21, 2018. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ↑ Barone, Matt (October 31, 2013). "Fact Check: Do Black Characters Always Die First in Horror Movies?". Complex . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  28. ↑ Kimber, David (September 16, 2018). "Why did Kubrick kill Dick Hallorann in The Shining…". DavidKimber.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  29. ↑ "The Shining's Worst Book-to-Film Change Is This Major Death". The Mary Sue. April 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  30. ↑ Von Doviak, Scott (2014). Stephen King Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of Horror on Film. Winona, Minnesota: Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   978-1480355514.
  31. ↑ Official Saturn Awards website
  32. ↑ "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA (1981)". IMDb .
  33. ↑ Carra, Mallory (May 23, 2015). "Comparing 'The Shining' With Its 'The Simpsons' Parody, Because It Is So Perfect & Hilarious". Bustle . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  34. ↑ Alvarez, James (October 31, 2019). "Cinema Fix: The Shining (1980) Is Masterful Nightmare Fuel". Metal Injection. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Dirty Horror Spotlight: Slipknot". My Blog. January 30, 2013.
  36. ↑ Lewis, Jennifer (September 30, 2011). "10 Great Pop Culture Homages To The Shining". Flavorwire.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.