Howard Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Howard Hill
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The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
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| Born | November 13, 1899 Wilsonville, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | February 4, 1975 (aged 75) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
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| Resting place | New Ashville Cemetery in Ashville, Alabama |
| Occupation | Professional Archer, Actor |
| Years active | 1928–1952 |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Hill (1922-his death) |
Howard Hill (born November 13, 1899 – died February 4, 1975) was an amazing archer. For over 20 years, from the 1930s to the 1950s, he was known as "The World's Greatest Archer."
Howard Hill set a record by winning 196 archery competitions in a row. He also worked in Hollywood films. He was an actor, performed amazing trick shots, and gave advice about archery. He even made movies about bowhunting and wrote two books on the topic.
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Howard Hill's Early Life and Archery Journey
Howard Hill was born in Wilsonville, Alabama, in 1899. He was the youngest of nine children. Growing up on a cotton farm, he learned to use many tools and weapons. His father made bows and arrows for him and his brothers.
Howard started using a bow at age four. By age six, he had his own homemade archery set. He used it for target practice and hunting in the woods. In high school, Howard was a great athlete. He played baseball, basketball, football, and golf.
After high school, Howard went to Auburn Polytechnic Institute. He continued to play sports there. He paid for college by teaching archery during summer breaks. In 1922, Howard got married and moved to Florida. He worked as a machinist and played semi-pro baseball.
Later, he decided to focus on archery, his childhood passion. He became a regular competitor in longbow events. By 1930, he was making archery equipment in Florida. His work in Hollywood films soon led him to move to Los Angeles, California.
In 1937, Howard Hill acted in the Western film The Singing Buckaroo. He played Maneeto, a Native American friend. The next year, he showed off his archery skills in a short film called Follow the Arrow. In this film, he had an archery contest against a shotgun shooter.
In 1938, he did all the bow-and-arrow stunts for the famous movie The Adventures of Robin Hood. He also played a character named Owain the Welshman in the film's archery tournament. He performed more stunts and trick shots for other movies starring Errol Flynn. These included The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex and Dodge City.
Amazing Achievements and Awards
In 1928, Howard Hill set a new world record. He shot an arrow 391 yards (about 357 meters), which was the farthest recorded flight shot. That same year, he won his 196th archery competition in a row.
Howard Hill was not only a champion archer but also a talented filmmaker. He produced 23 films about archery for Warner Bros. He also made 10 of his own films. He was an expert adviser for many more movies.
As a bowhunter, he hunted over 2,000 animals with his longbow. This included a 10,000-pound (about 4,500 kg) African bull elephant. He was the first white man to hunt such an animal with an arrow. For this amazing feat, he used a 41-inch (100 cm) arrow and a very strong 115-pound bow.
Many archery groups have honored Howard Hill. He was added to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. He also joined the Archery Hall of Fame in 1972 and the Bowhunters Hall of Fame in 1975. People around the world recognize his incredible achievements. Archery Toronto in Canada calls him one of the three greatest archers of the last century.
Incredible Archery Performances
Howard Hill loved the challenge of making difficult trick shots. For example, he could shoot an apple or prune off someone's head from 60 feet away. After doing that, he would shoot an even smaller item from a greater distance.
He made several short films that showed his amazing trick shots. Some of these included hitting a small coin tossed into the air. He could also split a wooden ball in half while it rolled on the ground. He even performed difficult shots while standing on one leg or lying on the ground, holding the bow with his feet.
Beyond his trick shots, Howard Hill showed amazing skill hunting wild animals with his traditional longbow. Some of his hunting trips were filmed. These included Howard Hill vs. Lion and Howard Hill vs. Elephant. The accuracy and bravery he showed in these films prove why many archers consider him one of the greatest hunters ever.
Howard Hill's Film Work
Acting Roles in Films
Feature Films and Documentaries
- The Last Wilderness (1935) – Himself
- The Singing Buckaroo (1937) – Maneeto – Grant's Indian Friend
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – Owain the Welshman
- San Antonio (1945) – Henchman (uncredited)
- Tembo (1951, Documentary) – Himself
- Deep Sea Fishing (1952, Short documentary) – Himself
Short Films for Warner Bros.
- Sword Fishing (1939) "Bow & Arrow Adventures"
- Wild Boar Hunt (1940) "Bow & Arrow Adventures"
- Shark Hunting (1940) "Bow & Arrow Adventures"
- Hunting the Hard Way (1941) "Bow & Arrow Adventures"
- Points on Arrows (1941) "Hollywood Novelties"
- King of the Archers (1943) "Hollywood Novelties"
- The Man Killers (1943) "Broadway Brevities"
- Hunting the Devil Cat (1943) "Hollywood Novelties"
- Filipino Sports Parade (1944) Technicolor "Sports Parade"
- Outdoor Living (1944) "Warner / Vitaphone Novelties"
- Champions of the Future (1944) Technicolor "Sports Parade"
- Cavalcade of Archery (1946) Technicolor "Sports Parade"
- The Lazy Hunter (1946) Technicolor "Sports Parade"
- Battle of the Champs (1947) Technicolor "Sports Parade"
- Art of Archery (1951) Technicolor "Sports Parade"
- Cruise of the Zaca (1952) "Technicolor Special"
Archery Adviser and Instructor
- Across the Wide Missouri (1951)
- The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946)
- Buffalo Bill (1944)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Famous "Splitting-the-Arrow" Shot
In The Adventures of Robin Hood, Howard Hill made one of the most famous archery shots in movie history. Robin Hood shoots his own arrow to split another arrow already in the target. This shot is very difficult. In 2006, the TV show MythBusters tried to do it. They couldn't split a wooden arrow end-to-end. They thought Hill might have used a special bamboo arrow.
Another famous archer, Byron Ferguson, was able to split an arrow lengthwise. He used a modern bow and aluminum arrow. This was shown on the History Channel in 2008. Howard Hill's feat is even more impressive because he used cedar wood arrows. He did design special aluminum arrows for hunting elephants in his film Tembo (1951).
The "splitting-the-arrow" scene in The Adventures of Robin Hood is explained by stuntman Buster Wiles. In his book, he said Howard Hill could split the end of arrows. But he couldn't split one exactly as scripted, from end-to-end. So, a special arrow with a large blade was used. It was shot at the target arrow along a hidden wire. Even so, Howard Hill was incredibly accurate. He often hit very small targets in his live shows and films.
Howard Hill on You Bet Your Life
On February 17, 1955, Howard Hill appeared on the TV show You Bet Your Life. This was a popular quiz show hosted by comedian Groucho Marx. On the show, Hill talked about his hardest trick shot. He also briefly shared his experiences hunting elephants with a bow and arrow.
He and his game partner tried to win the show's big prize of $1,500. But they lost because they couldn't answer a question about the Battle of Hastings. This was ironic because archers were very important in that battle in 1066. Some stories say the Anglo-Saxon king, Harold II, died after being hit in the eye by an arrow.
Personal Life and Passing
Howard Hill was married once to Elizabeth Hodges. She was his former high school English teacher. They married on October 31, 1922. They were together for 53 years until Howard passed away in February 1975 at age 75. He is buried in the Ashville Cemetery in Alabama.
Images for kids
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Gravesite of Howard Hill, located in Ashville, Alabama
