Ethel Hall

Ethel Hall (1898–1927) was an American actress whose career spanned both stage and silent film. Born the daughter of James Burns and Mrs. John Gee of Fresno, she had two younger brothers and was also an accomplished enough equestrian to compete in rodeo events, finishing second in a competition to determine the world's champion female broncho rider.

Hall appeared on Broadway in 1905 in the musical A Jolly Baron. She later transitioned to silent film work, including stunt doubling. At the time of her death she had been married twice, first to Oscar Reeves and more recently to stage actor John Drayer, who was performing in Seattle when she died.

Hall died on June 29, 1927, at the age of 29, while working as a stunt double for actress Dorothy Dwan on the Fox Film production Tumbling River. She and actor Wallace MacDonald, known for playing villains in motion pictures, were in a boat on the Merced River near the town of Merced in the San Joaquin Valley. The plan called for the two to be rescued before the boat reached the foot of the rapids, but the vessel capsized unexpectedly. MacDonald was able to swim to shore, while Hall struck her head on a rock and was pulled from the water unconscious. She died shortly afterward. A coroner's inquest held on June 30, 1927, determined the cause of death to be concussion of the brain due to traumatism, caused by blows of rocks on the head as river currents carried her. Fox Film paid nearly $200,000 in compensation following her death. Filming was halted for only a few hours. The film's male lead, Tom Mix, had himself been injured in a horseback accident just weeks before Hall's fatal accident.