Jimmy and his younger sister were brought up in Culver City near M-G-M studios. His parents, however, had never considered an acting career for either child. When their son came home from school and told them he had been picked from his first grade class to test for a movie role they were dumbfounded. A talent scout had chosen Jimmy because of his freckles and grin to portray Van Johnson as a boy in High Barbaree (1947).

"Dad was a tool and die maker," says Jimmy. "We were strictly lower middle class people. Actually, that's the way we stayed. As long as they were satisfied that I was getting a good education the acting was all right. My sister and I are still very close, so there was no problem with jealousy."

Placed under contract, the six-year-old attended M-G-M's "Little Red Schoolhouse" along with Roddy McDoweall and Elizabeth Taylor, who used to hold him in her lap. Child actors seemed to Jimmy "just like other kids." He enjoyed going to the movies with Margaret O'Brien, but his first real crush was on Gigi Perreau.

He supported such stars as Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagen, Bing Crosby, and Bob Hope. Jimmy liked all of them, but his special favorites were Joel McCrea, Fred MacMurray and Glenn Ford-in that order.

Jimmy Hunt appeared in The Mating of Millie (1948) with Willard Parker, The Sainted Sisters (1948) with Veronica Lake and Joan Caulfield, Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) with Leif Erickson, Pitfall (1948) with Ann Doran and Lizabeth Scott, Rock Island Trail (1950) with Adele Mara, The Capture (1950) with Duncan Renaldo, Shadow on the Wall (1950) with Barbara Billingsley, Saddle Tramp (1950) with Wanda Hendrix, Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) with Robert Arthur, Katie Did It (1951) with Mark Stevens, Belles on Their Toes (1952) with Debra Paget, and Lone Hand (1953) with Cahrles Drake.

The only time Hunt encountered anyone from his acting days is when he accidentally met his onetime stand-in, a midget. He is never the first to mention his movie career, but is pleased when people know him from his pictures. As the sales manager for an industrial tools and supplies firm he finds the recognition often helpful in making conversation with clients.

He is pleased to hear from fans, who usually want to know about his experiences when making the cult film Invaders from Mars (1953).

"It's interesting that that film, probably the lowest-budget feature I ever made, is the one that still attracts people. It's also the one that made me conclude that I didn't want to continue acting. The older I got the more serious I became about getting a scene right on the first take. Adult actors all made jokes when they blew their lines. Kids just feel dumb when it was their fault. So acting became harder for me all the time. Invaders from Mars was real work. I told my folds I wanted to quit. They wanted to make sure I realized the financial consequences. Once they saw how strongly I felt they accepted it and we never looked back."

The money his parents saved for him was used to bring his bride back from Germany, where they met during his stint in the United States Army, and for the down payment on their first home.

the Hunts converted to Mormonism several years ago. Jim is in the Bishopric of his local congregation and the eldest of their two sons is doing missionary work in Korea. A Jimmy Hunt film festival was held at his church as a fund-raiser.

Jim Hunt says his worst experience as a child actor was when he broke his arm while making Weekend with Father (1952). After the limb was set it was taped to his side and he continued on the film. "No one made me finish the picture that way," he said recently. "I wanted to. I considered myself a professional. In other words, I never had any really bad times as a boy actor. But I wanted to excel in sports, and auditions and shooting schedules interfered constantly. Unlike other boys, I'd show up for an interview without any photo composite or list of credits. I think I got several parts just because I came over as what I always remained-just a kid."

There were offers of screen parts throughout his teen years but he turned all of them down. The only time he had even a tinge of regret was when he didn't have the money to buy the Corvette he wanted so much-"But not enough to back into pictures," he quickly adds.

Jim Hunt feels he was very lucky in his early years because he does not feel scarred in any way and is glad he made the movies he did. He would not, however, allow his children to act until they were out of college.

Jim Hunt's last two films were both entitled Invaders from Mars. Over twenty years after he made the original he played the local sheriff in the remake that was released in 1986.