When his Warners contract expired, Hull had no trouble finding work at other studios. He teamed with Patricia Ellis, one of his leading ladies at Warners, for the Republic Pictures musical "Rhythm in the Clouds" (1937). He also played romantic leads in a string of features for Monogram Pictures. Two of Hull's better-known appearances of this period were opposite Boris Karloff, in "The Walking Dead" (1936) and "Night Key" (1937). Some of Hull's early appearances have him billed as "J. Warren Hull."