Jack Haley

Jack Haley

Born: August 10, 1897
Died: June 6, 1979 (at age 81)
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Popularity:
Biography

John Joseph "Jack" Haley (August 10, 1897 - June 6, 1979) was an American vaudevillian, stage, radio, and film actor, light comedian, singer and dancer best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man in the classic 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz.

Early life

Haley was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Canadian-born parents John Joseph Haley Sr. and Ellen Curley Haley. His father was a sailor by trade and died in a ship wreck off the coast of Nova Scotia on February 1, 1898 when Jack was only six months old. He had one older brother, Bill, who died of pneumonia in 1915 at the age of 20 after contracting tuberculosis.

Career

Haley headlined in vaudeville as a song-and-dance comedian. One of his closest friends was Fred Allen, who would frequently mention "Mr. Jacob Haley of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts" on the air. In the early 1930s, Haley starred in comedy shorts for Vitaphone in Brooklyn, New York. His wide-eyed, good-natured expression gained him supporting roles in musical feature films, including Poor Little Rich Girl with Shirley Temple, Higher and Higher with Frank Sinatra and the Irving Berlin musical Alexander's Ragtime Band. Both Poor Little Rich Girl and Alexander's Ragtime Band were released by Twentieth Century-Fox. Haley was under contract to them and appeared in the Fox films Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Pigskin Parade, marking his first appearance with Judy Garland.

Haley hosted a radio show from 1937 to 1939 known to many as The Jack Haley Show. The first season (1937-1938), the show was sposored by Log Cabin Syrup and was known as The Log Cabin Jamboree. The next season (1938-1939), the show was sponsored by Wonder Bread and was known as The Wonder Show. During the second season the show featured Gale Gordon and Lucille Ball as regular radio performers.

Haley returned to musical comedies in the 1940s. Most of his '40s work was for RKO Radio Pictures. He left the studio in 1947 when he refused to appear in a remake of RKO's Seven Keys to Baldpate. Phillip Terry took the role.

"The Tin Man" in The Wizard of Oz

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hired Haley for the part of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz after its contracted song-and-dance comedian Buddy Ebsen suffered an almost fatal allergic reaction. He had unwittingly inhaled some of the aluminum dust that composed the majority of the components that went into the creation of his silver face makeup. Bits of it instantly began to settle on his lungs and within a few days of principal photographic testing, he found himself preparing to sit down to dinner one night only to encounter difficulties taking a regular breath of oxygen. The dust was subsequently converted into a paste for Haley in the hope that the previous catastrophe that befell Ebsen would not be repeated. This time around, however, a different incident occurred. The application of the aluminum paste to Haley's face resulted in an eye infection that led to him being off the set for four days of shooting. Appropriate surgical treatment was administered and any chance of serious or permanent eye damage averted. Haley also portrayed the Tin Man's Kansas counterpart, Hickory, one of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's farmhands.

Haley did not remember the makeup or the costume fondly. Interviewed about the film years later by Tom Snyder, he related that many fans assumed making the film was a fun experience. Haley said, "Like hell it was. It was work!" For his role as the Tin Woodman, Haley spoke in the same soft tone he used when reading bedtime stories to his children. Oz was one of only two films Haley made for MGM. The other was Pick a Star, a 1937 Hal Roach production distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Personal life

Haley was raised Roman Catholic. He was a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California. He married Florence McFadden (1902-1996), a native of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania on February 25, 1921, and they were married until his death. Flo Haley opened a successful beauty shop and had many film personalities among her clients. The couple had a son, Jack Haley, Jr., who became a successful film producer, and a daughter, Gloria. In 1974, the younger Haley married entertainer Liza Minnelli, the daughter of his father's Oz co-star Judy Garland. The marriage ended in divorce in 1979. Jack Haley, Jr. died on April 21, 2001. Gloria Haley-Parnassus died on May 1, 2010. His nephew Bob Dornan served as a Republican congressman from California.

Death

Haley's last film appearance was in 1977's New York, New York—in the lavish "Happy Endings" musical number, he played a host who introduces a top Broadway star at an award ceremony, played by his then-daughter-in-law, Liza Minnelli. Two years later, Haley died of a heart attack on June 6, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. Two months prior, on April 9, 1979, he appeared at the 51st Academy Awards ceremony with his Oz co-star Ray Bolger to present the award for Best Costume Design. Bolger announced the nominees, Haley the winner. Before he could open the envelope, Bolger asked, "How come you get to read the winner?" Haley replied, "When your son produces the show, you can announce the winner". Jack Jr. was the show's producer that year. Haley remained active until a week before his death. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.

Haley's autobiography, Heart of the Tin Man, was published in 2000.

Feature films

Year Movie title Role Director/Studio Notes
1927 Broadway Madness Radio Announcer Burton L. King
Excellent Pictures
Film debut
1930 Follow Thru Jack Martin Lloyd Corrigan and
Laurence Schwab
Paramount
Performer: Button Up Your Overcoat
1933 Mr. Broadway Jack Haley Johnnie Walker and
Edgar G. Ulmer
Broadway-Hollywood Productions
Sitting Pretty Pete Pendleton Harry Joe Brown
Paramount
Performer: You’re Such a Comfort to Me; I Wanna Meander with Miranda and Good Morning Glory
1934 Here Comes the Groom Mike Scanlon Edward Sedgwick
Paramount
1935 Spring Tonic Sykes Clyde Bruckman
Fox Film Corporation
Redheads on Parade Peter Mathews Norman Z. McLeod
Fox Film Corporation
The Girl Friend Henry H. Henry Edward Buzzell
Columbia Pictures
Performer: What is This Power and Two Together
Coronado Chuck Hornbostel Norman Z. McLeod
Paramount
Performer: All's Well in Coronado by the Sea and Keep Your Fingers Crossed
1936 F-Man Johnny Dime Edward F. Cline
Paramount
Poor Little Rich Girl Jimmy Dolan Irving Cummings
20th Century Fox
Performer: You've got to Eat your Spinach Baby and Military Man
Mr. Cinderella Joe Jenkins/
Aloysius P. Merriweather
Edward Sedgwick
MGM
Pigskin Parade Winston ‘Slug’ Winters David Butler
20th Century Fox
Performer: You Do the Darndest Things Baby and The Balboa
1937 Pick A Star Joe Jenkins Edward Sedgwick
MGM
Performer: Pick A Star and I've Got It Bad
She Had to Eat Danny Decker Malcolm St. Clair
20th Century Fox
Wake Up and Live Eddie Kane Sidney Lanfield
20th Century Fox
Danger - Love at Work Henry MacMorrow Otto Preminger
20th Century Fox
Performer: Danger Love at Work
Ali Baba Goes to Town Himself - Cameo David Butler
20th Century Fox
1938 Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm Orville Smithers Allan Dwan
20th Century Fox
Performer: Alone With You
Alexander’s Ragtime Band Davey Lane Henry King
20th Century Fox
Performer: Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning; That International Rag and
In My Harem (DVD extra only)
Hold That Co-ed Wilber Peters George Marshall
20th Century Fox
Thanks for Everything Henry Smith William A. Seiter
20th Century Fox
1939 The Wizard of Oz The Tin Man/Hickory Victor Fleming
MGM
Writer (uncredited)
Performer: If I Only Had a Heart and The Merry Old Land of Oz
1941 Moon Over Miami Jack O’Hara Walter Lang
20th Century Fox
Performer: Is That Good?
Navy Blues ‘Powerhouse’ Bolton Lloyd Bacon
Warner Bros.
Performer: When are we Going to Land Abroad
1942 Beyond the Blue Horizon Squidge Sullivan Alfred Santell
Paramount
1944 Higher and Higher Mike O’Brien Tim Whelan
RKO Pictures
Performer: Today I'm a Debutante and The Music Stopped
Take It Big Jack North Frank McDonald
Paramount
Performer: Take It Big
One Body Too Many Albert Tuttle Frank McDonald
Paramount
1945 Scared Stiff Larry Elliot Frank McDonald
Paramount
George White's Scandals Jack Evans Felix E. Feist
RKO Pictures
Sing Your Way Home Steve Kimball Anthony Mann
RKO Pictures
1946 People Are Funny Pinky Wilson Sam White
Paramount
Performer: Hey Jose
Vacation in Reno Jack Caroll Leslie Goodwins
RKO Pictures
Last major film before retirement from motion pictures
1970 Norwood Mr. Reese Jack Haley, Jr.
Paramount
Directed by his son producer/director Jack Haley, Jr.
1977 New York, New York Master of Ceremonies (uncredited) Martin Scorsese
MGM
This film marked Jack Haley’s final screen appearance.

Short films

Year Movie title Role Notes
1928 Haleyisms Jack Haley Also stars his wife Flo McFadden; Vitaphone production reel #2269
1930 The 20th Amendment Wallace Moore
Success Elmer Performer: "Just a Gigolo"; Vitaphone production reel #1257-1258
1932 The Imperfect Lover Vitaphone production reel #1324-1325
Absent Minded Abner Abner Vitaphone production reel #1372-1373
Sherlock’s Home Vitaphone production reel #1441-1442
Then Came the Yawn
1933 The Build Up Vitaphone production reel #1444-1445
Wrongorilla Elmer Vitaphone production reel #1486-1484
Hollywood on Parade No. A-9 Himself
An Idle Roomer Vitaphone production reel #1531-1532
Nothing but the Tooth Smilie Jones Performer: "Smiles"; Vitaphone production reel #1542-1543
Salt Water Daffy Elmer Wagonbottom
1939 Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 9 Himself Documentary/News Reel
1946 Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party Himself Documentary/News Reel
Screen Snapshots: Famous Fathers and Sons Himself Documentary/News Reel

Broadway

Title Role Run Theater Notes
Round the Town Jack Haley May 21, 1924 - May 31, 1924 Century Promenade Theatre 15 performances
Gay Paree Jack Haley August 18, 1925 - January 30, 1926 Shubert Theatre 181 performances
Gay Paree Jack Haley November 9, 1926 - April 9, 1927 Winter Garden Theatre 192 performances
Follow Thru Jack Martin January 9, 1929 - December 21, 1929 Chanin’s 46th Theatre 401 performances
Sang: Button Up Your Overcoat with Zelma O’Neal
In 1930, he starred in Technicolor’s film version
Free For All Steve Potter Jr. September 8, 1931 - September 19, 1931 Manhattan Theatre 15 performances
Take a Chance Duke Stanley November 26, 1932 - July 1, 1933 Apollo Theatre 243 performances
Higher and Higher Zachary Ash April 4, 1940 - June 15, 1940 Shubert Theatre 84 performances
Higher and Higher Zachary Ash August 5, 1940 - August 24, 1940 Shubert Theatre 24 performances
In 1943, he starred with Frank Sinatra in film version
Show Time Jack Haley September 16, 1942 - April 3, 1943 Broadhurst Theatre 342 performances
Inside U.S.A. Jack Haley April 30, 1948 - February 19, 1949 New Century Theatre and
Majestic Theatre
399 performances

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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