Jack Haley
Encyclopedia
John Joseph "Jack" Haley (August 10, 1897 – June 6, 1979) was an American stage, radio, and film actor best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man
and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz
.
as a song-and-dance comedian. One of his closest friends was fellow vaudeville alumnus 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 landed him supporting roles in musical feature films like 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 returned to musical comedies in the 1940s. Most of his '40s work was for RKO Radio Pictures. He surrendered the job in 1947 when he refused to appear in a remake of RKO's old story property Seven Keys to Baldpate; Phillip Terry
took the role.
hired Haley for The Wizard of Oz
after another song-and-dance comic, Buddy Ebsen
, who was originally set to play the Tin Man, had a near-fatal reaction from inhaling the aluminum dust makeup. This character was known as the Tin Woodman in the original book. The makeup was switched to a paste, to avoid risking the same reaction for Haley. The new makeup did cause an eye infection which caused Haley to miss four days of filming, but he received treatment in time to prevent permanent damage. Haley did not take to the makeup or to the discomfort of the costume very kindly. When being interviewed about the film years later by Tom Snyder
, he remarked that many people had commented that making the film must have been fun. Haley's reply: "Like hell it was; it was work!" Haley's natural voice (which he used for the "Hickory" character) was moderately gruff. For the Tin Woodman, he spoke more softly, which he later said was the tone of voice he used when reading stories to his children. Oz was Haley's only film for MGM.
The couple had one son, Jack Haley, Jr.
(later a successful film producer) and one daughter, Gloria. Jack Haley, Jr. was married to Liza Minnelli
, daughter of his father's Oz co-star Judy Garland
, in 1974. The marriage ended in divorce in 1979. Haley, Jr. died in 2001.
In 1972, Haley made his daughter, Gloria, the sole owner of his written memoirs. In 1978, she published them in the form of the hardcover book Heart of the Tin Man.
Gloria Haley-Parnassus died on May 1st, 2010. She is survived by her daughter Adrienne and her son Barry.
Jack Haley and his wife Flo were the Godparents to Miel Roman, the daughter of singer Dick Roman and model Honey Merrill Roman. He was the uncle of Republican congressman Bob Dornan
.
, aged 81. Only a short time previously, he had made an appearance at that year's Academy Awards
ceremony with Ray Bolger
, who had played the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. He was still active only a week prior to his death. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery
, Culver City, California
.
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman, sometimes referred to as the Tin Man or the Tin Woodsman , is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum...
and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
.
Career
Haley starred in vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
as a song-and-dance comedian. One of his closest friends was fellow vaudeville alumnus Fred Allen
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
, who would frequently mention "Mr. Jacob Haley of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts
Newton Highlands, Massachusetts
Newton Highlands is a village of Newton, Massachusetts. Newton Highlands is largely suburban outside of the village and the commercial district running along Winchester and Needham Streets....
" on the air. In the early 1930s Haley starred in comedy shorts for Vitaphone
Vitaphone
Vitaphone was a sound film process used on feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects produced by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1930. Vitaphone was the last, but most successful, of the sound-on-disc processes...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. His wide-eyed, good-natured expression landed him supporting roles in musical feature films like Poor Little Rich Girl
Poor Little Rich Girl (1936 film)
The Poor Little Rich Girl is a 1936 American musical film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay by Sam Hellman, Gladys Lehman, and Harry Tugend was based on stories by Eleanor Gates and Ralph Spence, and on the 1917 Mary Pickford vehicle of the same name...
with Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
, Higher and Higher
Higher and Higher (film)
Higher and Higher is a 1943 musical film starring Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, and Frank Sinatra, loosely based on a 1940 Broadway musical written by Gladys Hurlbut and Joshua Logan. The film, however, written by Jay Dratler and Ralph Spence with additional dialogue by William Bowers and Howard...
with Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and the Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
musical Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band (film)
Alexander's Ragtime Band is a film released by Twentieth Century Fox that takes its name from the 1911 Irving Berlin song "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to tell a story of a society boy who scandalizes his family by pursuing a career in Ragtime instead of in "serious" music...
. Both Poor Little Rich Girl and Alexander's Ragtime Band were released by Twentieth Century-Fox.
Haley returned to musical comedies in the 1940s. Most of his '40s work was for RKO Radio Pictures. He surrendered the job in 1947 when he refused to appear in a remake of RKO's old story property Seven Keys to Baldpate; Phillip Terry
Phillip Terry
Phillip Terry was an American actor.He was born Frederick Henry Kormann in San Francisco, California, the only child of German Americans, Frederick Andrew Kormann and Ida Ruth Voll .He attended grade school in Glendale, California. His father was a chemical engineer in the oil fields who moved...
took the role.
"The Tin Man": The Wizard of Oz
Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
hired Haley for The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
after another song-and-dance comic, Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie...
, who was originally set to play the Tin Man, had a near-fatal reaction from inhaling the aluminum dust makeup. This character was known as the Tin Woodman in the original book. The makeup was switched to a paste, to avoid risking the same reaction for Haley. The new makeup did cause an eye infection which caused Haley to miss four days of filming, but he received treatment in time to prevent permanent damage. Haley did not take to the makeup or to the discomfort of the costume very kindly. When being interviewed about the film years later by Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
, he remarked that many people had commented that making the film must have been fun. Haley's reply: "Like hell it was; it was work!" Haley's natural voice (which he used for the "Hickory" character) was moderately gruff. For the Tin Woodman, he spoke more softly, which he later said was the tone of voice he used when reading stories to his children. Oz was Haley's only film for MGM.
Personal life
Haley was raised Roman Catholic. He married Florence McFadden, a native of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania on February 25, 1921, and they remained married until his death. Flo Haley opened a successful beauty shop and counted many show people among her customers. (The establishment became known informally as "Flo Haley's House of Correction.")The couple had one son, Jack Haley, Jr.
Jack Haley, Jr.
Jack Haley, Jr was an American film director, producer and writer, twice winner of the Emmy Award.Haley was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Jack Haley and his wife Florence...
(later a successful film producer) and one daughter, Gloria. Jack Haley, Jr. was married to Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, daughter of his father's Oz co-star Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, in 1974. The marriage ended in divorce in 1979. Haley, Jr. died in 2001.
In 1972, Haley made his daughter, Gloria, the sole owner of his written memoirs. In 1978, she published them in the form of the hardcover book Heart of the Tin Man.
Gloria Haley-Parnassus died on May 1st, 2010. She is survived by her daughter Adrienne and her son Barry.
Jack Haley and his wife Flo were the Godparents to Miel Roman, the daughter of singer Dick Roman and model Honey Merrill Roman. He was the uncle of Republican congressman Bob Dornan
Bob Dornan
Robert Kenneth "Bob" Dornan is a Republican and former member of the United States House of Representatives from California and a vocal advocate of pro-life and social conservative causes....
.
Death
Haley died of a heart attack on June 6, 1979 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, aged 81. Only a short time previously, he had made an appearance at that year's Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
ceremony with Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
, who had played the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. He was still active only a week prior to his death. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
, Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
.
Features
- Broadway Madness (1927)
- Follow ThruFollow ThruFollow Thru is a 1930 musical comedy film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was the second all-color all-talking feature to be produced by Paramount Pictures. The film was based on the popular 1929 Broadway play of the same name by Frank Mandel and Laurence Schwab. The play ran from January...
(1930) - Mr. BroadwayMr. BroadwayMr. Broadway is a 13-episode CBS adventure and drama television series starring Craig Stevens , formerly of Peter Gunn, as New York City public relations specialist Mike Bell. The program aired at 9 p.m. Eastern time Saturdays from September 26 to December 26, 1964...
(1933) - Sitting PrettySitting Pretty (1933 film)This article is about the 1933 motion picture. For other articles about other uses of the phrase "Sitty Pretty", see the disambiguation page Sitting Pretty ....
(1933) - Here Comes the GroomHere Comes the GroomHere Comes the Groom is a 1951 musical romantic comedy film starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Directed and produced by Frank Capra, the film was released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:...
(1934)
- Spring Tonic (1935)
- Redheads on Parade (1935)
- The Girl FriendThe Girl FriendThe Girl Friend is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Herbert Fields. This was the longest running show to date for the trio.-Production:...
(1935) - CoronadoCoronadoCoronado may refer to:* Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer* Rodney Coronado, a US activist* Coronado, California* Coronado, Chihuahua* Coronado, Kansas* Coronado * Coronado Yachts* Coronado 15...
(1935) - F-Man (1936)
- Poor Little Rich GirlPoor Little Rich Girl (1936 film)The Poor Little Rich Girl is a 1936 American musical film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay by Sam Hellman, Gladys Lehman, and Harry Tugend was based on stories by Eleanor Gates and Ralph Spence, and on the 1917 Mary Pickford vehicle of the same name...
(1936) - Pigskin ParadePigskin Parade (film)Pigskin Parade is a 1936 musical comedy film which tells the story of husband and wife college football coaches who convince a backwoods player to play for their team so they can go to the big Bowl Game. It was written by William M...
(1936) - Mister Cinderella (1936)
- Pick A StarPick a StarPick a Star is a 1937 musical comedy film starring Rosina Lawrence, Jack Haley, Patsy Kelly and Mischa Auer, directed by Edward Sedgwick, produced by Hal Roach, and released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(1937) - She Had to Eat (1937)
- Wake Up and LiveWake Up and LiveWake Up and Live is a 1937 Fox musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The movie stars Walter Winchell, Ben Bernie and Alice Faye and was based upon the self-help bestseller by Dorothea Brande...
(1937) - Danger - Love at WorkDanger - Love at WorkDanger - Love at Work is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by James Edward Grant and Ben Markson focuses on an attorney's frustrating efforts to deal with a wildly eccentric family.-Plot:...
(1937) - Ali Baba Goes to TownAli Baba Goes to TownAli Baba Goes to Town is a 1937 movie starring Eddie Cantor, Tony Martin, and Roland Young. Cantor plays a hobo named Aloysius "Al" Babson, who walks into the camp of a movie company that is making the Arabian Nights. He falls asleep and dreams he is in Baghdad as an advisor to the Sultan...
(1937) (Cameo) - Rebecca of Sunnybrook FarmRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938 film)Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a 1938 American musical film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, and Bill Robinson. The screenplay by Don Ettlinger and Karl Tunberg is loosely based on Kate Douglas Wiggin's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm...
(1938) - Alexander's Ragtime BandAlexander's Ragtime Band (film)Alexander's Ragtime Band is a film released by Twentieth Century Fox that takes its name from the 1911 Irving Berlin song "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to tell a story of a society boy who scandalizes his family by pursuing a career in Ragtime instead of in "serious" music...
(1938) - Hold That Co-ed (1938)
- Thanks for Everything (1938)
- The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
(1939) - Moon Over MiamiMoon Over Miami (film)Moon Over Miami is a 1941 Technicolor musical film directed by Walter Lang, with Betty Grable and Don Ameche in leading roles and co-starring Robert Cummings, Carole Landis, Jack Haley, and Charlotte Greenwood. It was one of Haley's last appearances in a major, large-budgeted film; after 1943 he...
(1941) - Navy Blues (1941)
- Beyond the Blue HorizonBeyond the Blue HorizonBeyond the Blue Horizon is a 1971 studio album by American guitarist George Benson, released by CTI Records.- Track listing :# "So What" – 9:15# "The Gentle Rain" – 9:09...
(1942) - Higher and HigherHigher and Higher (film)Higher and Higher is a 1943 musical film starring Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, and Frank Sinatra, loosely based on a 1940 Broadway musical written by Gladys Hurlbut and Joshua Logan. The film, however, written by Jay Dratler and Ralph Spence with additional dialogue by William Bowers and Howard...
(1943) - Take It Big (1944)
- One Body Too ManyOne Body Too ManyOne Body Too Many is a 1944 cult film directed by Frank McDonald, starring Bela Lugosi and Jack Haley....
(1944) - Scared StiffScared Stiff (1945 film)Scared Stiff is an American film directed by Frank McDonald for Pine-Thomas Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is also known as Treasure of Fear .- Plot summary :...
(1945) - George White's ScandalsGeorge White's ScandalsGeorge White's Scandals were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modelled after the Ziegfeld Follies. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W.C. Fields, the Three Stooges, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Ethel Merman, ...
(1945) - Sing Your Way HomeSing Your Way HomeSing Your Way Home is a 1945 film directed by Anthony Mann. It stars Jack Haley and Marcy McGuire. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1946.-Cast:*Jack Haley as Steve Kimball*Marcy McGuire as Bridget Forrester*Glen Vernon as Jimmy McCue...
(1945) - People Are FunnyPeople Are FunnyPeople are Funny is an American radio and television game show, created by John Guedel that remained popular throughout the 1940s. The program ran from 1942 to 1960. The program's stunts and audience participation were calculated to reveal the humorous side of human nature...
(1946) - Vacation in RenoVacation in RenoVacation in Reno is a 1946 film directed by Leslie Goodwins starring Jack Haley, Anne Jeffreys, Iris Adrian, Wally Brown, Alan Carney, and Morgan Conway.-Plot:...
(1946) - NorwoodNorwood (film)Norwood is a 1970 film that reunites True Grit co-stars Glen Campbell and Kim Darby, also featuring Joe Namath. It was based on the book of the same title, written by Charles Portis , but updated from the original 1950s setting to 1970.The film marked the final screen appearance of actor Jack...
(1970) - New York, New YorkNew York, New York (film)New York, New York is a 1977 American musical-drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a musical tribute, featuring new songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb as well as standards, to Scorsese's home town of New York City, and stars Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli as a pair of musicians and...
(1977) (uncredited cameo)
Short Subjects
- Then Came the Yawn (1932)
- Wrongorilla (1933)
- Hollywood on Parade No. A-9 (1933)
- Salt Water Daffy (1933)
- Screen Snapshots: Famous Fathers and Sons (1946)
- Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party (1946)