Jack Haley | |
|---|---|
 Haley in Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) | |
| Born | John Joseph Haley Jr. (1898-08-10)August 10, 1898 Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 6, 1979(1979-06-06) (aged 80) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1923–1977 |
| Known for | The Tin Man in MGM'sThe Wizard of Oz (1939) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingJack Haley Jr. |
John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1898 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer, drummer and vaudevillian. He is most notable for his portrayal of theTin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 1939Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer filmThe Wizard of Oz.
Haley was born inBoston, Massachusetts on August 10, 1898 (some sources say 1897). His Canadian born father John Joseph Haley Sr. was a waiter by trade, and later a ship's steward. He died in the wreck of the schoonerCharles A. Briggs atNahant, Massachusetts on February 1, 1898, aged 31, before Jack was born.[1] He had one older brother, William Anthony "Bill" Haley, a musician, who died in 1916 from tuberculosis at the age of 21.[2][3]
Haley headlined invaudeville as a song-and-dance comedian. One of his closest friends wasFred Allen, who would frequently mention "Mr. Jacob Haley ofNewton Highlands, Massachusetts" on the air. Haley made a few phonograph records in 1923, and in the early 1930s starred in comedy shorts forVitaphone inBrooklyn, New York. His wide-eyed, good-natured expression gained him supporting roles in musical feature films, includingPoor Little Rich Girl withShirley Temple,Higher and Higher withFrank Sinatra and theIrving Berlin musicalAlexander's Ragtime Band. BothPoor Little Rich Girl andAlexander's Ragtime Band were released byTwentieth Century-Fox. Haley was under contract to them and appeared in the Fox filmsRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm andPigskin Parade, marking his first appearance withJudy Garland.Haley hosted a radio show from 1937 to 1939 known to many asThe Jack Haley Show. The first season (1937–1938), the show was sponsored byLog Cabin Syrup and was known asThe Log Cabin Jamboree. The next season (1938–1939), the show was sponsored byWonder Bread and was known asThe Wonder Show. During the second season the show featuredGale Gordon andLucille Ball as regular radio performers.[4]
Haley returned to musical comedies in the 1940s. Most of his '40s work was forRKO Radio Pictures. He left the studio in 1947 when he refused to appear in a remake of RKO'sSeven Keys to Baldpate.Phillip Terry took the role. He subsequently went into real estate, taking guest roles in television series over the next couple of decades.[citation needed]
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hired Haley for the part of the Tin Man inThe Wizard of Oz. He replaced song-and-dance comedianBuddy Ebsen, who had suffered a severe allergic reaction after inhaling aluminum powder from his silver face makeup, which triggered a congenital bronchial condition; the dust settled in Ebsen's lungs and, within a few days of principal photographic testing, he found himself struggling to breathe. For Haley, to avoid the same problem, the dust was converted into a paste—even so, the paste caused an eye infection that sidelined Haley for four shooting days. Surgical treatment averted serious or permanent damage to Haley's eyes.[5] Haley also portrayed the Tin Man's Kansas counterpart, Hickory Twicker, 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 byTom 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 theTin Woodman, Haley spoke in the same soft tone he used when reading bedtime stories to his children.[citation needed]Oz was one of only three films Haley made for MGM. The others werePick a Star, a 1937Hal Roach production distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, andMr. Cinderella in 1936.[6]
Haley was raisedRoman Catholic.[7] He was a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild inBeverly Hills, California.[8] His nephewBob Dornan served as aRepublican congressman for California.[9]
On June 1, 1979,[10] Haley suffered a heart attack. He died on June 6, 1979, at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 80.[11] His funeral was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd and the eulogy was given byRay Bolger who concluded it by saying, "It's going to be awfully lonely on that Yellow Brick Road now, Jack."[12][11]
Haley is buried inHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.[13] His Oz costarRay Bolger would be buried in the same cemetery 8 years later.
Haley's autobiography,Heart of the Tin Man, was published in 2000.[14]
| 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 |
| 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 withZelma O'Neal In 1930, he starred in Technicolor'sfilm version |
| Free For All | Steve Potter Jr. | September 8, 1931 – September 19, 1931 | Manhattan Theatre | 15 performances |
| Take a Chance | Jack 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 withFrank Sinatra infilm 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 |
John Haley of South Boston, age 31, was the steward.
Jack Haley, 79, who played the shy and diffident Tin Woodman in the film classic "The Wizard of Oz," died yesterday at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after a heart attack.
