Light Comedian
(1899-1979)
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American entertainer
This easy-going American entertainer
was born John Joseph Haley in Boston. An
angelic-looking child who sang as a boy
soprano in choirs, he ran away from home
after finishing high school, and became a
song-plugger in Philadelphia before trying
his luck on the vaudeville circuit with a
song-and-comedy routine. He was on
Broadway in musical comedies by the 1920s,
scoring a notable personal success in Follow
Thru, the film version of which in 1930
provided him with one of his earliest movie
appearances. He made a few two-reel
comedies as star in the early part of the
decade, then was taken up by the major
studios for co-star roles in cheerful comedies. He was ideally paired with chubby
Jack Oakie as songwriters on the make
in Sitting Pretty (1933), the success setting
him up for a string of romantic comedy roles
in co-features for the rest of the decade.
Two of his most successful were opposite
Shirley Temple in Poor Little Rich Girl (they
sang Military Man together) and Rebecca of
Sunnybrook Farm. Ironically circumstances
caused Shirley to miss out on The Wizard of
Oz, which jetted Haley to screen immortality.
The film did little overall for his
popularity, however, and he continued as
the star of minor spoof comedy-chillers such
as One Body Too Many and Scared Stiff, while
supporting the stars in more expensive films.
Haley used his money wisely and, having
made a fortune from real estate, eased up on
his workload after 1946, appearing only in
the odd film or TV show, including material
produced or directed by his son, Jack Haley
Jr, an avid compiler of nostalgia specials.
Happily married for many years to former
Ziegfeld Follies dancer Florence
McFadden, Haley died from a heart attack
at 79.
clark gable
|
alfred hitchcock |
robert montgomery
|
robert donat
|
grace kelly
|
conrad veidt
Ray Bolger | Judy Garland | The Wizard of Oz | Wizard of Oz UK Dvd | Wizard of Oz UK 2 Dvd Set
Mild affability was the hallmark of genial
Jack Haley's trade as a light comedian.
Although a big name in revue, he never
quite climbed to the top of the Hollywood
tree, not even after he played the Tin Man
in the classic 1939 version of The Wizard of
Oz.
Filmography
1927: Broadway Madness. 1930: The 20th
Amendment. Harlequins. Follow Thru. 1932:
Sherlock's Home. The Imperfect Lover.
Redheads on Parade. 1933: Then Came the
Yawn. Wrongorilla. Nothing But the Tooth.
Sitting Pretty. Mr Broadway. 1934: Here
Comes the Groom. 1935: The Girl Friend.
Coronado. Spring Tonic. 1936: Pigskin Parade
(GB: The Harmony Parade). Poor Little Rich
Girl. F-Man. Mister Cinderella. 1937: Wake
Up and Live. Pick a Star. She Had to Eat.
Danger - Love at Work. 1938: Rebecca of
Sunnybrook Farm. Alexander's Ragtime Band.
Hold that Co-Ed (GB: Hold That Girl). Thanks
for Everything. 1939: The Wizard of
Oz. 1941:
Moon Over Miami. Navy Blues. 1942: Beyond
the Blue Horizon. 1943: Higher and Higher.
1944: One Body Too Many. 1945: George
White's Scandals. People Are Funny. Scared
Stiff. Sing Your Way Home. 1946: Vacation in
Reno. 1949: Make Mine Laughs. 1958: No
Time at All (TV). 1970: Norwood. 1972:
Rolling Man (TV).
jack haley
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jean harlow |
greta garbo |
ava gardner |
audrey hepburn |
edward g. robinson
|
john garfield
erich von stroheim
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wim wenders
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madeleine carroll
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marlene dietrich
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|
margaret lockwood
dvds | videos
clark gable
|
alfred hitchcock |
robert montgomery
|
robert donat
|
grace kelly
|
conrad veidt
jack haley
humphrey bogart
|
howard hawks
|
frank capra
|
charlie chaplin
|
lauren bacall
|
fritz lang
jean harlow |
greta garbo |
ava gardner |
audrey hepburn |
edward g. robinson
|
john garfield
erich von stroheim
|
wim wenders
|
madeleine carroll
|
marlene dietrich
|
rita hayworth |
margaret lockwood
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Changes last made: 2010