Donald Haines (May 9, 1919 – February 20, 1943) was an American

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

who had recurring appearances in the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

short subjects A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

series from 1930 to 1933. He appeared in ''

'' during the early sound days along with Norman "Chubby" Chaney,

Allen "Farina" Hoskins Allen Clayton Hoskins (August 9, 1920 – July 26, 1980) was an American child actor, who portrayed the character of Farina in 105 ''Our Gang'' short films from 1922 to 1931. Acting career 1920–1936 ''Our Gang'' Stardom Born in Boston ...

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

Matthew "Stymie" Beard Matthew Beard Jr. (January 1, 1925 – January 8, 1981) was an American actor. As a child actor, he was most famous for playing Stymie in the ''Our Gang'' short comedy films of 1930–1935. The role was so well known that he adopted the name ...

, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, and Dorothy DeBorba.

Early years

Haines was born in

Seward County, Nebraska Seward County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,750. Its county seat is Seward. The county was formed in 1855, and was organized in 1867. It was originally called Greene County ...

, the son of Karl and Nola Haines. Their family moved to California when he was 9 years old.

''Our Gang''

Haines's tenure began during the early talkies up through the "Miss Crabtree episodes," and then the early Spanky episodes. He would leave with

for feature films at Paramount only to return a few months later. He was 11 years old when he joined the gang in 1930. His association with the Our Gang series lasted through 1933. Haines's first short was '' Shivering Shakespeare'', which featured him giggling his way through his lines. He was intended to originally be a full-time character playing the tough guy and was cast as such in ''

The First Seven Years ''The First Seven Years'' is a 1930 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 96th (eighth talking) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Jackie is in love with Mary Ann, but she is not interested in any boy ...

'', opposite

. After that, he played a recurring character with occasional lines of dialogue until 1931. At that time he was offered a contract with Paramount that began with a role in a feature called '' Skippy''. Cooper also was offered a role on that feature along with a contract. Both Jackie and Donald are missing from the final scenes of the second-to-last short made in the 1930-31 season, ''

Bargain Day ''Bargain Day'' is a 1931 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 106th ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Jackie notices that the Gang's baseball equipment is missing and discovers Wheezer and Stymie ...

'', owing to their beginning work at Paramount. Haines left Paramount to return to Hal Roach Studios just in time for the 1931-32 season. Haines would resume his role as a recurring character with occasional dialogue for the next two seasons. Haines left the ''Our Gang'' series at the age of 15 after appearing in the 1933 short ''

Fish Hooky ''Fish Hooky'' is a 1933 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 120th (32nd talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Wheezer, Dickie, Uh-huh, and Stymie choose to play hooky from school agai ...

''.

Later career

Haines left the ''Our Gang'' series in 1933 but continued working as an actor at Hal Roach Studios on many shorts and features until 1940. His work during this time included appearances in the East Side Kids films '' East Side Kids'' and '' Boys of the City'' as "Pee Wee" and then in ''

That Gang of Mine ''That Gang of Mine'' is a 1940 film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan. It is the third film in the ''East Side Kids'' series. Plot Old horseman Ben brings his beloved thoroughbred Bluenight to New York from Ken ...

'', ''

Pride of the Bowery ''Pride of the Bowery'' is a black-and-white 1940 film and the fourth installment in the East Side Kids series. It was directed by Joseph H. Lewis and produced by Sam Katzman. It was released by Monogram Pictures on December 15, 1940. Plot Whe ...

'', ''

Flying Wild ''Flying Wild'' (aka ''The East Side Kids in Flying Wild'' and ''Air Devils'') is a 1941 film directed by William Beaudine under the pseudonym "William West" as the fifth installment of the East Side Kids series which eventually totaled 22 fi ...

'', ''

Bowery Blitzkrieg ''Bowery Blitzkrieg'' is a 1941 film and the sixth installment of the East Side Kids series. The film "introduced" Huntz Hall in his first of the East Side Kids film series. It was released in the United Kingdom under the title ''Stand and Deliv ...

'', and ''

Spooks Run Wild ''Spooks Run Wild'' is a 1941 American horror comedy film and the seventh film in the East Side Kids series. It stars Bela Lugosi with Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan and Huntz Hall. It is directed by Phil Rosen, in his first and only outing in the serie ...

'' as "Skinny." He also played Jerry Cruncher Jr. in the film version of ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in ...

''.

Death

Haines enlisted as an aviation cadet in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

on December 10, 1941, to serve in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was killed in action on February 20, 1943 in North Africa. At the time of his death, his rank was

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

. Haines is buried in

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed es ...

in Los Angeles.

Filmography

''Our Gang''

*'' Shivering Shakespeare'' (1930, Short) as Donny (film debut) *''

'' (1930, Short) as Speck (uncredited) *'' Teacher's Pet'' (1930, Short) as Don (uncredited) *'' School's Out'' (1930, Short) as Himself *'' Helping Grandma'' (1931, Short) as Donald *''

Love Business ''Love Business'' is a 1931 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 104th (16th talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot Jackie is hopelessly in love with Miss Crabtree. At the same time, hi ...

'' (1931, Short) as Donald *'' Little Daddy'' (1931, Short) as Donald *''

'' (1931, Short) as Donald *'' Big Ears'' (1931, Short) as Donald *'' Readin' and Writin''' (1932, Short) as Donald *''

Free Eats ''Free Eats'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Ray McCarey. It was the 112th (24th talking Our Gang episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot The gang along with other poor children in the town are given a party ...

'' (1932, Short) as Kid Wanting Cake *''

Choo-Choo! ''Choo-Choo!'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 114th (26th talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. It is a remake of the 1923 ''Our Gang'' film '' A Pleasant Journey''. Plot Ex ...

'' (1932, Short) as Donald, an orphan *''

Birthday Blues ''Birthday Blues'' is a 1932 ''Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 118th (31st talking episode) ''Our Gang'' short that was released. Plot When their pennypinching father refuses to buy a birthday gift for ...

'' (1932, Short) as Boy with mousetrap on lip *'' A Lad an' a Lamp'' (1932, Short) as Toughie *''

'' (1933, Short) as Donald

Film

*'' Skippy'' (1931) as Harley Nubbins *'' When a Feller Needs a Friend'' (1932) as Fatty Bullen *'' No Greater Glory'' (1934) as Csonakos *''

Manhattan Melodrama ''Manhattan Melodrama'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film, produced by MGM, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, and starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. The movie also provided one of Mickey Rooney's earliest film roles. (Rooney ...

'' (1934) as Spud - as a Boy (uncredited) *'' Little Man, What Now?'' (1934) as Emil Kleinholz Jr. *'' Now I'll Tell'' (1934) as Messenger Boy (uncredited) *''

Murder in the Private Car ''Murder in the Private Car'' is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery romance film starring Mary Carlisle, Charles Ruggles and Una Merkel. Directed by Harry Beaumont, the production is based on the play ''The Rear Car'' by Edward E. Rose. David T ...

'' (1934) as Boy in Front of Theatre (uncredited) *'' Kid Millions'' (1934) as Kid Band Member (uncredited) *''

I'll Fix It ''I'll Fix It'' is a 1934 American romantic comedy film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Jack Holt, Mona Barrie and Winnie Lightner. An extremely powerful machine politics fixer is frustrated when his attempts to secure his younger bro ...

'' (1934) as Boy (uncredited) *'' Music in the Air'' (1934) as Peanut Vendor at Munich Zoo (uncredited) *'' The Winning Ticket'' (1935) as Stubby (uncredited) *'' Straight from the Heart'' (1935) as Neighbor Boy (uncredited) *'' Vagabond Lady'' (1935) as Spear Office Boy (uncredited) *''

Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

'' (1935) as Butch (uncredited) *'' The Nitwits'' (1935) as Hal - Office Boy (uncredited) *''

His Night Out ''His Night Out'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by William Nigh and written by Harry Clork and Doris Malloy. The film stars Edward Everett Horton, Irene Hervey, Jack La Rue, Robert McWade, Lola Lane and Willard Robertson. The fil ...

'' (1935) as Office Boy (uncredited) *'' Annie Oakley'' (1935) as Boy at Shooting Gallery (uncredited) *''

'' (1935) as Jerry Cruncher Jr. *'' Exclusive Story'' (1936) as Office Boy (uncredited) *''

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's (the publisher of ''St. Nicholas'') in 1886. The ill ...

'' (1936) as Fighting Boy (uncredited) *''

Love Before Breakfast ''Love Before Breakfast'' is a 1936 American romantic comedy starring Carole Lombard, Preston Foster, and Cesar Romero, based on Faith Baldwin's short story ''Spinster Dinner'', published in '' International-Cosmopolitan'' in July 1934. The film ...

'' (1936) as Boy on Bicycle (uncredited) *'' Little Miss Nobody'' (1936) as Harold Slade *''

Bunker Bean ''Bunker Bean'' is a 1936 American black-and-white comedy film adapted from a novel by Harry Leon Wilson and the subsequent play adapted by Lee Wilson Dodd. It was directed by William Hamilton and Edward Killy, produced by William Sistrom, and s ...

'' (1936) as Jones & Co. Office Boy (uncredited) *''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

'' (1936) as Man Being Burned at The Stake (uncredited) *''

Two Wise Maids ''Two Wise Maids'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Phil Rosen, written by Samuel Ornitz, and starring Alison Skipworth, Polly Moran, Irene Manning, Donald Cook, Jackie Searl, and Lila Lee. It was released on February 15, 1937, by Repub ...

'' (1937) as Schoolboy (uncredited) *''

Rhythm in the Clouds ''Rhythm in the Clouds'' is a 1937 American film directed by John H. Auer. Plot Struggling songwriter Judy Walker gets two hours notice to vacate her room. In frustration, she accidentally spills "ink eraser" on her latest rejection letter, wh ...

'' (1937) as Office Boy (uncredited) *''

Public Wedding ''Public Wedding'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Nick Grinde and written by Roy Chanslor and Houston Branch. The film stars Jane Wyman (in her first starring role), William Hopper, Dick Purcell, Marie Wilson, Berton Churchill and ...

'' (1937) as Boy Selling Confetti (uncredited) *''

Super-Sleuth ''Super-Sleuth'' is a 1937 comedy film directed by Ben Stoloff. It was an early lead role for Jack Oakie. ''Super Sleuth'' was a remade in 1946 as ''Genius at Work'', with comedy team of Wally Brown and Alan Carney. Plot A film detective believ ...

'' (1937) as Second Newsboy (uncredited) *'' Love and Hisses'' (1937) as Newsboy (uncredited) *''

Kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Cam ...

'' (1938) as Ransome *'' Three Comrades'' (1938) as Jupp - Boy Running for Help (uncredited) *''

Reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concern ...

'' (1938) as Inmate (uncredited) *'' Boys Town'' (1938) as Alabama (uncredited) *'' Down on the Farm'' (1938) as Boy in Drug Store (uncredited) *''

Sergeant Madden ''Sergeant Madden'' is a 1939 film noir forerunner directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Wallace Beery. The supporting cast in this dark police crime drama, noted for its imaginative and evocative cinematography, includes Tom Brown, Larain ...

'' (1939) as Milton *'' Never Say Die'' (1939) as Julius - Bellhop (uncredited) *'' On Your Toes'' (1939) as Elevator Operator (uncredited) *'' East Side Kids'' (1940) as PeeWee *'' Seventeen'' (1940) as Joe Bullitt *'' The Return of Wild Bill'' (1940) as Bobby *'' Boys of the City'' (1940) as Peewee *''

'' (1940) as Skinny *''

Fugitive from a Prison Camp ''Fugitive from a Prison Camp'' is a 1940 American thriller film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Jack Holt, Marian Marsh and Robert Barrat. Synopsis After an innocent man is picked up following a police raid, a sheriff tries to demonst ...

'' (1940) as Burly Bascomb *''

Melody Ranch ''Melody Ranch'' is a 1940 Western musical film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Gene Autry, Jimmy Durante, and Ann Miller. Written by Jack Moffitt, F. Hugh Herbert, Bradford Ropes, and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a singing cowb ...

'' (1940) as Callboy (uncredited) *''

'' (1940) as Skinny *''

'' (1941) as Skinny *''

'' (1941) as Skinny (final film)

References

Bibliography

* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 89.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haines, Donald American male child actors 1919 births 1943 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel killed in World War II People from Sumner County, Kansas Male actors from Kansas 20th-century American male actors People from Seward County, Nebraska American male comedy actors Our Gang American male film actors Hal Roach Studios actors United States Army Air Forces officers