Jack Haley Jr.; Producer and Director of Films, Oscars

Jack Haley Jr., a producer and director of films, many celebrating the Golden Age of Hollywood, died Saturday at UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital. He was 67.

Kelly Brandt, Haley’s longtime assistant, said Haley was admitted to the hospital Friday in a semi-comatose condition.

Haley, who also produced some of the Academy Award shows, was probably best known for producing and directing “That’s Entertainment,” the 1974 homage to MGM musicals of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. Other credits in an active career included “That’s Dancing,” a 1985 documentary on dance in film, and “The Wonderful World of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic,” a TV special celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film’s opening.

Haley, of course, had a lifelong connection with “Oz” as the son of one of the film’s stars, Jack Haley, who played the Tin Man. The younger Haley was also married for a few years to singer and actress Liza Minnelli, the daughter of another “Oz” star, Judy Garland.

Born in Los Angeles on Oct. 25, 1933, Haley grew up in the world of movies and movie people. His mother was Florence McFadden, a onetime model and Ziegfeld Girl. When he was a boy, his playmates included the sons of Bing Crosby and Edward G. Robinson. Haley attended Loyola University, graduating with a degree in English before taking advanced courses, including filmmaking classes, at USC and UCLA.

In the late 1950s he went into the movie business, becoming one of the founding partners of David Wolper Productions. While with Wolper, Haley produced several documentaries for television, including “The Race for Space” and “Man in Space.”

Through the 1960s, he produced a number of television specials and documentaries, including “Movin’ With Nancy,” a 1967 program starring Nancy Sinatra that he also directed, winning an Emmy Award for outstanding directorial achievement in music and variety programming.

In the early 1970s, Haley took a turn at film directing with “Norwood,” a Glen Campbell road picture that also featured football star Joe Namath. Haley followed that with a movie adaptation of Jacqueline Susann’s frothy novel about the television industry, “The Love Machine.” Neither of the films was a critical or commercial success.

Haley returned to more comfortable territory with “That’s Entertainment,” which was arguably his most successful endeavor. Hosted by stars such as Minnelli, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart and Elizabeth Taylor, “That’s Entertainment” offered a winning formula of remembrances from its stellar hosts with clips from nearly 100 MGM musicals.

Wildly successful when it opened in 1974, the movie was followed by two sequels, neither of which was directed by Haley. The sequels, while again offering irresistible footage, were considered less successful than the original.

Haley also directed the Academy Awards ceremonies in 1970 and produced the shows in 1974, 1979 and 1984.

The program in 1974 was notable for the presence of Katharine Hepburn, who made her first Oscar presentation, giving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Lawrence Weingarten, who produced many of her great films with Spencer Tracy. An uninvited guest, a streaker who dashed across the stage behind presenter David Niven, added some unexpected spice to the show.

The ceremonies in 1979 featured the last appearance of a very ill Hollywood icon, John Wayne, who would die of cancer just two months and two days later.

Haley is survived by his sister, Gloria Parnasses.

Funeral arrangements were pending.