Donald Haines


Donald Haines was an American child actor who had recurring appearances in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1930 to 1933. He appeared in Our Gang during the early sound days along with Norman "Chubby" Chaney, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Jackie Cooper, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, and Dorothy DeBorba.

Early years

Haines was born in Seward County, Nebraska, 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 Jackie Cooper 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, opposite Jackie Cooper. 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, 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.

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, Pride of the Bowery, Flying Wild, Bowery Blitzkrieg, and Spooks Run Wild as "Skinny." He also played Jerry Cruncher Jr. in the film version of A Tale of Two Cities.

Death

Haines enlisted as an aviation cadet in the United States Army Air Forces on December 10, 1941, to serve in World War II. On February 20, 1943, first lieutenant Haines was flying a Bell P-39 Airacobra on a strafing mission against Erwin Rommel's forces during the Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. His fighter group, the 93rd Fighter Squadron, destroyed a locomotive and train cars, and 34 enemy trucks. Haines failed to return from the mission, and was listed as killed in action. Haines is buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography

''Our Gang''

  • Shivering Shakespeare as Donny
  • The First Seven Years as Speck
  • Teacher's Pet as Don
  • School's Out as himself
  • Helping Grandma as Donald
  • Love Business as Donald
  • Little Daddy as Donald
  • Bargain Day as Donald
  • Big Ears as Donald
  • Readin' and Writin' as Donald
  • Free Eats as Kid Wanting Cake
  • Choo-Choo! as Donald, an orphan
  • Birthday Blues as Boy with mousetrap on lip
  • A Lad an' a Lamp as Toughie
  • Fish Hooky as Donald

    Film

  • Skippy as Harley Nubbins
  • When a Feller Needs a Friend as Fatty Bullen
  • No Greater Glory as Csonakos
  • Manhattan Melodrama as Spud - as a Boy
  • Little Man, What Now? as Emil Kleinholz Jr.
  • Now I'll Tell as Messenger Boy
  • Murder in the Private Car as Boy in Front of Theatre
  • Kid Millions as Kid Band Member
  • I'll Fix It as Boy
  • Music in the Air as Peanut Vendor at Munich Zoo
  • The Winning Ticket as Stubby
  • Straight from the Heart as Neighbor Boy
  • Vagabond Lady as Spear Office Boy
  • Ginger as Butch
  • The Nitwits as Hal - Office Boy
  • His Night Out as Office Boy
  • Annie Oakley as Boy at Shooting Gallery
  • A Tale of Two Cities as Jerry Cruncher Jr.
  • Exclusive Story as Office Boy
  • Little Lord Fauntleroy as Fighting Boy
  • Love Before Breakfast as Boy on Bicycle
  • Little Miss Nobody as Harold Slade
  • Bunker Bean as Jones & Co. Office Boy
  • Daniel Boone as man Being Burned at The Stake
  • Two Wise Maids as Schoolboy
  • Rhythm in the Clouds as Office Boy
  • Public Wedding as Boy Selling Confetti
  • Super-Sleuth as Second Newsboy
  • Love and Hisses as Newsboy
  • Kidnapped as Ransome
  • Three Comrades as Jupp - Boy Running for Help
  • Reformatory as Inmate
  • Boys Town as Alabama
  • Down on the Farm as Boy in Drug Store
  • Sergeant Madden as Milton
  • Never Say Die as Julius - Bellhop
  • On Your Toes as Elevator Operator
  • East Side Kids as PeeWee
  • Seventeen as Joe Bullitt
  • The Return of Wild Bill as Bobby
  • Boys of the City as Peewee
  • That Gang of Mine as Skinny
  • Fugitive from a Prison Camp as Burly Bascomb
  • Melody Ranch as Callboy
  • Pride of the Bowery as Skinny
  • Flying Wild as Skinny
  • Bowery Blitzkrieg as Skinny
  • Spooks Run Wild as Skinny