Douglas Haig (actor)
| Douglas Patrick Haig [1] | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 9, 1920[2] New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.[2] |
| Died |
February 1, 2011 (aged 90)[3] West Hills, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | (1922-)1928-1937[1][2] |
Douglas Haig (March 9, 1920 – February 1, 2011[3]) was an American child actor appearing in films in the 1920s and 1930s. His career began at age two in silent films and (unlike many silent film actors) continued into sound films ("talkies").[1] From 1928 onward he appeared in at least 14 films. As a small child he was placid and pleasant-looking.[1] In a scholarly review of Attorney for the Defense, a 1932 sound film, his performance is described as very annoying.[2] The high point of Haig's career as a film actor came in 1935, with a starring role in Man's Best Friend.
Haig appeared in both feature films and shorts with numerous emerging stars of Hollywood. The Family Group (1928) was a short featuring Charley Chase. Sins of the Fathers (1928) starred Emil Jannings and included ZaSu Pitts. This silent film has been lost; only excerpts survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archives.[4] Betrayal (1929) was a silent film with talking sequences, synchronized music and sound effects. The cast included Emil Jannings and Gary Cooper.[5] Welcome Danger (1929) was produced by and starred Harold Lloyd. High Gear featured James Murray and Joan Marsh. John Wayne (an extra) appears in That's My Boy.
In Man's Best Friend (1935) Haig starred in the lead role of Jed Strong, a boy who has a fine dog and an abusive father who wants to kill the dog. Also appearing in the film were Frank Brownlee, Mary McLaren, and Patricia Chapman. In 1986, TV Guide described this film as a simple, unpretentious story of a little mountain boy and his pet police dog.[6]
Although some early films in which Haig appeared have been lost, the later film survive and of those a few have been released on DVD. These include Man's Best Friend (together with The Secret Code) and High Gear.
Filmography
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woman-Wise[7] | 1937 | Oscar | uncredited |
| Man's Best Friend[7] | 1935 | Jed Strong | |
| High Gear[7] | 1933 | Percy | |
| Call Her Savage[7] | 1932 | Pete as a boy[8] | uncredited |
| That's My Boy[7] | 1932 | Tommy as a young boy | |
| Attorney for the Defense[7] | 1932 | Paul Wallace as a boy | |
| Cisco Kid, TheThe Cisco Kid[7] | 1931 | Billy | See The Cisco Kid |
| Spy, TheThe Spy[7] | 1931 | Seryoska | |
| Caught Short | 1930 | Johnny | |
| Welcome Danger | 1929 | Buddy Lee or Roy[8] | uncredited |
| Betrayal | 1929 | Peter | |
| Baby's Birthday | 1929 | uncredited | |
| Sins of the Fathers | 1928 | Tom as a child | |
| Family Group, TheThe Family Group | 1928 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 John Holmstrom (1996). The moving picture boy: an international encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Michael Russell. pp. 97 (photo).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lynn Kear and James King (2009). Evelyn Brent: The Life and Films of Hollywood's Lady Crook. McFarland. pp. 203, 205.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Douglas Patrick Haig". www.footnote.com. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ↑ Charles Stumpf (2010). ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. McFarland. p. 126.
- ↑ "Entry on Betrayal".
- ↑ TV guide 34. Triangle Publications. 1986.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 American Film Institute (1993). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1931-1940 3. University of California Press. p. 302.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Alan Gevinson, ed. (1997). American Film Institute Catalog. University of California Press.