Jacquie Lyn

full name: Elizabeth Anne Mary Jacqueline Dufton
professional name: Jacquie Lyn
married name: Jacqueline Woll
born Sep. 3, 1928, in or near London, England
died Mar. 21, 2002, in Granada Hills, CA, of a heart attack.

Special note: There's quite a lot of variation regarding Jacquie's place of birth, with the only commonality between sources being that she was born in or near London, England. Wikipedia (and other websites probably using it as a source) says that she was born in Croydon in the County of Surrey (though since 1965, Croydon has been a part of Greater London). The Telegraph of Apr. 6, 2002, writing of her recent death, states that her family came from Surrey, but that she was born in East Finchley and spent her early years in Oatlands Park. The Los Angeles Times of Mar. 30, 2002, also writing of her death, states that she was born in Kent County. It appears that the writer spoke to Jacquie's husband for this latter article.

1929

• According to The Pasadena Post of June 29, 1932 (in an article written by Charles King), Jacquie learned to talk at the age of six months.
• When Jacquie's father died, her mother's relatives invited mother and daughter to move to America, where they settled in Brentwood, CA. According to The Telegraph of Apr. 6, 2002, he died in 1930. However, the Associated Press of Aug. 13, 1932, reported that Jacquie was only 15 months old at the time of the move. This would place it in December 1929. It was reported by The Casper Tribune-Herald (WY) of Sep. 1, 1932, that Jacquie learned to walk during her voyage to America.

1931

• Jacquie's natural charm prompted friends of the family to urge her mother to get the girl into the movies. Eventually, she was registered with Central Casting.

Wicked (small part: Tonia)

Oct. 4, 1931 - Fox - 6 reels - Elissa Landi feature

©Sep. 1, 1931. Credited as Jacquie Lynn.

1932

• As Jacquie told Scott MacGillivray in 1992, her uncle knew cowboy stars Tim McCoy and Jack Holt, and they suggested that Jacquie be taken for an interview with Hal Roach. This seems to have happened in early May, though she didn't start to get paid until May 20th. Her salary was $100 during active periods and $25 during inactive periods.
• The newspapers regularly gave Jacquie the moniker "Wonder Child," which seems to be the result of the oft-reported story of her learning to talk at such an early age.
• On August 13th, the Associated Press reported the following: "When you see 4-year-old Jacquie Lyn on the screen you may not know it but you're really watching two actresses. One, of course, is Jacquie, who has already proved her genius as a trouper. The other is Gauzy Wings. You won't see Gauzy Wings, actually, for she is, as Jacquie explains earnestly, the good fairy that she keeps in her heart.
  "Jacquie, with large blue eyes and golden curls, was one of those rare children who are almost forced into movie-acting by directors and producers. She has been something of a prodigy since her birth - in London in September, 1928 - according to her mother, Eve Lyn. Mrs. Lyn and her mother brought Jacquie to America when she was 15 months old, and they soon moved to Los Angeles. Here so many people asked the mother why Jacquie wasn't in films that she decided to try them.
  "She was the child who appeared with Elissa Landi in 'Wicked.' After that other studios called for her, and now she is under contract to Hal Roach, a member of his 'Our Gang.' An active, perfectly mannered child, Jacquie has a reputation about the lot for knowing her lines and those of other players as well after only one rehearsal. She has been known to prompt Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy from the sidelines if by chance they forget them while making 'Pack Up Your Troubles,' their new feature. She began 'talking,' aver her mother and grandmother, at the age of six months, and she already knows her alphabet and how to spell simple words."
• On November 12th, Jacquie received her final check from Hal Roach Studios. The exact circumstances concerning her early exit aren't entirely clear.

The Strange Love Of Molly Louvain (small part: Ann Marie)

May 28, 1932 - First National/Warner Bros. - 8 reels - Ann Dvorak feature

©May 1, 1932.

Pack Up Your Troubles (supporting role: Eddie's baby)

Sep. 17, 1932 - Roach/MGM - 7 reels - prod. F-2 - Laurel & Hardy feature

Filmed May 2 to 28, 1932, with retakes June 21 and 23, and July 4 to 9, 1932. ©Sep. 23, 1932. Credited as Jacquie Lynn.

118. Birthday Blues (small part)

Oct. 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-11 - Our Gang series

Listed for both Oct. 1 and Nov. 12, 1932. Filmed July 30 to Aug. 4, 1932. ©Oct. 24, 1932. Earilest verified screening took place on Oct. 14, 1932.

117. Free Wheeling (supporting role: Jacquie)

Nov. 1932 - Roach/MGM - 2 reels - prod. G-10 - Our Gang series

Listed for both Oct. 1 and Nov. 12, 1932. Filmed July 19 to 27, 1932, with retakes Sep. 3, 1932. ©Nov. 7, 1932. Earliest verified screening took place on Nov. 12, 1932.

Prosperity (supporting role: Cissy Warren)

prem. Nov. 12, 1932 - MGM - 9 reels - Marie Dressler & Polly Moran feature

Filmed Sep. and Oct. 1932. ©Nov. 14, 1932. Released Nov. 18, 1932. Credited as Jacquie Lyn. Her brother in this film was played by Jerry Tucker.

1933

• During this year, Jacquie's mother remarried, and Jacquie's new stepfather became the girl's manager and agent. As The Telegraph reported in April 2002: "When he walked into the offices of Louis B. Mayer at MGM, demanding the studio give the child star more films and double her salary, Mayer was furious and showed him the door. The following morning the termination of her contract arrived in the post." This is the only source that mentions anything about a contract with MGM, and makes me wonder if perhaps it was Hal Roach, during the previous year, that was the offended studio head. After this, Jacquie had two additional small roles before retiring. What those roles were seems to be lost to history.

1935

• Jacquie turned 7 in September of this year, the age at which she reportedly retired from the film business. The family remained in the Los Angeles area, where Jacquie lived for the rest of her life.

1946

• After her high school graduation, Jacquie attended UCLA for three terms. As she stated years later, her English accent had long since vanished by this time.

1949

• On June 25th of this year, Jacqueline Dufton married Martin Woll, Jr., at St. Paul the Apostle's Church in Westwood, CA. As the Los Angeles Independent reported on June 30th: "The bride attended UCLA and has been working at the telephone company in Santa Monica. Her husband is a former Navy flyer. He is employed by the Bank of America." Jacquie cut her time at UCLA short in order to become a housewife.

1978

Rascal Dazzle (archival)

1978 - King World/Picture Scores - 93 min. - documentary feature

©1978. Seems to have debuted on TV, followed by a theatrical release in late 1979. Includes footage "Birthday Blues."

1984

Our Gang: Inside The Clubhouse (archival)

May 8, 1984 - Lang/Camellia City Telecasters - 93 mins. - TV documentary

Includes footage from "Free Wheeling."

1986

The Laurel And Hardy Show (archival)

1986 - Roach-RHI/CBN - 60 min. - TV series

Among other Laurel & Hardy films, "Pack Up Your Troubles" was shown as part of this series. It should be noted that I found a TV listing from Nov. 8, 1976, in which this film was being telecast as a one-hour episode of something called "Laurel And Hardy Show" in Bloomington, IL.

1991

• For Christmas of this year, Jacquie's son Michael bought her a videotape of "Pack Up Your Troubles," which included a 16mm home movie showing her playing with Lois Laurel, Stan's young daughter, taken back in 1932. Narrating the footage, Lois is heard on the tape wondering about the whereabouts of her childhood friend, and asking her to contact Laurel & Hardy and Little Rascals fans. Lois had gone as far as to contact Scotland Yard in an attempt to locate Jacquie, not realizing that she had continued to live in southern California over the years. The VHS in question was released by Video Treasures with a copyright year of 1991.

1992

• In January of this year, after some coaxing from her family, Jacquie contacted the address given in the Video Treasures VHS, leading her to acquaint herself with members of Sons of the Desert.
• At some point during this year, Jacquie attended a film festival in Hollywood, where the Laurel & Hardy fans gave her a standing ovation. "I was overwhelmed. The room was packed with fans of Laurel and Hardy all clapping and cheering. They were genuinely pleased to see me. I had tears in my eyes when my old boss, Hal Roach, now 100 years old, came over to greet me and held my hand." She reportedly attended several meetings and banquets of the Way Out West tent in Culver City.
• Jacquie attended the Sons of the Desert convention in Las Vegas, NV, where she was interviewed by Scott MacGillivray for the Sons Audio Newsletter.

1994

• Jacquie attended the Sons of the Desert 9th International Convention at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY, from July 13th to 17th. On July 15th, she was one of several Our Gang kids taking questions as part of a celebrity panel. On July 16th, she played "Jacquie" in a stage show called Our Gang Follies. Jacquie also recreated the role of "Eddie's baby" in a scene from "Pack Up Your Troubles," staged with Laurel & Hardy lookalikes.

2003

Living Famously episode: Laurel And Hardy (archival)

Jan. 15, 2003 - BBC Bristol/Track - 60 min. - TV documentary episode

Includes footage from "Pack Up Your Troubles."

Jacquie Lyn's payroll history

The following is a list of Jacquie's history at the Roach studio, with the amounts she was making from week to week. The dates given are Saturdays, the last day of each week at the studio.

• May 14, 1932 - prod. F2 (Pack Up Your Troubles)
   Jacquie's name appears among the Our Gang contract players, but was currently assigned to F2; nevertheless, no check was issued this time.
• May 21, 1932 - 20.00 charged to prod. F2
   Again, Jacquie's name appears among the Our Gang contract players, but without any amount mentioned. However, she's also listed among the day players, making $10 checks on both May 20th and 21st.
• May 28, 1932 - 60.00 charged to F2
   Jacquie continued to make $10 per day during this week.

After this, over a month passed before Jacquie reappears in the ledger, due to a mid-year hiatus for the studio.

• July 2, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G9 (Hook And Ladder)
   Jacquie's salary was now being charged to the current Our Gang short, but they were still on hiatus. She didn't actually appear in G9.
• July 9, 1932 - 100.00 charged to F2
   The Our Gang unit was still on hiatus, but Jacquie worked with Laurel & Hardy during this week.
• July 16, 1932 - 25.00 charged to G10 (Free Wheeling)
   Jacquie's salary is back to being charged to the Our Gang unit, though it's still on hiatus.
• July 23, 1932 - 100.00 charged to G10
   Jacquie's salary appears to be charged to G10, with her name among the Our Gang players, but the ledger adds the word "stock" next to her name.
• July 30, 1932 - 100.00 - 50.00 charged to prod. G10, 50.00 charged to prod. G11 (Birthday Blues)
   In this case, Jacquie's salary is clearly being split between the two Our Gang productions, but the word "stock" is once again next to her name. It may be that she wasn't considered to be part of the Our Gang unit even though her name is listed with theirs.
• Aug. 6, 1932 - 100.00 charged to G11
   Again, the word "stock" is indicated next to Jacquie's name.
• Aug. 13, 1932 - 25.00 charged to studio overhead
   In this case, the Our Gang unit was on hiatus, but Jacquie is listed as a "gang actress."
• Aug. 20, 1932 - 25.00 charged to studio overhead
   Again, Jacquie's indicated as a "gang actress."
• Aug. 27, 1932 - 25.00 charged to 151-E-3
   I have no idea what 151-E-3 is supposed to mean.
• Sep. 3, 1932 - 100.00 charged to prod. G12 (A Lad An' A Lamp)
   Jacquie didn't appear in G12, even though she's making her full salary. Again, the word "stock" is next to her name.
• Sep. 10, 1932 - 300.00 - 100.00 charged to prod. G12, 200.00 charged to MGM (Prosperity)
   Jacquie was lent out for the MGM feature. The word "gang" appears next to her name.
• Sep. 17, 1932 - 100.00 charged to prod. G12
   Again, the word "gang" appears next to Jacquie's name.
• Sep. 24, 1932 - 100.00 charged to prod. G12
   Again, the word "gang" appears next to Jacquie's name.
• Oct. 1, 1932 - 100.00 charged to prod. G12
• Oct. 8, 1932 - 100.00 charged to MGM
• Oct. 15, 1932 - 100.00 charged to MGM
• Oct. 22, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G13 (Fish Hooky)
   Again, the word "gang" appears next to Jacquie's name. This was also the case for the remaining three weeks.
• Oct. 29, 1932 - 25.00 charged to prod. G13
• Nov. 5, 1932 - 25.00 charged to G13
• Nov. 12, 1932 - 25.00 charged to G13
   This was the final check issued to Jacquie from Hal Roach Studios.

See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.

© Robert Demoss and Matthew Lydick.