Here’s a quick question for you: what does the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz have to do with Madera County? Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of how actor Jack Haley sold a vision of Hollywood glamour to future Madera county homeowners.
Remember the man without a heart in the classic 1939 film the Wizard of Oz? Well, that’s Jack Haley. After a successful career in Hollywood, Haley went into real estate. While he had projects across the west, he had a particular vision for Madera County. He wanted to build a “new Palm Springs” here in the flatlands. Starting in 1956, Haley and business partner Buddy Taub began using their Hollywood connections to pitch homesites in rural Madera.
Haley’s team developed subdivisions like Madera Acres, Lake Madera Country Estates, and the Madera Ranchos. Haley used his celebrity connections to promote the venture. Jackie Gleason was reportedly an investor. Jimmy Durante visited for a groundbreaking. Streets had Hollywood names: Gleason, Gabor, Charlton.
At Lake Madera, Haley built a Grecian-inspired clubhouse, with tennis courts and a swimming pool. He even touted that celebrities like Lucille Ball and Danny Thomas were members. While he did sell some homesites, the dream of Madera as Palm Springs North did not materialize. Today the clubhouse is gone, and Lake Madera is used intermittently as a groundwater recharge facility. Still Haley’s developments like Madera Ranchos eventually took off, leaving a legacy that is still visible today.
