Buck Jones

MORE ABOUT DELL JONES AND DAUGHTER MAXINE JONES ... AND BUCK'S TRUSTY HORSES

(Image courtesy of Ed Phillips)

Above is a great 1930s shot of Buck and his family ... and his several horses. From L-to-R are "Silver", Dell Jones, "Sandy", daughter Maxine, "Eagle" and Buck.

Maxine was born February 9, 1918. She married Noah Beery Jr. in 1940 and the couple were divorced circa 1954. In 1965, Maxine married comic book and western magazine illustrator and portrait painter Nicholas Samuel FirFires (1917-1990). Maxine Jones FirFires passed away on August 22, 1990 in California. See links at the bottom of this webpage - distraught over the death of his wife, Nicholas FirFires committed suicide on September 22, 1990.

Below is a blowup from the above image with a closer look of "Silver", Dell, "Sandy", and Maxine.

(Image courtesy of Ed Phillips)

(Courtesy of Larry Imber)

In the 1984 photo left are Larry Imber and Dell Jones, Buck's widow, at her California home ... decorated with all the photos and paintings of Buck.

Buck and Odille Dorothy Osborne were married August 11, 1915 in Lima, Ohio. Dell Jones passed away on April 16, 1996 at the age of 95.

JONES' RANGE UNIFORM
		Some writers have noted that Jones' costume was workmanlike, not gaudy, and certainly not as flamboyant or showy as Mix or Maynard. I disagree. Buck often wore THAT shirt, either in a light or dark color, with the drawstring neck and little horseshoes on the collar (shown below). And he wore THAT gunbelt for years. He also used various hat styles in several colors. I would suggest that it was at the end of his career, at Monogram in the Rough Riders, that Jones settled on the more workmanlike shirt and blue jeans ... but he still wore THAT durn gunbelt (shown on the left).

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above from L-to-R are Sarah Padden, Bud Osborne, Buck Jones and Christine McIntyre in the Rough Riders' RIDERS OF THE WEST (Monogram, 1942). Jones' range wear now consisted of blue jeans, jean jacket, and a different hat style.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

ENDORSEMENTS

Jones' status and name recognition brought him many endorsement deals including Royal Crown Cola, Daisy B-B guns, and Post Grape Nuts Flakes.

COMICS, BIG LITTLE BOOKS, ETC. There were a bunch of comics and 'books' related to Jones. More info and details will follow.		(Courtesy of Minard Coons)
(Courtesy of Bill McCann)		(Courtesy of Bill McCann)

Want a lot more details and nitty-gritty on Buck Jones? Western film expert Buck Rainey has authored a couple books: one detailing the Jones silents and the second covering the Jones talkies. The publisher was Ron and Linda Downey's World of Yesterday, which sadly, is no longer publishing due to the passing of Ron Downey. You may be able to locate used copies of these out-of-print books. On the Old Corral homepage, click on the menu item Books-Print Media-Newsletters-Photos, and then run searches on the various used book websites.

Make sure to read the 'Cocoanut Grove Fire Controversy' article by Boyd Magers. You can find it off the Old Corral homepage. There's also sections devoted to the Rough Riders, to Tim McCoy, and under 'Saddle Pals & Sidekicks', there's a bit more info on Raymond Hatton.

Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Buck Jones: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0427659/

Alan Simon has created a website about the Mar-Ken School in Sherman Oaks, California. For a time, the school was located at 14050 Magnolia Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, the former home of Buck and Dell Jones. The main house, a barn and an out-building were demolished in March, 1980 to make way for the enormous apartment (condo) complex. There's photos of Buck Jones' house, some facts about Buck and Dell, and a history of the school at: http://www.mar-ken.org/history/history.html.

For years, Dominick Marafioti ran the "National Buck Jones Rangers of America" and also coordinated the annual Buck Jones Festival in New York. Sad to report that Dom passed away in 2004. The BJ Rangers of America and Festival website was at: http://www.buckjones.org/, but is no longer working.

The Chamber of Commerce for Knox County, Indiana, is located in Buck's hometown of Vincennes, and their website is at: http://www.knoxcountychamber.com/