Dick Jones Dickie Jones Birth name: | (From Old Corral collection) Dick Jones was in his late twenties when he starred as TV's BUFFALO BILL, JR. There were 42 half-hour shows in the series. |
Dickie Jones / Dick Jones was born Richard Percy Jones, Jr. on February 25, 1927 in Snyder, Scurry County, Texas to Richard Percy Jones and Icie Laverne Coppedge. His father was a newspaper pressman. Soon after his birth, the family moved to McKinney, Texas which is near Dallas. In newspaper articles and interviews, Jones mentioned that his movie career was due to guidance and support from Hoot Gibson. In late 1932, Gibson's rodeo was at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, and a very young Dickie Jones did riding and lariat tricks which impressed Hoot. A Dick Jones quote: "Hoot told my mother the famous words, 'That kid ought to be in pictures.' " Soon after, Dickie and his mother Laverne were in Hollywood and residing at Gibson's ranch in Saugus, California. His first film was 1934, and he became a very busy kid actor, freelancing in A and B grade films, including a few serials and many low budget westerns. He does show up in Hal Roach's Our Gang / Little Rascals shorts, but wasn't one of the series regulars. " 'Buffalo Bill Jr.,' new series by Flying A Productions got the starting gun Monday at Apple Valley with Dick Jones, who has been the sidekick to Jock Mahoney in company's 'Range Riders,' upped to stardom status." Author and western film fan Stephen Lodge had a relative that worked on the BUFFALO BILL JR TV show, and he visited the Melody Ranch filming location when he was a kid. And was thrilled to see Dick Jones do a "Pony Express Mount". Excerpt from Stephen's writeup: "We parked and walked up to the cabin where the director, George Archainbaud, was huddled with Dick Jones and a couple of the actors who would be working in the shot they were about to film. As soon as the few strategically placed reflectors were adjusted, and sound and camera said they were ready, the scene was shot. One take. Cut and print. The wranglers hurriedly brought in Dick Jones’s horse, a black one called Chief. Oh boy, I thought, some kind of stunt is coming up. The camera was moved back, re-set; reflectors readjusted. Dick Jones pointed, telling Archainbaud where he was going, what he was about to do. There was absolutely no rehearsal. The director yelled action -- and Dick Jones did what he did best: He ran to the horse, grabbed hold of the saddle horn, and when the horse was in a full run, Jones lifted both legs off the ground, then vaulted into the saddle -- the Pony Express Mount. Wow! I’d never seen that done live and in person. Another Cut and Print. Another scene in one take." Dick Jones' stats for Autry and Flying A Productions were significant: 134 half-hour TV shows and five films. THE RANGE RIDER and BUFFALO BILL JR showcased his stunt / athletic talents and riding abilities. And during both series, Dick did many personal appearances at rodeos, parades, charity events, etc. In 1955 - 1959, Dell published a BUFFALO BILL JR. comic book which ran for thirteen issues. And kids could also enjoy BUFFALO BILL JR in color via a set of View-Master reels.
(From Imgur) Dick Jones recording his lines for PINOCCHIO (Disney/RKO, 1940).
(From Old Corral collection) Dick Jones and Jock Mahoney in TV's THE RANGE RIDER. There were 78 half-hour shows in this series.
Tom Goethe remembered Dick Jones and an interview on San Francisco's "Fireman Frank" kids TV show in the 1950s:
"Growing up, I lived in a town called Redwood City which is located in the Bay Area about 25 miles south of San Francisco. At the time, I was in elementary school and local TV stations had a lot of late afternoon shows for kids. One show on KRON-TV was called "Fireman Frank" and was hosted by a guy who went by the name of Fireman Frank. He did a lot of kid type games and interviewed anyone who came through the Bay Area for local events. One time he had Lex Barker of the Tarzan movies. He showed up in a loincloth for the interview. |
Dick Jones at film festivals and events. |
(Courtesy of Ancel Cook) L-to-R are Monte Hale's brother Bill Hale, Ancel Cook, Monte Hale, and Dick Jones. Photo from a 1998 party for Monte. (Courtesy of Larry Blanks) Above - Larry Blanks with Dick Jones and baddie/supporting player John Cliff at the 2000 Charlotte Festival. (Courtesy of Duane Fulk) Above - Duane Fulk with guest star Dick Jones at the 2001 Hopalong Cassidy Festival in Cambridge, Ohio. Dick was 74 years old. Duane asked him what it was like working for Gene Autry (Flying A Productions) and he answered, "He was a very nice and knowledgeable man and . . . Mr. Autry's checks never bounced." |
Dickie Jones in 1930s B westerns. |
(From Old Corral collection) Left to right in this lobby card from WILD HORSE ROUND-UP (Ambassador-Conn, 1936) are young Dickie Jones, Frank Hagney, star Kermit Maynard, Dick Curtis, and an unidentified player trying to restrain Curtis. Budd Buster is laying on the floor. (From Old Corral collection) L-to-R are Dick Jones, Kermit Maynard and pretty Beth Marion (who was mysteriously billed as "Betty Lloyd") in another lobby card from WILD HORSE ROUND-UP (Ambassador-Conn, 1936). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from left to right are Muriel Evans, Dickie Jones, and Buck Jones - on his trusty hoss Silver - in SMOKE TREE RANGE (Universal, 1937). (Courtesy of Bruce Hickey) Above are Helen Twelvetrees, Dickie Jones, and Buck Jones in HOLLYWOOD ROUNDUP (Coronet/Columbia, 1937). This is one of several westerns about making B westerns. Dickie is Helen's kid brother. Buck is the stand-in and stuntman for a cowboy movie hero played by Grant Withers. (From Old Corral collection) Above - Bob Baker, Constance Moore and young Dick Jones in BORDER WOLVES (Universal, 1938). She was also the heroine in Baker's THE LAST STAND (Universal, 1938). Constance Moore did a batch of A and B films, but only a few westerns (including the 1946 IN OLD SACRAMENTO with Bill Elliott). And she played 'Wilma Deering' in Universal's 1939 BUCK ROGERS cliffhanger which starred Buster Crabbe. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Hero Jack Randall takes out prolific baddie John Merton. Herman Brix (later, Bruce Bennett) is left center facing Lane Chandler. And young Dickie Jones is being corralled by Ernie Adams. From Randall's LAND OF FIGHTING MEN (Monogram, 1938). |
Dick Jones with Gene Autry and Autry's Flying A Productions company: 5 films and 134 half-hour TV shows | |
In Gene's Columbia westerns: THE STRAWBERRY ROAN (Columbia, 1948) SONS OF NEW MEXICO (Columbia, 1949) WAGON TEAM (Columbia, 1952) THE OLD WEST (Columbia, 1952) LAST OF THE PONY RIDERS (Columbia, 1953) In 1950s TV series: GENE AUTRY SHOW (10 half-hour shows) ANNIE OAKLEY (4 half-hour shows) THE RANGE RIDER (78 half-hour shows) BUFFALO BILL JR (42 half-hour shows) | |
(Courtesy of Grand Comics Database) Above - BB Jr comic #9. | (From Chuck Anderson's childhood collection) View-Master had BB Jr on a three-reel set of color adventures. Above is "Western Justice", the third reel in the set. |
On the trail of Dick Jones. |
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Dick (Dickie) Jones: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427934/
Ancestry.com, Family Search, and other sources have more on Dick Jones and family:
❋ Cheryl Rogers Barnett, Roy Rogers' daughter, has a wonderful 30 minute interview with Dick Jones who was guesting at a Lone Pine, California event. The Rogers and Jones family were close friends, and Cheryl recalled babysitting Dick's four children. And Dick was a great guy with a great family. The interview has more on him voicing Pinocchio, and confirms that Hoot Gibson helped him get in to movies. Jones chats about a film he did with Errol Flynn, ROCKY MOUNTAIN (Warners, 1950), and was very complimentary about Flynn's acting talent and style: https://www.cherylrogers.com/interviews/dick-jones-special-guest-tv-talk-show/ Articles on Dick Jones at the Internet Archive:
Multi-page article with many photos of Jones, wife Betty, and their four children in a 1957 issue of Radio TV Mirror magazine: https://archive.org/details/radiotvmir00mac/page/n257/mode/2up?view=theater Dickie Jones and Hoot Gibson:
April 29, 1933 Los Angeles Times article on six-year old Dickie Jones appearing with Hoot Gibson's Rodeo in Saugus, California: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-six-year-old-dicki/134976045/ Dickie Jones as radio's Henry Aldrich:
August 20, 1943 McKinney, Texas Courier-Gazette article - headline reads "Dickie Jones To Take Henry Aldrich Role" : https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-gazette-dickie-jones-to-play/134648539/ Dickie Jones and Pinocchio:
Interview of Jones in the June 27, 1992 El Paso Times about Walt Disney's Pinocchio: https://www.newspapers.com/article/el-paso-times-interview-of-dick-jones-wh/134405325/ Lots of newspaper articles on Jones when he starred as Buffalo Bill Jr.:
Summer, 1955 newspaper clipping announcing Dick Jones as the star of new TV adventure, BUFFALO BILL, JR, and the sponsor was Milky Way candy bars from Mars Candy: https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-paul-recorder-dick-jones-stars-as/135100312/ More links on Dick Jones:
Dick Jones received a Golden Boot Award at the 1989 awards ceremony. Check the Golden Boot Awards page on the Old Corral. Episodes of THE RANGE RIDER and BUFFALO BILL JR can be viewed or downloaded from YouTube and the Internet Archive:
THE RANGE RIDER on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22the+range+rider%22 |