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Saddle Pals & Sidekicks


Gordon Jones
(Images courtesy of Jack Tillmany)

Gordon Jones above left in the mid 1930s and mid 1950s on the right.

Gordon Jones

Full name: Gordon Wynnivo Jones

1912 - 1963

Special thanks to Bob O'Brien for authoring the following profile on Gordon Jones which went online back in 2007. Ye Old Corral webmeister added some new and updated info not available when Bob wrote the bio.

Gordon Jones (born in Alden, Hardin County, Iowa on April 5, 1912) could well be described as a comic/character actor. He is also an important comic sidekick - somewhat over looked - in the history of B westerns.

Jones graduated from UCLA in 1933. He played guard and tackle on the football team as well as track and field. Various newspaper reports tag him with a football nickname of "Bull". And some sources mention that Jones was a football All American, but that doesn't appear to be a truism.

He broke into films doing bit parts in the early 1930s. He landed a meaty role in the Eddie Cantor picture STRIKE ME PINK (Goldwyn/UA, 1936) which led directly to a contract at RKO from 1935 - 1938 where he was cast in a variety of B pictures, including two as the lead. RKO observed that while Mr. Jones could play light comedy roles from friendly pals to outright slap-stick buffoons, he was not a leading man type such as a James Stewart. However, he was loaned out to Grand National for the lead role in a horse racing comedy THE LONG SHOT (Grand National, 1939) before his contract ended. At the end of his RKO contract, Jones began free-lancing at both the major and Poverty Row studios such as MGM, Republic, Columbia and others doing a varied list of roles and bit parts. He was cast - against type - as "Britt Reid" in THE GREEN HORNET (Universal, 1940) cliffhanger at Universal Pictures. This was followed by the lead role of a rookie policeman in I TAKE THIS OATH (PRC, 1940) for low budget producer Sig Neufeld at Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC).

Jones was just starting to hit his stride in John Wayne's film FLYING TIGERS (Republic, 1942) and others, and hit a huge mark in the role of "The Ramblin' Wreck From Georgia Tech" in the comedy MY SISTER EILEEN (Columbia, 1942), before going off to duty in World War II. Jones had portrayed "the wreck" in the 1940 Broadway stage production of MY SISTER EILEEN.

After World War II Army service, Jones scored a comic bulls-eye as an outrageous parody of a western villain in the Danny Kaye film THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (Goldwyn, 1947), followed by the Abbott and Costello western send-up THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP (Universal, 1947), and then the role of a comedic villain "Happy Keegan" in the Columbia Cinecolor B+ "horse and bull" western THE UNTAMED BREED (Columbia, 1948) starring Sonny Tufts, Gabby Hayes and Edgar Buchanan. He also had featured roles in a number of other films in 1948 and 1949.

After making BELLE OF OLD MEXICO (Republic, 1950) with Robert Rockwell and Estelita Rodriguez (a splashy, Trucolor musical-comedy), Jones was signed to play Rex Allen's sidekick "I. Q. Barton" in Rex's first picture, ARIZONA COWBOY (Republic, 1950). Republic decided to move Jones into the sidekick spot in six Roy Rogers films for the 1950 - 1951 season. Four were shot in Trucolor and the last two, with lower budgets, in black and white. He played a character named "Splinters McGonigle" and transitioned into Roy's helper in TRIGGER JR. (Pat Brady's role as "Sparrow Biffle" was dropped following this film). Then came five more pairings of Jones with Roy: SUNSET IN THE WEST, NORTH OF THE GREAT DIVIDE, the guest-star filled TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD, SPOILERS OF THE PLAINS and HEART OF THE ROCKIES. All were well received and popular films. Herbert J. Yates, Republic Studios head, wanted more of Roy's adventures. But before Yates finalized a deal with Roy for three more films, Jones was gone. (Pinky Lee came on as Roy's sidekick in his final three Republic adventures.)

Jones did several for producer Lindsley Parsons at Monogram - he worked with Roddy McDowell in a pair, BLACK MIDNIGHT (Monogram, 1949) and BIG TIMBER (Monogram, 1950), and with Wayne Morris in YELLOW FIN (Monogram, 1951). There were other roles - including his recurring "Mike the Cop" on the Abbott and Costello's TV series, THE RAY MILLAND / MEET MR. McNULTY show on TV and radio, and several feature films including Gene Autry's WAGON TEAM (Columbia, 1952). Mr. Jones last true sidekick role was as cavalry "Pvt. Wilbur Clegg" in SHOOT-OUT AT MEDICINE BEND (Warner Brothers, 1957) which starred Randolph Scott and included early screen work for two future stars, James Garner and Angie Dickinson.

Throughout the remainder of the 1950s and into the 1960s, Jones worked steadily in films and as an A list guest on many episodic TV shows from PERRY MASON to GUNSMOKE and everything in between. His final film role was in John Wayne's western-comedy McLINTOCK! (Batjac/UA, 1963) which was filmed shortly before his death on June 20, 1963.

The June 21, 1963 Los Angeles Times had coverage of his passing - "Body of Gordon (Bull) Jones, 51, UCLA football and track star in 1930-31-32, was discovered at his home ... in Tarzana, where he lived alone. He apparently had died of a heart attack Wednesday.".

As to wife and family, Gordon tied the knot with Los Angeles socialite Lucile Van Winkle in 1935, but the marriage was brief and they had no children.


Screen capture of Gordon Jones starring as "Britt Reid / The Green Hornet" in the opening titles of THE GREEN HORNET (Universal, 1940) cliffhanger.


(Courtesy of Jerry Cristman)


TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD lobby card
(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Filmed during the period from June 21, 1950 - July 12, 1950, the Trucolor TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD (Republic, 1950) was Republic production 1835. Released in December, 1950 for the Holiday season, the storyline had some baddies stealing Christmas trees from Jack Holt's tree farm. A bunch of guest stars appeared with Roy. Above in the front row from L-to-R are Roy, Allan 'Rocky' Lane, Monte Hale and Roy's sidekick Gordon Jones. In the back row from L-to-R are Kermit Maynard, Tom Tyler, Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, William Farnum, George Chesebro, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage.

TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD was the last of Roy's Trucolor westerns.

Jones was Roy's helper in a half dozen: TRIGGER, JR. (Republic, 1950, in Trucolor), SUNSET IN THE WEST (Republic, 1950, in Trucolor), NORTH OF THE GREAT DIVIDE (Republic, 1950, in Trucolor), TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD (Republic, 1950, in Trucolor), SPOILERS OF THE PLAINS (Republic, 1951 in B&W), and HEART OF THE ROCKIES (Republic, 1951 in B&W). After those half-dozen with Gordon Jones, Roy did three more (with Pinky Lee as his helper) and then exited Republic to concentrate on his TV show. Gordon Jones worked sporadically at Republic, appearing in fifteen films during the period from 1938 - 1953.

Below is the title lobby card from SPOILERS OF THE PLAINS (Republic, 1951) with Jones shown in the bottom left. In the center, Roy Rogers is mixing it up with Republic contract player Grant Withers.



Spoilers of the Plains lobby card
(From Old Corral collection)

On the trail of Gordon Jones

Ye Old Corral webmaster did some additional research on Gordon Jones. Information below is from Family Search, trade publications, newspapers,, death certificate, and California Death Index:


(Photo courtesy of Dale Crawford & Jim Sorensen)

Find A Grave website notes that Jones is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11550/gordon-jones

Links

 Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Gordon Jones: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0428160/

The Internet Broadway Database credits Gordon Jones as "the Wreck" in the early 1940s New York stage production of MY SISTER EILEEN. As noted above, Jones also essayed that same role (as "The Ramblin' Wreck From Georgia Tech") in the film version of MY SISTER EILEEN (Columbia, 1942). The Broadway database is at: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/my-sister-eileen-1047#OpeningNightCast

Playbill Vault has the playbill for Jones in MY SISTER EILEEN at the Biltmore Theater in New York City in 1940. This link should open on "Who's Who in the Cast" page with Jones as "The Wreck": https://assets.playbill.com/playbill-inside/1a4797ea3fc64b594314b66b90563fc6-My-Sister-Eileen-02-41-5.jpg

J. David Goldin's RadioGoldIndex website has Gordon Jones in several 1953 - 1954 MEET MR. MCNUTLEY radio programs. When you get to the site, click "Start Here", then select "Search By Artist", then select J, then scroll down for Gordon Jones radio credits: https://radiogoldin.library.umkc.edu/

Gordon Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: https://walkoffame.com/gordon-jones/

Many of us old timers remember Jones as "Mike the cop" in nearly three dozen Abbott and Costello television programs. He also appeared in about twenty episodes of MEET MR. McNULTY / THE RAY MILLAND SHOW. Another of his semi-recurring roles was portraying "Butch Barton" on THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET TV show. Following is a link to the O&H program. Scroll about 2/3 of the way down that webpage and you'll find a screen capture showing Jones with Parley Baer and Frank Cady: http://www.incredibletvandmovies.com/nelsons.html

Jones is NOT listed as a UCLA Hall of Famer in any sport: https://uclabruins.com/honors/hall-of-fame/sport

No Gordon Jones in the football All American selections for 1931 - 1934. Possibility is that UCLA submitted him as a candidate, but he didn't make the final cut:
1931: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1931_College_Football_All-America_Team
1932: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_College_Football_All-America_Team
1933: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_College_Football_All-America_Team
1934: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_College_Football_All-America_Team



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