![]() (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
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. |
![]() 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)
![]() (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. ![]() (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:
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![]() (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
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: |