I. Stanford Jolley - Cowboy and Serial Villain

The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.

I. Stanford 'Stan' Jolley

Full name:
Isaac Stanford Jolley

1900 - 1978

(Courtesy of Minard Coons)

Above - Stan Jolley as the "Jingler" in the Range Busters' THE TRAIL OF THE SILVER SPURS (Monogram, 1941).
I. Stanford Jolley was a busy workman in scores of B westerns and cliffhangers, often portraying the head villain or a henchman.

He was born October 24, 1900 in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, to Minnie and Robert B. Jolley. The family lived in Morristown, New Jersey and father Robert owned the R. B. Jolley radio store and electrical contracting business in Morristown.

His acting career began circa 1920 in stage and vaudeville roles on Broadway and touring. Trade publications have a few mentions of Stan acting and stage managing on the East Coast and New York City theater:

The vaudeville section of the October 16, 1923 issue of Variety had "Stamford Jolly" appearing with Vera Gordon and company.
The vaudeville section of the September 10, 1924 issue of Variety had "Stanford Joliy" and Blanche Vogel in a skit with Jennie Moscowitz and Company.
The Internet Broadway Database has Jolley working on two plays in New York City. He's stage managing the 1923 play "Not So Fast" at the Morosco Theater and acting in the 1924 play, "Sweet Seventeen", at the Lyceum Theater.
Newspapers had Stanford Jolley in the touring company of the comedy "Battling Butler" at the Palace Theater in Bridgeport, Connecticut in October, 1925.

His stage and vaudeville career ended with the death of his father in 1926 and Stan returned to Morristown to take over the family business - and the 1929 Morristown, New Jersey City Directory and the 1930 census have him managing his father's electrical contracting and radio store. (On the next webpage, there's links to some great photos of the store at the Morristown, New Jersey and Morris Township Public Library, and the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center.)

Unsure if Stan sold or closed the store. In the mid 1930s, he and family were in Los Angeles and he began a film and television career that spanned about forty years and ran through the early 1970s.

The publicity still on the right shows Jolley in one of my favorite roles - as the mysterious killer "The Jingler", the wearer of the noisy spurs, in the Range Busters' adventure THE TRAIL OF THE SILVER SPURS (Monogram, 1941). Another good Jolley role was in the Eddie Dean WILD COUNTRY (PRC, 1947) where he portrayed escaped convict "Rip Caxton" (the wearer of the polka dot hat band).

One of my daughter's favorite holiday films is the Bing Crosby/Danny Kaye WHITE CHRISTMAS (Paramount, 1954), and she watches it several times each Christmas season. If you're a fan, remember the scene at the Pinetree, Vermont railroad station? Kaye and Crosby tell the stationmaster about the forthcoming arrival of the World War II vets for the party for General Waverly.That stationmaster was Jolley ... and he had a line or two of dialog and picked up a days pay for that minor role.

In THE CRIMSON GHOST (Republic, 1946) chapterplay, Jolley was the voice of the skeletal baddie (some reports indicate that it was Joe Forte wearing the cape and mask; other reports suggest it was stunt people).

Jolley made only about 25 appearances in films at Republic Pictures. He primarily labored for lower echelon production companies such as PRC and Monogram (as well as occasional bit parts in A films at the major studios). Les Adams has him in about 250 sound era films, and of that number, 167 are westerns and two dozen are cliffhangers.

As the B western and serial faded away, Jolley successfully migrated to television. And during the 1950s and early 1960s, he appeared in GUNSMOKE, WAGON TRAIN, WILD BILL HICKOK, PERRY MASON, and lots of other shows.

Minard Coons, who has furnished so many great pictures on this website, became friends with Jolley and his wife Emily (nickname of 'Peggy'). Minard mentioned that Peggy had told him "of the 500 films Stan appeared in, he never made more that $100 per film".

The Jolley's had a son and daughter. Daughter Sandra was married to actor Forrest Tucker, and later, to comedian and actor Jack Carson. Son Stan started out as an art director with Disney, and did many films as both art director and production designer. Minard recalled that Jolley's son left Disney in the 1970s and went out on his own. A long, long time ago, I caught one of the "Robbert Loggia / Elfredo Baca" westerns on the Disney Channel. Lo and behold, I. Stanford Jolley played the sheriff and son Stan was the Art Director.

I. Stanford 'Stan' Jolley passed away from congestive heart failure and arteriosclerotic heart disease on December 6, 1978 at the Motion Picture and Television Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, and is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California. His marker reads "A gentle man and as jolly by nature as he was by name. Loved by all and especially his family."

(From Old Corral collection)

Above is the title lobby card to BORDER ROUNDUP (PRC, 1942), one of the Lone Rider adventures. On the left is melodious hero George Houston with the drop on I. Stanford Jolley. On the right is heroine Patricia Knox assisting injured John Elliott. Notice the billing for Dennis Moore as "Smoky Moore".

(Courtesy of Pat LaRosa)

In the above lobby card from PRAIRIE PALS (PRC, 1942), one of the short-lived Frontier Marshal trio series, Lee Powell is delivering a left to the jaw of prolific western villain I. Stanford Jolley. Note that Powell is billed third behind singers/musicians Bill 'Cowboy Rambler' Boyd and Art Davis.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is the title lobby card to WOLVES OF THE RANGE (PRC, 1943), one of the PRC Lone Rider adventures. Centered is star Bob Livingston. On the left is I. Stanford Jolley and on the right is Jack Ingram. Note the B&W inset on the lower left - that's Charles 'Slim' Whitaker (as "Pasha" the Swami) doing a bit with Al 'Fuzzy' St. John.

(From Old Corral collection)

L-to-R are Allan 'Rocky' Lane, I. Stanford Jolley and Eddy Waller in a lobby card from LEADVILLE GUNSLINGER (Republic, 1952).

(Courtesy of Pamela "Brooke" Tucker)

Above is Pamela "Brooke" Tucker sandwiched between her dad, Forrest Tucker (right) and her grandfather, I. Stanford Jolley (left), circa 1968. Forrest Tucker was married to Stan's daughter, Sandra Jolley.

In November-December, 2003, Pamela "Brooke" Tucker and I exchanged e-mails. Brooke is the granddaughter of I. Stanford Jolley, and the following has been consolidated from several e-mails from Brooke:

(Courtesy of Pamela "Brooke" Tucker)

Above - Stan and Emily, 1965.
My grandmother, Emily "Peggy" Jolley, just passed away (October 18, 2003) at 102+ years old at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California.

I. Stanford Jolley was just "Pop-Pop" to me. I didn't follow in his footsteps (or those of my father, Forrest Tucker) but became a miniaturist.

The most important thing about my grandfather was that he was the antithesis of all the villains he portrayed. He was a gentleman and a gentle man. He was ALWAYS interested in what the other person had to say and when you met him, he made you feel as though you were very important and special. All of my friends growing up loved him.

He and "Nana" were also great at the horse races! I remember when I was very little, Pop-Pop and Nana would get up early and do their homework handicapping the horses that were running that day. Then behind her back, he and I would have a side bet. I'd get 25 cents of 'action' on his bets! My mother (when she found out) was horrified ... but it sure helped me learn numbers quickly!

The Forrest Tucker connection: My mother, Sandra Jolley, was an Earl Carroll showgirl and she met and married my father, Forrest Tucker. They were married several years, then divorced but the entire family was always close. My mother and father were born ten days apart and died ten days apart and they were always friends. My mother was Jack Carson's widow.

(Courtesy of Pamela "Brooke" Tucker)

The Jolley Family, 1939. From L-to-R are Emily ('Peggy'), Sandra, Stan Jr. and I. Stanford Jolley.

(Courtesy of Pamela "Brooke" Tucker)

Above are Stan and Emily circa 1939.

(Courtesy of Pamela "Brooke" Tucker)

Above are Stan with Brooke's stepdad, comedian and movie star Jack Carson, circa 1961.

(Courtesy of Pamela "Brooke" Tucker)

1974 photo and standing from L-to-R are Stan Jr. and his wife Jamie, and on the far right is Brooke's mother Sandra. Left to right in the bottom row are an unidentified woman, Stan and wife Emily.