Hall of Fame of Western Film & TV Stars
Buck Jones

To help support the World War II war effort, Buck Jones made a 10-city War Bond tour. The City of Boston, Massachusetts celebrated the famous movie star. The night of November 28, 1942, he attended the festivities at the Coconut Grove nightclub. He had just signed a movie deal for Monogram Studios. However, a fire quickly engulfed the club and 491 people lost their lives. From his second and third degree burns, Buck Jones died two days later at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Born in Indiana, the young Gebhardt grew up on a ranch near Red Rock, Oklahoma. It was here he gained his riding and shooting skills. At 17, he joined the U.S. Army and saw action along the U.S. – Mexico border. The War Department sent the young soldier to the Philippines where he saw action against the Moro Insurrection. However, a sniper bullet wounded him his thigh. The Army returned the soldier back to the states to recuperate from his wound.

In 1913, he returned to Oklahoma after his discharge and found a job with the Miller 101 Ranch. The Miller family decided to organize the “101 Ranch Wild West Show.” Buck Jones became a feature rider.

On August 11, 1915, he married Odelle Osborne in the show ring at Lima, Ohio. However, World War I allies hired him to train their horses. He accepted an offer to perform with the Ringling Brothers Circus.

In 1920, William Fox added Buck Jones to his list of cowboy stars, when he starred in The Last Straw. However, Fox had Tom Mix. At the time, Mix demanded more money and Fox thought he could use Buck to keep him in line. However, the studio failed to see their 30-year-old actor becoming as important to the studio as Tom Mix. Within three years, Buck and Tom Mix were the two biggest stars at the Fox Studios. By 1928, Buck Jones’ popularity surpassed Tom Mix’s.

He joined Universal as a producer-director and star of his own movies in 1934. He was a major cowboy star and was the “King of the Cowboys.” Over the next three years, he made 22 features and four serials for the studio. Escalating costs and studio infighting eventually drove him back to Columbia. However, a poor 1937-38 series hurt his marketability and a couple of lean years followed.

In 1941, his old friend and former Fox producer Scott Dunlap got Jones to Monogram. There he teamed with Tim McCoy and Raymond Hatton for the “Rough Riders” series. With scripts that made Jones the dominant member of the trio, such films as Arizona Bound, Forbidden Trails and Ghost Town Law became very popular, and put Jones back at the top of the Hollywood Cowboy star list. Movie critics consider Ghost Town Law the best “Rough Riders” film. The movie mixes mystery and suspense with the usual fast-paced action.

Dawn On The Great Divide is Buck Jones last film. The U.S. Army calls Tim McCoy back to active duty. Rex Bell replaces McCoy in the last “Rough Rider” film. In this film, Jones plays a wagon train scout. Bell and Hatton help him save the settlers and railroad from bad guy Harry Woods.

Buck Jones' pictures featured his; white stallion, Silver. Silver seemed to sense when the camera focused on him and performed at the drop of a hat.

After finishing production, he undertook his ill-fated War Bond tour. On December 7, 1942, the 53-year old actor’s family held a memorial service at Hollywood’s Washington Boulevard Chapel. His daughter, Maxine, married cowboy actor Noah Beery, Jr. in 1940.

Without seeming preposterous, Buck Jones injected humor into his roles. He poked fun at himself rather than his sidekick. Buck Jones among the first cowboy stars to break away from the grim, poker-faced heroes. He once received more fan mail than matinee idol Clark Gable. Buck remained loyal to his younger fans. His "Buck Jones Rangers" fan club once contained 4,000,000 members.