Dick Jones
(February 25, 1927 – July 7, 2014)
Dick Jones passed away this week. He’ll be remembered by most as the voice of Pinocchio (1940). But Westerns fans, we’ll remember Buffalo Bill, Jr. and The Range Rider on TV. And, of course, a string of appearances in Gene Autry movies and his TV show. He’s seen above with Gene in The Strawberry Roan (1948).
He had a great role in the underrated Errol Flynn Western Rocky Mountain (1950).
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Je me souviens de lui et de son petit chien dans ” Rocky mountain”. Mon premier film, j’avais 8 ans. R.I.P.
Dick Jones said, in an interview, that he kept the dog from “Rocky Mountain”. When Warner Bros. made the first episode of the “Cheyenne” series, called ‘Mountain Fortress’, which was a reworking of “Rocky Mountain”, with action scenes used from the movie, they hired the same dog from Dick Jones. Jones said they picked the dog up in a limousine.
Fearless in action scenes, and it was always good to see him, and fun when spotted in a non-action part, or as youngster in a Hoppy or Nancy Drew movie.
I actually met Dick Jones and got to shake his hand, along with that of Jock Mahoney, or Jack as he was known then. They were doing a Range Rider rodeo show that came to Philadelphia. My dad took as to the back of the Philly Arena where they were loading their trucks up to head out for the next town. A couple of nice guys. They gave a hell of a show with staged fights, horse falls, lariat tricks. Tired as they must have been at 11 p.m they were very gracious.