L. Q. Jones (Justus Ellis McQueen, Jr.)
(August 19, 1927 – July 9, 2022)
The great Western character actor L.Q. Jones has passed away at 94.
His real name was Justus Ellis McQueen, Jr., but for the screen, he took his name from his first picture, Battle Cry (1955).
Jones worked with some of the greats of 50s Westerns: Randolph Scott (1958’s Buchanan Rides Alone, above), Joel McCrea and Audie Murphy. Sam Peckinpah made him a member of his stock company, casting Jones in five of his films. He stayed extremely busy on TV, often in Westerns, throughout the 60s and 70s. And he wrote, produced and directed the 1975 science fiction film A Boy And His Dog.
He was a great storyteller, as the many YouTube videos of him will prove. 
L.Q. is T.C., the bad guy on the far right, in this promo still from Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969). He became close friends with Strother Martin (upper left).
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
L. Q. was Cheyenne Bodie’s sidekick in the first episode or two of the “CHEYENNE” TV show when it launched in 1955. Was that his first job after “BATTLE CRY”?
His credits come fast and furious in 1955-56, so it’s hard to say what order what was shot in. Jones says he came to Hollywood at the urging of his college roommate Fess Parker and landed the Battle Cry part his second week in town.
He was certainly billed as L.Q. in ‘Cheyenne’. Another role he made his own was the cowpuncher Belden over several series of “THE VIRGINIAN”. He always brings a smile to my face when he appears, bringing a kinda quirky yet naturalistic characterisation to the part.
RIP He nearly made it to 95!
Jerry, I hope everything is going well in your neck of the woods. Last night, in memory of L.Q. Jones, I re-watched the Classic Western RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY(filmed 1961, released 1962). I never get tired of viewing this one of a kind Classic.
L.Q. Jones made three movies in 1954, which were all released in 1955, before he was cast as Smitty Smith in Warner Bros. Presents CHEYENNE on tv, which first aired on 9/20/55. After three episodes L.Q. was dropped from the series.
In a publicity interview for the upcoming CHEYENNE series, L.Q. had this to say about his co-star Clint Walker, “Man, this Walker boy is so big I’m going to paint my horse with stripes so that I can get some attention on the tv screen. In fact, I had a major hand in the selection of Clint’s horse. The studio couldn’t find a horse big enough for Clint to ride. So I figured that if if I could find the biggest horse available in southern California and ride him without breaking my neck, it would be okay for Clint-Cheyenne, that is.”
I don’t really know the story behind the dropping of L.Q. from CHEYENNE, but it appears that when Roy Huggins became the show’s producer, the comical sidekick went out the stable door.
L Q Jones was a great character actor who will be sadly missed.RIP.
Toby, I knew this day was coming sooner, or later. L. Q. Jones, known as “Q” by his friends, was one of the best character actors in the movies, in my opinion. I don’t think he ever gave a bad performance. He was a natural from the get go, as was so evident in his first role as L. Q. Jones from Cotton Plant, Arkansas in BATTLE CRY(filmed 1954, released 1955) directed by Raoul Walsh for Warner Bros. Q’s story of how he became an actor is quite an amazing story and as a wonderful storyteller, he can tell it better than anyone.
I first recall L. Q. Jones from the Western tv series THE VIRGINIAN, this would have been in 1963. I’ve been a fan ever since and always will be. He made every movie and tv show episode that he was in, that much better by his presence.
I hope everyone will read this wonderful interview that L. Q. gave in 2019, because it is a dandy, thanks to L. Q.
https://diaboliquemagazine.com/a-conversation-with-the-legendary-l-q-jones-1927-2022/
L. Q. JONES(JUSTUS ELLIS MCQUEEN, JR,) R.I.P.
R.I.P. L.Q.JONES
Doing fine now, Walter, many thanks. We are well over the Covid now (I’ve had worse colds).
Yes, it would be interesting to know why Smitty Smith was dropped from CHEYENNE after just 3 episodes but I suspect the producers wanted an adult TV western (it was the first such series- just) and maybe a comic sidekick was not going to fit that.
Jerry, I think you’re right about the producer probably thinking that a comic sidekick was passe in a new adult Western like CHEYENNE(1955-63).
You mentioned L.Q. Jones as cowpuncher Belden in NBC-TV’s THE VIRGINIAN(1962-71). Has a youngster, I always viewed this high quality produced tv Western on Wednesday nights. I recall a memorable episode, “The Evil That Men Do,” which first aired on 10/16/63. It was the first show that L.Q. Jones appeared in as Andy Belden. There is a knock down, drag out fight scene between Belden(L.Q. Jones) and Matthew Cordell(Robert Redford).
Sad news. Jones used to occasionally come back to southeast Texas to visit kin, and sometimes made little public appearances, like at Lamar University in Beaumont. Always heard about these after the fact, and regretted missing him. Finally did catch up with him, and found him a very funny, very smart old gent. Discovered from him that we shared something in common, both at one time working at an asphalt plant by the river in Port Neches, TX, where I worked one summer as a laborer, digging ditches. Our experiences separated by many decades, however. Anyway, he seemed a funny, colorful guy, and I’ve always enjoyed his work in westerns immensely. Even when he’s a villain in the most innocuous tv-western, I still find myself always smiling when he makes an appearance, because I know he’s going to liven things up.
Bert, always a pleasure to read your reminiscences of getting to meet and talk with some of the people that we have all viewed and enjoyed their performances over the years in both movies and tv shows.
Like you and Jerry, when I see L.Q. Jones make an appearance it brings a smile. This also, brings to mind a story told by a friend of mine, the Western novelist Brett Cogburn. Brett and his wife were attending the Western Writers of America Convention at the Marriott Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico in June, 2012. It was crowded at that particular panel presentation and a convention employee came up to their table and asked if they would mind sharing the table with L.Q. Jones and his girlfriend. Well of course they didn’t mind, it would be a thrill to get to meet and talk with someone that he had watched in all those Westerns. He thought L.Q. was a wonderful storyteller.
Here is a video of L.Q. Jones and Western novelist Max Evans talking about working with Director Sam Peckinpah. They were at the 2012 Western Writers of America Convention.
This is a wonderful conversation with L.Q. and Harlan Ellison about the making of A Boy And His Dog, from the Shout! Factory podcast Shout!Takes https://shouttakes.libsyn.com/harlan-ellison-and-lq-jones-discuss-a-boy-and-his-dog
Paul, that is quite an interesting interchange between L.Q. Jones and Harlan Ellison from 2013. What people have to go through to get a movie made and released is something to behold.
Personally, to each his own, when it comes to this weird movie. I viewed A BOY AND HIS DOG(1975) one time on the USA NETWORK in 1988. Once was enough for me.
For bringing the ONLY humor relief to the otherwise solid WW2 epic directed by Raoul Walsh: THE NAKED AND THE DEAD (1958), and also letting himself be seen and heard in LOVE ME TENDER, without being listed in the main titles of that film!
I think the large number of comments on L.Q. shows the impact the man had as a larger-than-life character.
Great character, great character actor. Loved all his Peckinpah work. Later he is great in Scorsese’s ‘Casino’, really priceless in that. Plus, the weird power of his ‘Boy and his dog’.