Buck Jones
Toronto Daily Star, May 23 1932
Needless to say, Buck Jones (1891-1942) had taken a stage name for the movies; he was born Charles Frederick Gebhart. After two tours of duty in the U.S. Army, ending in 1913, the future Mr. Jones became a cowboy, then a bit player and stuntman in the movies, and then a star in his own right. He was featured in westerns from 1920 right up until his death.
Jones was one of the 492 victims of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in Boston on November 28, 1942 - the second-deadliest building fire in U.S. history. Some reports stated that he escaped the building, went back to help others, and was trapped; John Wayne, who listed Jones as his hero, was one of the people who believed this. The description of the events of the fire makes for horrifying reading.
Created August 28, 2025.