CAC Benevolent Fund

Jingles

I decided a few weeks ago to write something a little different for this week's column. Growing up in Flint, Michigan, I enjoyed going downtown to the Strand or the Regent Theater to watch cowboy movies on the big screen early Saturday mornings.

Sometimes they would have serials that would leave you on the edge of your seat, anticipating the next part. It was always fun for me as I looked at the characters and patterned my life after them as I grew up. Remembering them is very easy, as most of their work is captured on VHS tapes and now in DVD form.

Developing a character on the big screen was not too very hard for most actors in the early part of the decades following the Great Depression. Many big names in the business migrated to California and became icons in the film industry and then branched off into other areas that still exist into today. Don "Red" Barry, Johnny Mack Brown, James Stewart, Charles Starrett, Bob Steele, Rod Cameron and Monte Hale were just some of these great western cowboys that mystified me in my early years.

A young Gene Autry and a young Roy Rogers became overnight sensations with their singing and no nonsense attitude between good and bad. Tex Ritter and others followed in their footsteps. Of course, there were many cowboys that played significant parts that won them acclaim too. Gene Autry had Dub Taylor, and Roy had Gabby Hayes with him.

Clayton Moore, William Boyd, Guy Madison and others had many sidekicks that fought alongside them in their movies and television shows. These sidekicks sometimes stole the show with their antics and some by their compassion for good over evil.

Jay Silverheels was Tonto, with Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger, and playing that part was a natural for him. He was a full-blooded Indian and very proud of his heritage. He was a fighter and knew a lot about life in the open ranges. He was the only partner that The Lone Ranger had with him through out the entire series.

William Boyd, who portrayed Hopalong Cassidy, had Andy Clyde, who was a character named California at his side during a lot of his movies and television broadcasts. Boyd also had Edgar Buchanan, who played Red Connors and later starred in Petticoat Junction, at his side.

Guy Madison, star of Wild Bill Hickock, had a rotund character named Jingles P. Jones at his side. This man was no stranger to movies and television, as he had been in the business since 1926, starring in over 100 movies. In 1937, he became a regular on Jack Benny's radio program, and the howl of "Hiya Buck" became a national trademark.

During the late 40's and early 50's, he became a character named Cookie Bullfincher in a lot of Roy Rogers movies before Pat Buttram and Nellybelle took over. In the mid 50's, he starred on the popular television series "Andy's Gang," which was a Saturday mainstay in the afternoon.

After a successful run on that program, he added his accolades in many more movies to his credit like "The Over the Hill Gang Rides Again," "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World," "How the West Was Won," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "Around the World in 80 Days" and "Pete Kelly's Blues." He also is credited with over 200 movies in which he played a major character.

He began life as Jeremiah Schwartz in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he was born on October 7, 1905. His death on February 18, 1977 caused a big void in the industry. At his request, he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Thank you, ANDY DEVINE, for your many years in making life very happy for me. May your soul be at peace.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers