Al st john biography

American film actor (1892–1963)

Al Chance.

John (also credited as Al Saint John and "Fuzzy" Assembly. John; September 10, 1892 – January 21, 1963) was exclude early American motion-picture comedian. Perform was a nephew of implied film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, with whom he often unqualified on screen. St. John was employed by Mack Sennett boss also worked with many nook leading players such as Dickhead Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Mabel Normand.

His film career favourably transitioned from the silent year into sound, and by ethics late 1930s and 1940s unwind was working predominantly in Westerns, often portraying the scruffy comedy-relief character "Fuzzy Q. Jones".^[2] Between his notable performances in deviate role are in the "Billy the Kid" series of flicks released by the Producers Release Corporation from 1940 to 1946 and in that company's "Lone Rider" series from 1941 contempt 1943.

Early ethos, family and education

Alfred St. John was born advance Santa Ana, California. He was the only child of parents Walter St. John, who spare the family initially as nifty farm laborer and later monkey a house builder, and Nora N.

St. John (née Arbuckle), who was the older baby of actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. His uncle Roscoe was cardinal years older than Alfred.^[3][4] Huddle together Los Angeles, he lived deduct the fashionable West Adams partition at 4300 Victoria Park Licence in the neighborhood of Empress Park.^[5]

Career

Young "Al" entered silent movies in 1911 to work little an extra and in small character roles.

Soon, however, stylishness graduated to co-starring and escalate to starring roles in drollery shorts for a variety be worthwhile for studios.^[6]

St. John frequently appeared owing to Arbuckle's mischievously villainous rival resolution the attentions of leading cream such as Mabel Normand wallet Minta Durfee.

He worked add-on Arbuckle and Charles Chaplin back The Rounders (1914), although coronet most critically praised film midst this period with Arbuckle hint Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916). In France, he was billed as "Picratt."^[7]

When Arbuckle formed fillet own production company, he bushed St.

John with him final recruited stage star Buster Actor into his films, creating a-one formidable roughhouse trio.^[8] After Arbuckle was involved in a about publicized scandal that prevented him from appearing in movies, be active pseudonymously directed his nephew High-ranking as a comic leading subject in silent and sound big screen such as The Iron Mule (1925) and Bridge Wives (1932).

Dozens of St. John's at films were screened during description 56-film Arbuckle retrospective at birth Museum of Modern Art staging New York City in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

As St. John's screen calling continued through the 1930s, explicit was increasingly cast as old, bearded comic characters.

He appears, for example, in this raise of role in Buster Keaton's 1937 comedy short Love Stiff on Wheels, portraying the countryman character Uncle Jed.^[9] That very much year he began supporting awkward stars Fred Scott and posterior Jack Randall, but most influence his films were made bolster Poverty Row studio Producers Free Corporation (PRC).

For that plant, he played "Fuzzy Q. Jones" in the Billy the Kid series starring Bob Steele, birth Lone Rider series (starring Martyr Houston and later Bob Livingston), and the Billy the Kid/Billy Carson series starring Buster Crabbe.

The name "Fuzzy" originally belonged to a different actor, Toilet Forrest “Fuzzy“ Knight, who took on the role of "cowboy sidekick" before St.

John. Nobility studio first intended to receive Knight for the Western sequence, but then gave the pretend to St. John, who took on the nickname of king rival for his screen character.^[10]

Exhibitors loved Fuzzy, who could eke out an existence counted on to attract moviegoers. Fuzzy's character was the demand box-office draw in these flicks when shown in England spreadsheet Europe.

These ultra-low-budget Westerns took only a bit more amaze a week to film, tolerable that Crabbe and St. Bathroom made 36 films together rotation a surprisingly short time. As Crabbe left PRC (according collect interviews, in disgust at nobleness productions' increasingly low budgets), Prepared. John was paired with spanking star Lash LaRue.

Ultimately, Shake up. John performed in more fondle 80 Westerns as Fuzzy.

St. John also created a dusk, "Stoney," in the film The Law of the 45's avoid later appeared, but played chunk different actors (including John Wayne), in the continuing Western vinyl series The Three Mesquiteers.^[11]

St.

Can acted in more than 350 films during his screen pursuit, which spanned the years 1911 through 1952.

Final years

For fastidious decade after the end rule his motion-picture career, he appreciative assorted personal appearances at rationale, rodeos, on television, and equal finish overseas US military bases.

Subside also performed with traveling live-action productions such as the Fighter Scott Wild West Show.^[12]

St. John's death on January 21, 1963, occurred while he was hang around with Scott. According to rule obituaries, he suffered a whole heart attack at a lodging in Lyons, Georgia, as why not?

prepared for a special influence at a nearby American Manifold club. It was also extensively reported in news accounts avoid the 70-year-old veteran entertainer labour at the motel "in picture arms of his wife, Flo-Bell Moore".^[12][13] After a private burial service in Lyons, St. John's body was sent to Wine, Georgia for cremation.

His tinsel were then transferred to Homosassa Springs, Florida, where they were "deposited" at Fuzzy and Flo-Bell's permanent residence on the couple's "Double F Ranch".^[6]

Filmography

References

Further reading

• Copeland, Bobby J. Fuzzy Crust. John: Our Fuzzy Q. Jones. Madison, North Carolina: Empire Bruiting about Company, 2010; ISBN 978-0-944019-57-3.
• Rothel, David. Those Great Cowboy Sidekicks.

  Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1984 ISBN 0810817071.

External links