The handsome cowboy star, an idol to millions of people, was being honored at a testimonial at Boston's beautiful Cocoanut Grove nightclub when an employee accidentally set fire to an artificial palm tree. The fire burned out the lives of 492 people, including the movie icon and most of his party.
Charles Frederick Gebhardt was born Dec. 4, 1889 in Vincennes, Ind. His parents soon divorced. Charles disliked his stepfather, and at a young age went to live with friends of his family who owned a small general store in Vincennes. Then, when he was 12, he escaped with his older sister Ada to live in Indianapolis, though future publicity reported he grew up in Montana.
After two stints in the Army, where he learned to ride a horse, Charles was discharged in Texas City. There, he heard about the 101 Wild West Show in Galveston, where he hoped to find a riding job. The only position available was currying horses for cowboys, but when an opening occurred, Charles was given a costume and a horse and gave back a good performance. Charles toured the country with the show, and while performing in New York met cowgirl Odille 'Dell' Osborne when she joined the troupe. They fell in love, and when Dell decided to join the Julia Allen Wild West Show in 1915, he followed her and joined the same show. Though they had no money, they were determined to get married. The promoters offered to pay for everything if the ceremony would be performed as entertainment for the fans, with the bride, groom and minister on horseback. Everyone agreed.
Charles and Dell soon formed their own riding expedition circus, touring many towns in the west. When Dell became pregnant with their only child Maxine, who later married actor Noah Beery Jr., Charles looked for work in Hollywood at Universal Studios, where he was hired as a stuntman for $5 a day. He soon went to Canyon Pictures where he appeared in several short westerns, and then landed a job at Fox Studios as a stuntman for $40 a day. Fox cowboy star Tom Mix was causing problems with his salary demands, and the studio felt they needed a backup. Twenty-nine-year-old Buck was good-looking, likeable, funny, talented and a surprisingly good actor. The studio decided to make him a star and his first role was in The Last Straw ( 1920 ) , billed as Charles Jones. Later, he became Charles 'Buck' Jones, finally settling on Buck Jones. Though screen rivals, Buck and Tom became good friends.
Buck and his horse Silver made dozens of popular western films throughout the 1920s, and his film The Fighting Buckaroo ( 1926 ) brought a new slang word for cowboy into the language—'buckaroo.' Later, he decided to produce his own films. His first effort was The Big Hop ( 1928 ) , which was not a big hit, and lost a fortune. He next produced the live Buck Jones Wild West Show and Roundup Days, which did poorly. Next, Jones joined the Robbins Brothers Circus where he became the main attraction. Then, he returned to Columbia Studios and made his first talking film, The Lone Rider ( 1930 ) . Other films that followed included The Texas Ranger ( 1931 ) , Branded ( 1931 ) , Gordon of Ghost City ( 1933 ) , Sundown Rider ( 1933 ) , The Red Rider ( 1934 ) , The Phantom Rider ( 1936 ) , Hollywood Roundup ( 1937 ) , California Frontier ( 1938 ) and Wagons Westward ( 1940 ) . Jones also made a few non-western films that included Child of Manhattan ( 1932 ) , High Speed ( 1932 ) and Unmarried ( 1939 ) . In 1936, Jones was ranked the No. 1 cowboy star in polls.
Jones went to Boston on a publicity and bond selling tour for the war effort. While there, on Nov. 28, 1942, six days before his birthday, he was invited to a testimonial dinner thrown in his honor and held at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, a tropical paradise where the entire roof was able to roll back in summer for people to dance under the stars. In the lower level of the club, just after 10 p.m. in the Melody Lounge, a 16-year-old barback lit a match to see how to replace a lightbulb a couple had unscrewed. Suddenly a palm tree ignited, and after what seemed like the boy's humorous attempts to douse the flames with a seltzer bottle, the flames raced across the shimmering satin fabric-covered ceiling, which fell and ignited patrons' hair. People burned while the fire exploded up the stairs to the mezzanine within five minutes and raced across the elegant dance floor toward the stage. Buck and his party were sitting at several tables while the leather walls, although treated for fire resistance, emanated thick clouds of choking smoke.
Side exits were locked, and so was the roof, and an estimated 1,000 patrons screamed and ran in the sudden darkness lit only by fire. People headed towards a revolving door, the only way out. Just a few made it through before it became hopelessly jammed. It was later determined that an enormous fight had taken place in the eclipsed room, so vicious that bodies were literally torn apart. News accounts reported Buck Jones as a hero trying to save the burning victims as he ran in and out of the building, though Jones was found near where he had been seated. The badly burned star was rushed to the hospital, where he died Nov. 30, 1942.
Sources New York Times; Buck Jones Web sites.
Steve Starr is the author of Picture Perfect-Art Deco Photo Frames 1926-1946, published by Rizzoli International Publications, 1991. A designer, artist, photographer, writer and chronicler of movie stars, he is the owner of Steve Starr Studios, specializing in original Art Deco photo frames and artifacts and celebrating its 39th anniversary in 2006. Steve Starr's personal collection of over 950 gorgeous, original Art Deco photo frames is filled with photos of Hollywood's most elegant stars.
Visit www.SteveStarrStudios.com, or visit the Steve Starr Satellite Studio at the Ravenswood Antique Mart, 4727 N. Damen Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60640. Phone ( 773 ) 271-3700.
Email Steve at sssChicago@ameritech.net or phone ( 773 ) 463-8017
Steve Starr, wearing a skin-tight dark gold lurex bodysuit, black jewelry and black mask, will be photographing the costumed crowd for charity at Chicago Sings For New Orleans, at the Park West Theatre, Feb. 28, www.ChicagoSings.com .
Photo of Steve Starr by Albert Aguilar June 25, 2002.
