Dickie Jones was a talented actor and singer who rose to fame as a child star in Hollywood. He is best known for providing the voice of Pinocchio in Walt Disney’s classic animated film of the same name. But how did he die and what happened to him after his successful career? Here is the tragic story of Dickie Jones, the voice of Pinocchio.
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Early life and career
Dickie Jones was born on February 25, 1927, in Snyder, Texas, as Richard Percy Jones Jr. He was the son of a newspaper editor and a prodigious horseman from infancy. He was billed at the age of four as the “World’s Youngest Trick Rider and Trick Roper”. At the age of six, he was hired to perform riding and lariat tricks in the rodeo owned by western star Hoot Gibson, who convinced young Jones and his parents that he should come to Hollywood.
Jones and his mother moved there, and Gibson arranged for some small parts for the boy, whose good looks, energy, and pleasant voice quickly landed him more and bigger parts, both in low-budget westerns as well as in more substantial productions. Among his early films are Little Men (1934) and A Man to Remember (1938). Jones appeared as a bit player in several of Hal Roach’s Our Gang (The Little Rascals) shorts, including The Pigskin Palooka and Our Gang Follies of 1938 (both from 1937). In 1939, Jones appeared as a troublesome kid, Killer Parkins, in the film Nancy Drew… Reporter. The same year he appeared with Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Senate page Richard (Dick) Jones.
The voice of Pinocchio
In 1940, he had one of his most prominent roles, as the voice of Pinocchio in Disney’s animated film of the same name. Jones recalled that he beat out about 200 other children auditioning for the role. He said that he met Walt Disney in 1939 and that he asked him the famous question: “Would you like to do the voice of Pinocchio?” Jones said that he was thrilled and eager to do it. He said that he recorded his lines with a microphone hidden behind a curtain while watching the scenes on a screen. He said that he enjoyed working with Disney and that he was very kind and generous to him.
The film was a critical and commercial success and is considered one of the greatest animated films of all time. It won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “When You Wish Upon a Star”. The film also made Jones a household name and a Disney legend.
Later career and personal life
Jones attended Hollywood High School and at fifteen took over the role of Henry Aldrich on the hit radio show The Aldrich Family. He learned carpentry and augmented his income with jobs in that field. He served in the Army in the Alaska Territory during the final months of World War II.
Gene Autry, who before the war had cast Jones in several westerns, put him back to work through Autry’s Flying A Pictures and, for television, his Flying A Productions. Jones guest-starred regularly on The Gene Autry Show in the early 1950s. He appeared in a 1950 episode of the TV series The Lone Ranger titled “Man Without a Gun”. In 1950, at the age of twenty-three, he played the 16-year-old cook for a small Confederate Army unit in the film Rocky Mountain.
By 1951, he was billed as Dick Jones, and starred as Dick West, sidekick to the Western hero known as The Range Rider, played by Jock Mahoney, in a Gene Autry television series that ran for seventy-six episodes in syndication, beginning in 1951. Then Autry gave Jones his own series Buffalo Bill, Jr., which ran for 40 episodes.
Jones continued working in films throughout the 50’s and into the 60’s. In 1966 he retired from acting and entered the business world. He pursued a career in real estate and banking.
Jones married his wife Betty in 1948. Together they had four children: Rick, Jeffrey, Jennifer and Melody. They remained married until Jones’ death in 2014.
Cause of death
Jones died after complications from a fall at his home on July 7, 2014, at the age of 87. He was found by his son Rick who called an ambulance. He was pronounced dead at Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Northridge, California.
According to his son Rick, Jones had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for several years before his death. He said that his father had been in good spirits and that he was still active and independent. He said that his father loved his fans and that he was proud of his work as Pinocchio.
At the time of his death, Jones was the last surviving cast member of the film Pinocchio. He was also one of the few remaining actors who had worked with Walt Disney personally. He was named a Disney Legend in 2000 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014.
Jones was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea. He is survived by his wife, four children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Legacy
Dickie Jones will always be remembered as the voice of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who wanted to become a real boy. His performance captured the innocence, curiosity, and courage of the character and touched the hearts of millions of viewers. His voice also became synonymous with the song “When You Wish Upon a Star”, which has become an iconic anthem for Disney and for dreamers everywhere.
Jones was also a versatile and prolific actor who appeared in over 100 films and television shows, mostly in the western genre. He worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Jimmy Stewart, Gene Autry, Hoot Gibson, and Walt Disney. He was a talented singer who recorded several songs for Disney and other studios. He was also a skilled carpenter, a successful businessman, a loving husband, and a devoted father.
Dickie Jones was a true star who lived a remarkable life. He will always be remembered as one of the legends of Hollywood and as one of the most beloved voices in animation history.
