The Jones Family

film series A film series or movie series is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. It is a type of series fiction. This article explains what film series are and gives brief examples ...

is seventeen

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

second feature A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...

family comedies produced between 1936 and 1940. Somewhat similar to the mildly comic tone of

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

's ''

Andy Hardy Andrew "Andy" Hardy is a fictional character best known for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer series of 16 films in which he was played by Mickey Rooney. The main film series was released from 1937 to 1946, with a final film made in 1958 in an unsuccessfu ...

'' and

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

'' Blondie'' films, the Joneses started as the Evanses, before the focus shifted and the formula was set.

Jed Prouty Jed Prouty (born Clarence Gordon Prouty; April 6, 1879 – May 10, 1956) was an American film actor. Biography Born as Clarence Gordon Prouty in Boston, Massachusetts, Prouty was a vaudeville performer before becoming a film actor. Mostly appe ...

played Mr. Jones,

Spring Byington Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of '' December Bride''. She was an MGM contract player who appeared in films from the ...

portrayed Mrs. Jones, veteran actress

Florence Roberts Florence Roberts (March 16, 1861/1864 – June 6, 1940(photo included) was an American actress of the stage and in motion pictures. Stock company actress Born in New York City, she began acting onstage there. Her career began at the Brooklyn ...

was Grandma,

Kenneth Howell Kenneth Howell (February 21, 1913 - September 28, 1966) was an American actor. He is best remembered for roles in films such as ''Pardon My Pups'' (1934), ''The Wrong Way Out'' (1938), ''Pride of the Bowery'' (1940) and ''Ball of Fire'' (1941), ...

was Jack,

George Ernest George Ernest (born George Ruud Hjorth; November 20, 1921 – June 25, 2009) was an American actor and Office of Strategic Services (OSS) combat photographer/cameraman during World War II. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1930 an ...

was Roger,

June Carlson June Carlson (April 16, 1924 – December 9, 1996) was an American film actress. Early years A native of Los Angeles, Carlson was the daughter of Hjalmas Carlson and Carrie Rogers Carlson. Film Carlson began her career as a child actress, appe ...

was Lucy and

Billy Mahan Billy Mahan (July 9, 1930 – August 30, 2002) was an American film actor. A child actor, he played the recurring role of Bobby Jones in Twentieth Century Fox's Jones Family series of films. His son is voice actor Kerrigan Mahan.Drew p.180 Sele ...

was Bobby in every film, with one exception: Prouty did not appear in the final entry. Bonnie was played by

June Lang June Lang (born Winifred June Vlasek, May 5, 1917 – May 16, 2005) was an American film actress. Early life Born Winifred June Vlasek in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Edith and Clarence Vlasek, After the family moved to Los An ...

in the initial ''Every Saturday Night'',

Shirley Deane Shirley Deane (born Shirley Deane Blattenberger; March 16, 1913 – April 26, 1983) was an American film actress. Early years Born in Fresno, California, to Jesse H. Blattenberger and his wife Zola (née Redden), she was raised by her matern ...

in ten films and

Joan Valerie Joan Valerie (born Helen Vlahakis; July 15, 1911 – January 30, 1983) was an American actress, who appeared mainly in B movies in the late 1930s and 1940s. Early years Born in Sparta, Wisconsin, Valerie was the daughter of Michael Vlahakis. ...

in the second-to-last one. The directors were Malcolm St. Clair, Herbert I. Leeds,

James Tinling James Tinling (May 8, 1889 in Seattle – May 14, 1967 in Los Angeles) was an American film director. He worked during the silent period as a prop boy and stuntman, and directed primarily for 20th Century Fox in the 1930s and 1940s. He has bee ...

and Frank R. Strayer. Gags and the story line for ''The Jones Family in Hollywood'' and ''Quick Millions'' were written by

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

, briefly moonlighting from MGM for his friend St. Clair.

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

launched their own competing film series of mild family comedies, the Higgins Family. It was the subject of nine movies from 1939 through 1941, most featuring actor

James Gleason James Austin Gleason (May 23, 1882 – April 12, 1959) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter born in New York City. Gleason often portrayed "tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold." Early life Gleason was ...

, his real-life wife

Lucile Gleason Lucile Gleason ( Webster; February 6, 1888 – May 18, 1947) was an American stage and screen actress. Gleason was also a civic worker who was active in film colony projects. Early life Lucile Webster was born on February 6, 1888, in Pasade ...

and their son Russell.

Filmography

* '' Every Saturday Night'' (1936) * ''

Educating Father ''Educating Father'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by James Tinling and starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane, and Dixie Dunbar. It was part of the Jones Family series of films.Drew p.180 Plot Cast * Jed Prouty as John Jones * Shirle ...

'' (1936) * ''

Back to Nature The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...

'' (1936) * '' Off to the Races'' (1937) * ''

Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

'' (1937) * ''

Hot Water Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated t ...

'' (working title "Too Much Limelight") (1937) * ''

Borrowing Trouble ''Borrowing Trouble'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer, starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane and Spring Byington.Drew p.180 ''Borrowing Trouble'' is part of the Jones Family series of films, and is also known by its alt ...

'' (1937) * ''

Love on a Budget ''Love on a Budget'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane and Spring Byington. It was part of Twentieth Century Fox's Jones Family series of films. The film's sets were designed by ...

'' (1938) * ''

A Trip to Paris ''A Trip to Paris'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair (filmmaker), Malcolm St. Clair and starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane and Spring Byington.Drew p.180 It was part of the Jones Family series of films. The film's sets ...

'' (1938) * ''

Safety in Numbers Safety in numbers is the hypothesis that, by being part of a large physical group or mass, an individual is less likely to be the victim of a mishap, accident, attack, or other bad event. Some related theories also argue (and can show statistica ...

'' (1938) * '' Down on the Farm'' (1938) * '' Everybody's Baby'' (1939) * ''

The Jones Family in Hollywood ''The Jones Family in Hollywood'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and written by Harold Tarshis. The film stars Jed Prouty, Spring Byington, Kenneth Howell, George Ernest, June Carlson and Florence Roberts. It was r ...

'' (1939) * '' Quick Millions'' (1939) * '' Too Busy to Work'' (1939) * '' Young as You Feel'' (1940) * ''

On Their Own ''On Their Own'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Otto Brower and written by Harold Buchman and Val Burton. This last of 17 Jones Family films stars Spring Byington, Kenneth Howell, George Ernest, June Carlson, Florence Roberts, a ...

'' (1940)

References

American film series Comedy film characters {{1940s-comedy-film-stub