Jody McCrea
Encyclopedia
Joel Dee "Jody" McCrea was an American film and television actor; son of veteran film actors Joel McCrea
and Frances Dee
, who were married from 1933 until Joel McCrea's death in 1990. The eldest of three, his brothers are David McCrea and Peter McCrea.
, Special Services. He later briefly hosted Country Style, USA, an Army-produced recruiting television
program filmed in Nashville, Tennessee
, featuring various country entertainers. He began acting on the 1959-1960 television series Wichita Town
with his father. He went on to star in films (mainly westerns), including the World War I
drama Lafayette Escadrille
, The Broken Land
(with Jack Nicholson
), Law of the Lawless, and Cry Blood, Apache
, which he also produced.
In 1959, McCrea costarred with his father in the short-lived NBC
western Wichita Town
, set in Wichita
, Kansas
. Joel McCrea appeared as Marshal
Mike Dunbar. Jody McCrea did not portray the role of Joel's son on the program but as the deputy marshal, Ben Matheson.
He was most notable for his comedic role as dumb-minded "Deadhead" ("Bonehead") in the 1960s Beach Party
films made by American International Pictures
. Other beach movies in which he has appeared include Muscle Beach Party
, Bikini Beach
, and Beach Blanket Bingo
.
He made several television appearances, including Wagon Train
, Vacation Playhouse, and The Greatest Show on Earth
. He played Lieutenant Brannin, a cocky cavalry
officer based loosely on George Armstrong Custer
, in Sam Peckinpah
's Major Dundee
(1965), but his scene was deleted from the final cut.
When cast in the beach pictures, McCrea realized his comedic potential. When first offered the role of "Deadhead", for example, he was quoted at the time as saying that he "wasn't sure what the character would become". McCrea felt that the audience enjoyed Deadhead as they felt superior to him.
McCrea was an avid body builder, and the only actor appearing in the American International Pictures
beach movies who could actually surf.
He recorded a 45 rpm single in 1964 for Canjo Records to coincide with the film Bikini Beach
(Side A: "Chicken Surfer"/Side B: "Looney Gooney Bird")
who didn't want him to be in show business, though McCrea had planned to sequels to the film. He became a rancher in Roswell, New Mexico
, where he died in 2009 of heart attack at age 74.
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films.-Early life:...
and Frances Dee
Frances Dee
Frances Marion Dee was an American actress. She starred opposite Maurice Chevalier in the early talkie musical, The Playboy of Paris...
, who were married from 1933 until Joel McCrea's death in 1990. The eldest of three, his brothers are David McCrea and Peter McCrea.
Career
Jody McCrea served in the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Special Services. He later briefly hosted Country Style, USA, an Army-produced recruiting television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program filmed in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, featuring various country entertainers. He began acting on the 1959-1960 television series Wichita Town
Wichita Town
Wichita Town is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960....
with his father. He went on to star in films (mainly westerns), including the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
drama Lafayette Escadrille
Lafayette Escadrille (film)
Lafayette Escadrille American war film released in March of 1958 by Warner Brothers Pictures, starring Tab Hunter, David Janssen, and Will Hutchins, and featuring Clint Eastwood in an early supporting role. It was the final film in the career of director William A...
, The Broken Land
The Broken Land
The Broken Land is a 1962 film starring Kent Taylor, Diana Darrin, and Jack Nicholson. The film was directed by John A. Bushelman.-Plot:The film is about a cowboy who rides into a small town that is ruled with an iron fist by a corrupt sheriff...
(with Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
), Law of the Lawless, and Cry Blood, Apache
Cry Blood, Apache
Cry Blood, Apache is a 1970 western film directed by Jack Starrett and assistant director Robert Tessier. The film released by Liberty Entertainment was from an original story by Harold Roberts with a screenplay by Sean MacGregor and has been rereleased as part of a 20 movie DVD pack titled Mean...
, which he also produced.
In 1959, McCrea costarred with his father in the short-lived NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
western Wichita Town
Wichita Town
Wichita Town is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960....
, set in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Joel McCrea appeared as Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Mike Dunbar. Jody McCrea did not portray the role of Joel's son on the program but as the deputy marshal, Ben Matheson.
He was most notable for his comedic role as dumb-minded "Deadhead" ("Bonehead") in the 1960s Beach Party
Beach Party
Beach Party was the first of several beach party films from American International Pictures aimed at a teen audience. It was directed by William Asher and written by Lou Rusoff. The main actors included Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, and Annette Funicello...
films made by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
. Other beach movies in which he has appeared include Muscle Beach Party
Muscle Beach Party
Muscle Beach Party is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It was made in 1964 and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series...
, Bikini Beach
Bikini Beach
Bikini Beach is a 1964 teen film directed by William Asher and starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The film belongs to the beach party genre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in a series of seven films produced by American International Pictures .-Plot:School is out and...
, and Beach Blanket Bingo
Beach Blanket Bingo
Beach Blanket Bingo is an American International Pictures beach party film, released in 1965 and was directed by William Asher. It is the fifth film in the beach party film series...
.
He made several television appearances, including Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
, Vacation Playhouse, and The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)
The Greatest Show on Earth is an American drama series starring Jack Palance about the American circus, which aired on ABC from September 17, 1963, to April 28, 1964...
. He played Lieutenant Brannin, a cocky cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
officer based loosely on George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
, in Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
's Major Dundee
Major Dundee
Major Dundee is a 1965 Western film written by Harry Julian Fink and directed by Sam Peckinpah. It starred Charlton Heston and Richard Harris as officers from opposing sides in the American Civil War who band together to hunt down a band of Apaches....
(1965), but his scene was deleted from the final cut.
When cast in the beach pictures, McCrea realized his comedic potential. When first offered the role of "Deadhead", for example, he was quoted at the time as saying that he "wasn't sure what the character would become". McCrea felt that the audience enjoyed Deadhead as they felt superior to him.
McCrea was an avid body builder, and the only actor appearing in the American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
beach movies who could actually surf.
He recorded a 45 rpm single in 1964 for Canjo Records to coincide with the film Bikini Beach
Bikini Beach
Bikini Beach is a 1964 teen film directed by William Asher and starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The film belongs to the beach party genre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in a series of seven films produced by American International Pictures .-Plot:School is out and...
(Side A: "Chicken Surfer"/Side B: "Looney Gooney Bird")
Later career and death
He occasionally acted in community theater as well. McCrea retired from acting altogether in 1970 after his final film Cry Blood, Apache. McCrea married a woman of the First NationsFirst Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
who didn't want him to be in show business, though McCrea had planned to sequels to the film. He became a rancher in Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
, where he died in 2009 of heart attack at age 74.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Lucy Gallant | Tom Dunning | Uncredited Alternative title: Oil Town |
| 1956 | The First Texan | Lt. Baker | |
| Naked Gun | Young man | Alternative title: The Hanging Judge | |
| 1957 | The Monster That Challenged the World The Monster That Challenged the World The Monster That Challenged the World is a science-fiction monster movie, about an army of giant mollusks that emerge from the Salton Sea, California. Directed by Arnold Laven, the film starred Tim Holt and Audrey Dalton.... |
Seaman Fred Johnson | |
| Trooper Hook | Trooper Whittaker | Uncredited | |
| Gunsight Ridge | Groom | ||
| 1958 | Lafayette Escadrille Lafayette Escadrille (film) Lafayette Escadrille American war film released in March of 1958 by Warner Brothers Pictures, starring Tab Hunter, David Janssen, and Will Hutchins, and featuring Clint Eastwood in an early supporting role. It was the final film in the career of director William A... |
Tom Hitchcock | Alternative titles: C'est la guerre Hell Bent for Glory With You in My Arms |
| The Restless Years | Bruce Mitchell | Alternative title: The Wonderful Years | |
| 1961 | All Hands on Deck | Lt. J.G. Schuyler | |
| Force of Impulse | Phil Anderson | ||
| 1962 | The Broken Land The Broken Land The Broken Land is a 1962 film starring Kent Taylor, Diana Darrin, and Jack Nicholson. The film was directed by John A. Bushelman.-Plot:The film is about a cowboy who rides into a small town that is ruled with an iron fist by a corrupt sheriff... |
Deputy Ed Flynn | |
| Young Guns of Texas | Jeff Shelby | ||
| 1963 | Operation Bikini Operation Bikini Operation Bikini is a film released in 1963 by American International Pictures. It was directed by Anthony Carras and starred Tab Hunter, Frankie Avalon, and Scott Brady.The casting was aimed to capture a varied audience... |
Seaman William Sherman | Alternative title: The Seafighters |
| Beach Party Beach Party Beach Party was the first of several beach party films from American International Pictures aimed at a teen audience. It was directed by William Asher and written by Lou Rusoff. The main actors included Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, and Annette Funicello... |
Deadhead | ||
| 1964 | Law of the Lawless | Pete Stone | Alternative title: Invitation to a Hanging |
| Muscle Beach Party Muscle Beach Party Muscle Beach Party is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It was made in 1964 and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series... |
Deadhead | ||
| Bikini Beach Bikini Beach Bikini Beach is a 1964 teen film directed by William Asher and starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The film belongs to the beach party genre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in a series of seven films produced by American International Pictures .-Plot:School is out and... |
Deadhead | ||
| Pajama Party Pajama Party (film) Pajama Party is a 1964 beach party film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. This is the fourth in a series of seven beach films produced by American International Pictures... |
Big Lunk | ||
| 1965 | Young Fury | Stone | |
| Major Dundee Major Dundee Major Dundee is a 1965 Western film written by Harry Julian Fink and directed by Sam Peckinpah. It starred Charlton Heston and Richard Harris as officers from opposing sides in the American Civil War who band together to hunt down a band of Apaches.... |
Lt. Brannin | Uncredited | |
| Beach Blanket Bingo Beach Blanket Bingo Beach Blanket Bingo is an American International Pictures beach party film, released in 1965 and was directed by William Asher. It is the fifth film in the beach party film series... |
Bonehead | ||
| How to Stuff a Wild Bikini How to Stuff a Wild Bikini How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is a 1965 beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverly Adams... |
Bonehead | ||
| 1966 | The Girls from Thunder Strip | Pike | |
| 1967 | Sam | Alternative title: The Hottest Fourth of July in the History of Brewster County | |
| 1968 | The Glory Stompers | Darryl | |
| 1969 | Scream Free! | Agent #1 | Credited as Joel Dee McCrea Alternative titles: Free Grass Street Drugs |
| 1970 | Cry Blood, Apache Cry Blood, Apache Cry Blood, Apache is a 1970 western film directed by Jack Starrett and assistant director Robert Tessier. The film released by Liberty Entertainment was from an original story by Harold Roberts with a screenplay by Sean MacGregor and has been rereleased as part of a 20 movie DVD pack titled Mean... |
Pitcalin | Producer |
| 1977 | Nightmare County | ||
| 1985 | Lady Streetfighter | Credited as Joel D. McCrea | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1956 | Chevron Hall of Stars | Danny | 1 episode |
| 1957 | Studio One | Bobby Applegate | 1 episode |
| 1958 | Sergeant Preston of the Yukon | Jerry Turner | 1 episode |
| Kraft Television Theatre Kraft Television Theatre Kraft Television Theatre is an American drama/anthology television series that began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. In January 1948, it moved to 9pm on Wednesdays, continuing in that timeslot until 1958. Initially produced by the J... |
1 episode | ||
| 1959 | Wichita Town Wichita Town Wichita Town is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960.... |
Deputy Ben Matheson | 4 episodes |
| 1961 | Guestward, Ho! Guestward, Ho! Guestward, Ho! is a situation comedy which aired on the ABC network in the 1960-1961 television season, based on the 1956 book of the same title by Patrick Dennis, author of Auntie Mame.... |
Danny "Brave Eagle" | 1 episode |
| 1962 | Death Valley Days Death Valley Days Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series... |
Lt. John F. Pershing | 1 episode |
| 1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series) The Greatest Show on Earth is an American drama series starring Jack Palance about the American circus, which aired on ABC from September 17, 1963, to April 28, 1964... |
Patrick Kelly | 1 episode |
| 1965 | Wagon Train Wagon Train Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65... |
Calvin | 1 episode |
| Vacation Playhouse | Julius "Bulldog" Sweetley | 1 episode | |