Al St. John

Al St. John
Who's Who on the Screen,1920
Born	Alfred St. John (1892-09-10)September 10, 1892 Santa Ana, California,US
Died	January 21, 1963(1963-01-21)(aged 70) Lyons, Georgia,US
Occupations	Actor comedian stunt performer director writer
Years active	1912–1962
Spouses	Lillian Marion Ball ​ ​ (m.1914;div.1923)​ June Price Pearce ​ ​ (m.1926⁠–⁠1957)​ Yvonne St. John Flo-Bell Moore
Children	1
Relatives	Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle(uncle)

Al St. John(also credited asAl Saint Johnand"Fuzzy" St. John;September 10, 1892 – January 21, 1963) was an early American motion-picture comedian. He was a nephew ofsilent filmstarRoscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle,with whom he often performed on screen. St. John was employed byMack Sennettand also worked with many other leading players such asCharlie Chaplin,Buster KeatonandMabel Normand.His film career successfully transitioned from the silent era intosound,and by the late 1930s and 1940s he was working predominantly inWesterns,often portraying the scruffy comedy-relief character "Fuzzy Q. Jones".Among his notable performances in that role are in the "Billy the Kid"series of films released by theProducers Releasing Corporationfrom 1940 to 1946 and in that company's "Lone Rider"series from 1941 to 1943.

Early life, family and education

Alfred St. John was born inSanta Ana, California.He was the only child of parents Walter St. John, who supported the family initially as a farm laborer and later as a house builder, and Nora N. St. John (née Arbuckle), who was the older sister of actorRoscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.His uncle Roscoe was five years older than Alfred.In Los Angeles, he lived in the fashionableWest Adamsdistrict at 4300 Victoria Park Drive in the neighborhood ofVictoria Park.

Career

Barney Oldfield's A Race for a Life(1913) with left to right:Hank Mann,Ford Sterling,Al St. John and in the foregroundMabel Normand

Left: Ford Sterling as Keystone Cops Police chief [seated}; 4th from right: Al St John inIn the Clutches of the Gang(1914)

St. John (right) withBuster KeatonandRoscoe ArbuckleinOut West(1918)

Young "Al" entered silent films in 1911 to work as anextraand in minor character roles. Soon, however, he graduated to co-starring and then to starring roles in comedyshortsfor a variety of studios.

St. John frequently appeared as Arbuckle's mischievously villainous rival for the attentions of leading ladies such asMabel NormandandMinta Durfee.He worked with Arbuckle andCharles ChaplininThe Rounders(1914), although his most critically praised film during this period with Arbuckle remainsFatty and Mabel Adrift(1916). In France, he was billed as "Picratt."

As Fatty's rival "Al Clove" inLove(1919)

When Arbuckle formed his own production company, he brought St. John with him and recruited stage starBuster Keatoninto his films, creating a formidable roughhouse trio.After Arbuckle was involved in awidely publicized scandal that prevented him from appearing in movies,he pseudonymously directed his nephew Al as a comicleading manin silent and sound films such asThe Iron Mule(1925) andBridge Wives(1932). Dozens of St. John's early films were screened during the 56-filmArbuckleretrospective at theMuseum of Modern ArtinNew York Cityin 2006.

As St. John's screen career continued through the 1930s, he was increasingly cast as scruffy, bearded comic characters. He appears, for example, in this type of role in Buster Keaton's 1937 comedy shortLove Nest on Wheels,portraying thehillbillycharacter Uncle Jed.That same year he began supporting cowboy stars Fred Scott and later Jack Randall, but most of his films were made forPoverty RowstudioProducers Releasing Corporation(PRC). For that studio, he played "Fuzzy Q. Jones" in theBilly the Kidseries starringBob Steele,theLone Riderseries (starringGeorge Houstonand later Bob Livingston), and theBilly the Kid/Billy Carsonseries starringBuster Crabbe.

Buster Crabbe(left) with St. John inShadows of Death(1945)

The name "Fuzzy" originally belonged to a different actor,John Forrest “Fuzzy “Knight,who took on the role of "cowboy sidekick" before St. John. The studio first intended to hire Knight for the Western series, but then gave the role to St. John, who took on the nickname of his rival for his screen character.

Exhibitors loved Fuzzy, who could be counted on to attract moviegoers. Fuzzy's character was the main box-office draw in these films when shown in England and Europe. These ultra-low-budget Westerns took only a bit more than a week to film, so that Crabbe and St. John made 36 films together in a surprisingly short time. When Crabbe left PRC (according to interviews, in disgust at the productions' increasingly low budgets), St. John was paired with new starLash LaRue.Ultimately, St. John performed in more than 80 Westerns as Fuzzy.

St. John also created a character, "Stoney," in the filmThe Law of the 45'sthat later appeared, but played by different actors (includingJohn Wayne), in the continuing Western film seriesThe Three Mesquiteers.

St. John acted in more than 350 films during his screen career, which spanned the years 1911 through 1952.

Final years

For a decade after the end of his motion-picture career, he made assorted personal appearances at fairs, rodeos, on television, and at overseas USmilitary bases.He also performed with traveling live-action productions such as the Tommy ScottWild West Show.

St. John's death on January 21, 1963, occurred while he was touring with Scott. According to his obituaries, he suffered a massiveheart attackat amotelinLyons, Georgia,as he prepared for a special appearance at a nearbyAmerican Legionclub. It was also widely reported in news accounts that the 70-year-old veteran entertainer died at the motel "in the arms of his wife, Flo-Bell Moore".After a private funeral service in Lyons, St. John's body was sent toMacon, Georgiafor cremation. His ashes were then transferred toHomosassa Springs, Florida,where they were "deposited" at Fuzzy and Flo-Bell's permanent residence on the couple's "Double F Ranch".

Filmography

• Al St. John filmography

Further reading

• Copeland, Bobby J.Fuzzy St. John: Our Fuzzy Q. Jones.Madison, North Carolina: Empire Publishing Company, 2010;ISBN978-0-944019-57-3.
• Rothel, David.Those Great Cowboy Sidekicks.Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1984ISBN0810817071.

External links

• Official websiteRun by the Estate of Al St. John
• "Saddle Pals & Sidekicks: Al 'Fuzzy' St. John", Old Corral Website
• Al St. JohnatIMDb
• Al St. Johnat Virtual History
• Al St. John inBridge WivesonYouTube