Henry
Jones (1912-1999) could usually be identified before looking up at the screen by
his unique vocal groan-whine nasal delivery—ghrining—when lacking
commitment or just ornery. The Philadelphia native was an
accomplished actor of stage, film and television but the
ordinary-looking 5' 10" Jones was initially a casting
challenge—directors not knowing what to do with him. That quickly
changed, being cast in more than 180 performances in film and
television roles, the latter being where it was most frequently seen.
Jones
possessed considerable stage experience—though a sporadic start in
1931. By 1938 he made his Broadway debut in Maurice
Evans' Hamlet. Nearly a decade later, between film and
television appearances, he gained notice for originating the role of
the suspicious handyman, Leroy Jessup, in The Bad Seed, with a
flaming end to his character for the 1956 Mervyn LeRoy version. Other
theater credits included The Solid Gold Cadillac, with
Sunrise at Campobello winning him the Tony Award for Best
Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. His last Broadway role was
in Advise and Consent in 1960-61.
His
wide range of second-string movie roles cast him often as a
philanderer, minister, judge, banker or sly mayor. He shined in
comedic support roles where his talent for angst or temptation could
be put to good use in such outings as Will Success Spoil Rock
Hunter?, Support Your Local Sheriff (and the sequel) Dirty Dingus Magee or 9 to 5. But it was not
all laughs. He often portrayed unscrupulous characters or ones with a
dark side. None more so than the methodically cruel coroner in
Vertigo (1958). However, Jones was most consistently visible
on television where he was in constant demand through the mid-1990s.
Capturing
Jones' craft first-hand is perhaps best displayed in five leading
roles on Alfred Hitchcock Presents (AHP). Jones was one of
Hitchcock's favorites, accounting for his five appearances on the
series (above). They best define his acting nuances where temptation
gets the best of him, knowing full well it is the wrong thing to
do—the very definition of temptation. His first episode, “”De
Mortuis” (1956), casts Jones with fishing buddies, Philip Coolidge
and a Professor, Robert Emhardt. Any one of which could hold an
episode together despite a worn script. But the Professor cannot be
found at home though they suspect he will be along shortly. To kill
some time, their conversation turns to Emhardt's younger, attractive
wife whose reputation for “fooling around” is no secret. In fact,
each has stories to tell. Jones is particularly tempted by his
encounter with her. A clatter leads them to discover Emhardt was in
his basement all along. The fresh cement section about the same
length as your average coffin gets them wondering—basement
entombment being somewhat a habit for AHP during this period. His
second appearance, entitled “Nightmare in 4-D” (1957) is a dark
comedy casting Jones as a married man with constant nightmares from
reading too much pulp fiction. In reality, he gets wrapped up with a
coy Barbara Baxley and her corpse lying on the floor of her
apartment. There is plenty of “ghrining” as Jones reluctantly
helps remove the “icky” body in the middle of the night simply as a
favor. Both performers are amusing. Unfortunately, his
straightforwardness becomes his next nightmare. Next has Jones as a
master taxidermist in, “The West Warlock Time Capsule” (1957),
whose cleverness in removing a cruel freeloader seems to be foolproof. For the futuristic episode, “The Blessington Method”
(1959), Jones plays an executive who meets with an "insurance"
agent of sorts, with a "Dr. Kevorkian" twist. Jones is
appropriately wary yet, once again, tempted. His quintessential
character finishes his final episode, “Profit-Sharing Plan”
(1962). Temptation raises its head during Jone's office retirement
party—with a thankless pen
and pencil set for twenty year's service. His unscrupulous plan is
thwarted at the last minute in an unanticipated twisted ending. Jones
also did one Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode, “The World's
Oldest Motive” (1965). Jones plays a philanderer with murder on his
mind. An ironic ending ensures.
One
would think Jones might have frequented The Twilight Zone, but
his single appearance was in the silly 1960 episode, “Mr. Bevis.”
Jones—a persuasive guardian angel—rescues the title character,
Orson Bean, from his oddball lifestyle as well as Bean's
lackadaisical performance. Jones had a regular role on the drama
Channing, then three decades of appearances running the gamut
from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to The Mary Tyler Moore Show
and its spin-off, Phillis. Jones joined that cast as her
cantankerous, droning father-in-law, Judge Jonathan Dexter. His final
recurring roles were on Falcon Crest from 1986-87 and in a
series without any traction, I Married Dora (1987-88).
No comments:
Post a Comment