By Samantha L. Harper
Title: MS 073 - Maxine Jones Beery Collection, 1905-1930
Primary Creator: Jones-Beery, Maxine
Extent: 1.5 Boxes
Arrangement:
The Maxine Jones Beery Collection (No. 73) is arranged into two series, as follows:
Outline of Series Arrangement
Photographs - Box 1 - 2
Series Descriptions
Series 1. Photo album of Sheridan, Wyoming. Description of Contents of Series.
Series 2. Picture postcard, 1905, .25 ft (Box 2 ) - Picture Postcards collected by "Buck" Jones relevant to the 1905 European tour of Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Postcards arrange into two sub-series alphabetically by people or place.
Date Acquired: 01/01/1966
Maxine Jones Beery (February 9, 1918 - August 22, 1990), Maxine was born February 9, 1918 to Charles Frederick "Buck" Jones and Odille "Dell" Osborne Jones. Maxine married Noah Beery Jr. in 1940 and the couple divorced in 1966. Sometime thereafter, Maxine married comic book and western magazine illustrator and portrait painter Nicholas Samuel FirFires (1917 - 1990). Maxine Jones FirFires passed away on August 22, 1990 in California.
Charles Frederick "Buck" (born Gebhart) Jones (December 12, 1891 - November 30,1942) was born in Vincennes, Indianan on December 12, 1891. He served in the United States Army from 1907 until December 12909. By 1910 he had re-enlisted in the US Army, receiving his second honorable discharge from the Army in 1913. Following his military service, he began working as a cowboy on the "101 Ranch" near Bliss, Oklahoma. While attending equestrian shows he met Odille "Dell" Osborne, who rode horses professionally. The two married in 1915. He and his wife then formed their own riding expedition show, and toured the U. S. They had one child, a daughter they named Maxine.
In 1918 while in Los Angeles, Jones decided to leave cowboy life behind. He was hired by Universal Pictures as a bit player and stuntman. He later worked for Canyon Pictures, and the Fox Film Corporation as a stuntman. This led to his first starring role, The Last Straw, released in 1920. By 1928 he started his own production company, which produced films for nearly ten years. By the 1930's he was on contract with Columbia Pictures.
Jones had more than 160 film credits to his name. During his career, he would develop a lifelong friendship with Scott R. Dunlap, a director and producer who would work with him on many of his films. Jones was also a consultant to the Daisy Outdoor Products Company. Buck Jones was one of the 492 victims of the 1942 Coconut Grove fire in Boston, Massachusetts, dying on November 30, two days after the blaze.
Repository: McCracken Research Library
Access Restrictions: McCracken Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials. Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation or publication. Contact McCracken Research Library for more information.
Acquisition Source: Whitney Museum of Western Art
Acquisition Method: Transfer
Preferred Citation: Maxine Jones Beery Collection, MS 73, McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West
