Al St. John
Al St. John (September 10, 1893 – January 21, 1963) in his persona of Fuzzy Q. Jones basically defined the role and concept of "comical sidekick" to cowboy heroes from 1930 to 1951. St. John also created a character, "Stoney," in the first of a continuing Western film series, The Three Mesquiteers, that was later played (at a low point in his own career) by John Wayne.
Born in Santa Ana, California, St. John entered silent films around 1912 and soon rose to co-starring and starring roles in short comic films from a variety of studios. His uncle, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, may have helped him in his early days at Mack Sennett Studios, but talent kept him working. He was slender, sandy-haired, handsome and a remarkable acrobat.
St. John frequently appeared as Arbuckle's mischievously villainous rival for the attentions of leading ladies like Mabel Normand, and worked with Arbuckle and Charles Chaplin in The Rounders (1914). The most critically praised film from St. John's period with Arbuckle remains Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916) with Normand.
The name Fuzzy originally belonged to a different actor, John Forrest “Fuzzy“ Knight, who took on the role of cowboy sidekick before St. John. As the studio first intended to hire Knight for the western series but then gave the role to St. John instead, he took on the nickname of his rival for his screen character.
In most of his films, screen time was set aside for St. John to do a sort of solo comedy act, emphasizing amazing pratfalls and acrobatics. He might "find" a bicycle on a fairground set, and do an astonishing sequence of acrobatic stunts on the cycle, or he might try to capture a rat, bat, skunk, gopher, or bug with hilarious and chaotic consequences. Another stunt which he used in nearly every Western was virtually his trademark: he would mount his horse in apparently the standard manner, but somehow wind up sitting facing backward, and often would ride off with the hero in this unusual orientation.
When Crabbe left PRC (according to interviews, in disgust at their increasingly low budgets), St. John was paired with new star Lash LaRue. Ultimately, St. John made more than 80 Westerns as Fuzzy. His last film was released in 1952. From that time on until his death in 1963 in Lyons, Georgia, he made personal appearances at fairs and rodeos, and travelled with the Tommy Scott Wild West Show. Altogether, Al St. John acted in 346 movies, spanning four decades from 1912 to 1952.
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Filmography (271 Appearances)
Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Crazy Days
Days of Thrills and Laughter
The Golden Age of Comedy
The Frontier Phantom
The Black Lash
The Vanishing Outpost
The Thundering Trail
King of the Bullwhip
The Daltons' Women
Son of a Badman
Son of Billy the Kid
Outlaw Country
Frontier Revenge
Mark of the Lash
Dead Man's Gold
Cheyenne Takes Over
The Fighting Vigilantes
Return of the Lash
Stage to Mesa City
Ghost Town Renegades
Pioneer Justice
Border Feud
Law of the Lash
My Dog Shep
Outlaws of the Plains
Overland Riders
Prairie Badmen
Ghost Of Hidden Valley
Terrors on Horseback
Gentlemen With Guns
Lightning Raiders
Prairie Rustlers
Fighting Bill Carson
Border Badmen
Rustlers' Hideout
Stagecoach Outlaws
Gangster's Den
Shadows of Death
His Brother's Ghost
Oath of Vengeance
I'm from Arkansas
Wild Horse Phantom
Fuzzy Settles Down
The Drifter
Valley Of Vengeance
Thundering Gun Slingers
Frontier Outlaws
Devil Riders
Raiders of Red Gap
Blazing Frontier
The Renegade
Cattle Stampede
Law of the Saddle
Wolves of the Range
Western Cyclone
Death Rides the Plains
Dead Men Walk
Fugitive of the Plains
Wild Horse Rustlers
The Kid Rides Again
Outlaws of Boulder Pass
The Mysterious Rider
Along the Sundown Trail
Overland Stagecoach
Border Roundup
Prairie Pals
Sheriff of Sage Valley
Law and Order
Texas Justice
Billy the Kid's Smoking Guns
Jesse James, Jr.
The Lone Rider in Cheyenne
Stagecoach Express
Billy the Kid Trapped
Valley of the Sun
The Lone Rider and the Bandit
Arizona Terrors
The Lone Rider Fights Back
Billy The Kid's Round-Up
A Missouri Outlaw
Billy the Kid Wanted
The Lone Rider Ambushed
The Lone Rider in Frontier Fury
Billy the Kid in Santa Fe
The Lone Rider in Ghost Town
Billy The Kid's Fighting Pals
The Apache Kid
The Lone Rider Crosses the Rio
Billy the Kid's Range War
The Lone Rider Rides On
Billy the Kid's Gun Justice
Texas Terrors
Friendly Neighbors
Li'l Abner
Marked Men
Billy the Kid in Texas
Billy the Kid Outlawed
Murder on the Yukon
Oklahoma Terror
Trigger Pals
Exposed
Frontier Scout
Gunsmoke Trail
Songs and Bullets
Knight of the Plains
Call of The Yukon
Start Cheering
The Rangers' Round-Up
The Fighting Deputy
A Lawman Is Born
Moonlight on the Range
Sing Cowboy Sing
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Melody of the Plains
Love Nest on Wheels
The Roaming Cowboy
Trail Dust
West of Nevada
Pinto Rustlers
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
The Millionaire Kid
A Face in the Fog
Trigger Tom
Bar 20 Rides Again
The Law of 45's
Midnight Phantom
Public Stenographer
From Headquarters
Riders of Destiny
His Private Secretary
Buzzin' Around
Law of the North
Riders of the Desert
Harem Scarem
Bridge Wives
Police Court
The Door Knocker
That's My Meat
Honeymoon Trio
Aloha
Mlle. Irene The Great
Marriage Rows
The Painted Desert
The Land of Missing Men
The Oklahoma Cyclone
Two Fresh Eggs
The Voice of Hollywood
Western Knights
Hell Harbor
The Dance of Life
She Goes to War
Hot or Cold
Painted Post
Hello Cheyenne!
Casey Jones
The Stunt Man
American Beauty
Life in Hollywood No. 2
High Spots
Jungle Heat
Listen Lena
High Sea Blues
The General
Flaming Romance
Who Hit Me?
Skybound
His Taking Ways
A Punch in the Nose
Fire Away
Fair Warning
Curses
The Iron Mule
Red Pepper
Dynamite Doggie
Lovemania
The Garden of Weeds
Stupid, but Brave
His First Car
Unreal News Reel No. 2
Spring Fever
Out of Place
All Wet
Special Delivery
A Studio Rube
The High Sign
The Scarecrow
Ship Ahoy
Trouble
Speed
Back Stage
A Desert Hero
Love
The Pullman Porter
Camping Out
A Scrap of Paper
The Cook
Good Night, Nurse!
Moonshine
The Bell Boy
Out West
A Country Hero
Coney Island
Oh, Doctor!
His Wedding Night
The Rough House
A Reckless Romeo
The Butcher Boy
The Grab Bag Bride
Bombs!
A Creampuff Romance
The Waiters' Ball
The Other Man
His Wife's Mistakes
Bright Lights
He Did and He Didn’t
Fatty and Mabel Adrift
Fatty and the Broadway Stars
A Village Scandal
Fickle Fatty's Fall
Fatty’s Plucky Pup
Crossed Love and Swords
Our Dare-Devil Chief
Droppington's Family Tree
When Love Took Wings
Fatty’s Faithful Fido
That Little Band Of Gold
Hogan's Romance Upset
Mabel and Fatty’s Married Life
A Bird's a Bird
Fatty's New Role
Mabel, Fatty and the Law
Fatty and Mabel’s Simple Life
Tillie's Punctured Romance
Fatty's Magic Pants
The Plumber
His Prehistoric Past
Leading Lizzie Astray
Fatty's Jonah Day
An Incompetent Hero
Shot in the Excitement
Stout Hearts But Weak Knees
The Love Thief
The Anglers
Fatty's Debut
Lover's Luck
The New Janitor
Mabel's Blunder
The Rounders
Those Country Kids
Soldiers of Misfortune
The Sky Pirate
Fatty's Finish
Mabel's Married Life
Mabel's Busy Day
The Knockout
The Alarm
Caught in a Cabaret
The Star Boarder
Tango Tangles
Mabel's Strange Predicament
Won in a Closet
In the Clutches of the Gang
His Sister's Kids
Mother's Boy
The Riot
A Noise from the Deep
The Doctored Affair
Her Birthday Present