Honestly, if you grew up watching classic Disney or grainy black-and-white Westerns on a Saturday morning, you’ve heard Dickie Jones. You might not know the name. You definitely know the voice. He’s the kid who told the world that "a lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face."
Dickie—or Richard Percy Jones to the tax man—was the original Pinocchio. But he wasn't just a voice in a booth. The guy was a literal trick-riding rodeo star before he could legally drive, a B-Western staple, and a TV hero long before the MCU existed. His career spans roughly 100 movies and 200 television episodes. That’s a lot of celluloid.
The Disney Legend Nobody Recognizes
Most people think of Dickie Jones movies and TV shows and immediately jump to the 1940 Disney masterpiece. It makes sense. It’s iconic. But the casting of Pinocchio wasn't some corporate marketing play. Walt Disney was actually struggling to find the right "feel" for the puppet. He’d tried adult actors doing "kid voices," and it sounded fake. It sounded creepy.
Then came Dickie.
He was about 10 years old and already a veteran. He’d done bits in Our Gang (The Little Rascals) and played a page boy in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Walt heard that natural, slightly raspy, honest-to-god boyishness and knew he’d found his puppet.
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Funny enough, Jones didn't just stand behind a microphone. To help the animators, he actually put on a puppet costume and acted out scenes. They used him as a live-action reference. When you see Pinocchio tumbling or dancing, you’re seeing the physical movements of a Texas kid who’d been performing in rodeos since he was four.
From Snyder, Texas to Hollywood Stardom
Dickie was born in Snyder, Texas, in 1927. His dad was a newspaper editor, but the kid was born for the saddle. By age four, he was billed as the "World’s Youngest Trick Rider." We’re talking standing on the back of a galloping horse type of stuff.
Hoot Gibson, a massive Western star at the time, saw him at a rodeo and basically told his mom, "Get this kid to California."
It worked.
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His early credits are a whirlwind of 1930s Hollywood. You can find him uncredited in Babes in Toyland (1934) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936). He was the go-to kid whenever a director needed someone who looked wholesome but could handle a horse or deliver a line without sounding like a robot.
The TV Years: Buffalo Bill Jr. and The Range Rider
By the 1950s, the "Dickie" moniker started to fade as he transitioned into "Dick Jones." He’d grown up. He’d served in the Army during the tail end of World War II. When he came back, the movie business was changing, and television was the new frontier.
Gene Autry, the legendary "Singing Cowboy," took Jones under his wing. This led to his most famous live-action work:
- The Range Rider (1951–1953): Dick played Dick West, the sidekick to Jock Mahoney’s Range Rider. They did 76 episodes. It was fast-paced, stunt-heavy, and kids loved it.
- Buffalo Bill Jr. (1955–1956): Autry finally gave Dickie his own show. He played a fictionalized, younger version of the legendary scout. He had a sister named Calamity (played by Nancy Gilbert) and they solved crimes in the Old West.
He was doing his own stunts. The trick riding from his childhood? That became his biggest asset. While other actors needed doubles to jump off a balcony onto a horse, Dickie just did it.
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Must-Watch Dickie Jones Movies and TV Shows
If you want to actually see the range of this guy, you can’t just stop at the animated stuff. Here is a breakdown of where he actually shines:
- Pinocchio (1940): Obviously. It’s the gold standard.
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): He plays the Senate page. It’s a small role, but he’s right there with Jimmy Stewart in one of the greatest films ever made.
- Destry Rides Again (1939): Another Stewart classic. Dickie plays a "Claggett Boy."
- Rocky Mountain (1950): This was his favorite. He played a 16-year-old Confederate soldier alongside Errol Flynn. He once joked that it was the first time in movie history the Cavalry arrived too late—because his character died.
- Nancy Drew... Reporter (1939): He plays a kid named "Killer Parkins." He actually does a Donald Duck impression in this one, which is a weirdly meta Disney moment before he even did Pinocchio.
Why He Walked Away
By 1959, Dickie was done.
He was only in his early 30s, but he’d been working for nearly three decades. Think about that. He’d been a professional performer since he was a toddler. He moved into real estate in the San Fernando Valley and lived a relatively quiet life until he passed away in 2014.
He didn't seem bitter about the "child star" label. In interviews later in life, he sounded genuinely surprised that Pinocchio became such a massive deal. To him, it was just another job in a long list of jobs that involved horses, scripts, and microphones.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you’re looking to dive deeper into his filmography, keep these tips in mind:
- Check the Credits: In his early years, he’s often uncredited or listed as "Dickie Jones." In the 50s, look for "Dick Jones."
- Search for Flying A Productions: A lot of his best TV work was produced by Gene Autry’s company. If you find a Flying A Western, there's a good chance Dickie is in the background or doing the stunts.
- Disney Legends: He was officially inducted as a Disney Legend in 2000. You can find several retrospective documentaries on Disney+ that feature him talking about the production of the early animated films.
- Physical Media: Many of his B-Westerns and episodes of Buffalo Bill Jr. haven't hit the major streaming services. You’ll often find them in "Classic Western" DVD collections or on specialty channels like Grit or MeTV.
Start by re-watching Pinocchio with the knowledge that the "puppet" was actually a teenage rodeo star from Texas. It changes how you hear the performance.