Jody McCrea

Jody McCrea (born September 6, 1934 in Los Angeles, California) born Joel Dee McCrea, is the son of Frances Dee and Joel McCrea, both famous Hollywood actors. He is the oldest of three children, and has two brothers, David and Peter.

McCrea served in the United States Army,assigned to Special Services. He briefly hosted Country Style, USA, an Army-produced recruiting TV program filmed in Nashville featuring various country entertainers.

Jody began acting in the short-lived 1959 TV series "Wichita Town" with his father. Since then, he has starred in films (mainly westerns) such as "Lafayette Escadrille", "The Broken Land" (with Jack Nicholson), "Law of the Lawless", and "Cry, Blood Apache" (which he also produced).

However, he is most notable for his comedic role as dumb-minded "Deadhead" ("Bonehead") in the 1960s "Beach Party" films made by American International Pictures. Some beach movies he's appeared in are "Beach Party", "Muscle Beach Party", "Bikini Beach", and "Beach Blanket Bingo", among others. He was also in an AIP biker movie "The Glory Stompers" (1968).

He has made several television appearances over the years as well. He has appeared on "Wagon Train", "Vacation Playhouse", and "The Greatest Show on Earth". He had been cast in a small part as Lieutenant Brannin, a cocky cavalry officer based loosely on George Armstrong Custer, in Sam Peckinpah's Western "Major Dundee" (1965), but his scene was deleted from the final cut.

McCrea may have found it very hard to follow in the footsteps of his father Joel. When cast in the beach pictures, it is clear that McCrea finally realized his comedic potential. When first offered the role of "Deadhead", for example, he has been quoted at the time as saying that he "wasn't sure what the character would become." However, when he realized how much he made people laugh, he began to really enjoy the character. Though he occasionally did some roles in community theater over the years, McCrea retired from acting altogether in 1970 to become a rancher in New Mexico.

Trivia

*Was/is an avid body builder.
*Height measures 6'3" as of 1963.
*Was the only actor appearing in the American International Pictures beach movies who could actually surf.
*Recorded a 45rpm single in 1964 for Canjo Records to coincide with the film "Bikini Beach". (SIDE A: "Chicken Surfer"/SIDE B: "Looney Gooney Bird")

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0566947 Jody McCrea at IMDB]