Bill Cody Jr. (April 18, 1925 – August 11, 1989) was an American

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...

. Born William Joseph Cody Jr. in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where his father

Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...

was a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

star of

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

westerns, the youngster was reportedly 7 years old when he accompanied his father on a personal appearance tour throughout the United States. Bill Cody Jr. was nine years old when he began appearing in films, the first four of which were with his father.

Ray Kirkwood Productions

Billed simply as "Billy Jr." for his first screen appearance, a featured role in Ray Kirkwood's first Bill Cody western, ''Frontier Days'', released late in 1934 by Spectrum Pictures, the 9-year-old was cast as the younger brother of leading lady

Ada Ince Ada Williams (June 2, 1913 – August 12, 1975) was an American film actress. Biography She was the daughter of Calvin Williams of Knoxville, Kentucky. In 1927, she won the Miss Florida beauty contest, and became first runner-up in the Miss U ...

. As fresh Bart Wilson, whose father is murdered by despicable outlaws seeking control of the family ranch, Billy delivered a lively performance which prompted Kirkwood to include him in future Cody westerns. He was his father's virtual co-star in '' The Vanishing Riders'', in which both Codys masquerade as ghost riders to demoralize a superstitious gang of rustlers led by Wally Wales. By the time he appeared in his father's final Spectrum release, ''

Outlaws of the Range ''Outlaws of the Range'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Albert Herman. The film is also known as ''The Call of Justice'' in the United Kingdom. Plot summary After rescuing Betty from a runaway horse, Steve (Bill Cody) is hired at ...

'', such trade publications as ''Film Daily'' were commenting on his "fine, natural performance, which should win him a legion of fans." Both Codys made personal appearances with a wild west show in 1935, after which Ray Kirkwood announced plans for a 1936–37 series of eight westerns costarring the father and son. In February 1936, production on the first film in the new series, ''The Reckless Buckarooo'', was halted when an altercation between Kirkwood and his backer - Monarch Laboratories - reportedly resulted in the producer's being removed from the set and replaced by director Harry Fraser. By the first of March, Fraser had finished shooting the picture, but Kirkwood could not secure financing for the continuation of the series. An exceptionally likable western, ''The Reckless Buckaroo'' proved to be Bill Cody's final starring role and the last time the father and son worked together.

Film work from 1937 to 1942

In 1937, Cody was cast in an important featured role in a Monogram Tom Keene western, ''Romance of the Rockies'', followed by a bit in the short subject, '' Our Gang Follies of 1938''. A potentially major development was his signing to appear in MGM's '' Girl of the Golden West'', portraying Nelson Eddy's role as a child in the opening sequences. The biographical information sheet filled out for young Cody upon his arrival at MGM in February, 1938, indicated that he was a junior high school student who enjoyed history, was an active Boy Scout, lived with his parents and brother in a California bungalow, enjoyed eating filet mignon, liked to swim and play baseball, had been interviewed on NBC, and had "made personal appearances with Daddy since 3 years old." Cody's work in ''Girl of the Golden West'' did not lead to other roles at MGM. He was cast in a supporting role in a fast-paced Universal serial, '' The Oregon Trail'', with Johnny Mack Brown and Fuzzy Knight, followed by two features with the same two cowboy actors, ''Desperate Trails'' and ''Badman From Red Butte''. While at Universal, he was cast as "Skeets Scanlon" in the serial, ''

Scouts to the Rescue ''Scouts to the Rescue'' is a 1939 Universal film serial directed by Alan James and Ray Taylor. It starred Jackie Cooper and Bill Cody Jr. Premise A troop of Boy Scouts use a treasure map to find a stash of counterfeit notes and a lost trib ...

'', and he was seen in one sequence of the James Stewart-Marlene Dietrich favorite, '' Destry Rides Again''. There was also a bit in ''Risky Business'', with George Raft. Cody was featured in Charles Starrett's ''

Two-Fisted Rangers ''Two-Fisted Rangers'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Charles Starrett, Iris Meredith, Bob Nolan, Kenneth MacDonald, Dick Curtis and Wally Wales. The film was released on D ...

'' at Columbia, briefly appeared in another Universal serial, '' Sky Raiders'' and has been reported as being in the PRC western, ''Raiders of the West''.Adams, Les and Buck Rainy. ''Shoot 'em Ups'' 1980. Arlington Press, New Rochelle, New York. Cody joined the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

in 1942, and served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He did not return to film work after the war. It is believed his wartime experiences profoundly affected him, and he never returned to acting. He was profoundly depressed after the passing of his wife of forty years, and committed suicide in 1989. He was interred in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

References

External links

Biography of Bill Cody and Bill Cody Jr.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, Bill Jr. 1925 births 1989 deaths Male actors from Los Angeles American male film actors American male child actors American military personnel of World War II Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Suicides in California 20th-century American male actors 1989 suicides