Roscoe Ates
| Roscoe Ates | |
|---|---|
Ates in 1933
|
|
| Born |
January 20, 1895 Grange, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | March 1, 1962 (aged 67) Encino, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor comedian musician |
| Years active | 1929–1961 |
| Spouse(s) |
Clara Callahan (m. 1923; div. 1945) Leonore Belle Jumps (m. 1949; her death 1955) Beatrice Heisser (m. 1960; his death 1962) |
Roscoe Ates (January 20, 1895 – March 1, 1962) also Rosco Ates, was an American vaudeville performer, actor of stage and screen, comedian and musician who primarily featured in western films and television. He was best known as western character Soapy Jones.
Ates was born on January 20, 1895 in the rural hamlet of Grange, northwest of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Grange is no longer included on road maps. Ates spent much of his childhood overcoming a severe speech impediment. He entered the entertainment medium as a concert violinist but found economic opportunities greater as a vaudeville comedian. He revived his long-gone stutter for humorous effect. Besides his early films, Ates starred in his own short subject series with RKO and Vitaphone.
His first film role was at the age of thirty-four in 1929 as a ship's cook in South Sea Rose. The next year he was cast as "Old Stuff" in the film Billy the Kid with Johnny Mack Brown (1904–1974) as Billy the Kid and Wallace Beery (1885–1949) as Deputy Sheriff Pat Garrett. Ates served in WWII, training of the Air Force fighter squad program in Houston, Texas at Ellington Field Texas
In 1931, Ates appeared in a total of fourteen films, some roles uncredited. Here is a partial listing of his films:
From 1946 to 1948, Ates appeared as the western character Soapy Jones in fifteen films, including Colorado Serenade, Driftin' River (with Shirley Patterson), Stars Over Texas, and Tumbleweed Trail (all 1946), West to Glory, Shadow Valley, and Wild Country (all 1947), and Check Your Guns, Black Hills, Tornado Range, The Westward Trail, and The Tioga Kid (all 1948). His Soapy Jones character is the sidekick to the "Singing Cowboy" portrayed by native Texan, Eddie Dean. Thereafter, George "Gabby" Hayes employed archival footage from many Soapy Jones films in his 1950s children's television series, The Gabby Hayes Show.
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