Joel McCrea’s eldest son dies

 

Jody McCrea, eldest son of Joel McCrea and Frances Dee died April 4, 2009 in Roswell, N.M. He was 74. His father was a friend starred with Will Rogers  in “Lightnin’” and “Business and Pleasure.”

The only one of three sons who had a movie career, in a telephone interview last fall from his home in New Mexico, he said “My dad talked more about him (Will) than he did his own father.”  From an early age he said he realized he impact Will had on his father and his family.

Born just a year before Will was killed, like his two brothers, they heard lots of stories about their father and the short time he knew Will Rogers from the first time they met on the movie set. “I remember he talked about him all he time, he was like a father to my dad.”

“One of the most important impact on our lives was he encouraged my dad to get his ranch at Thousand Oaks (California). Ranching was the thing he was most successful.”

Although it has been a long time since Jody had been in Claremore, he remembered coming in the early days of the museum to do some taping” with the late Paula Love, Will’s great-niece and the first director.

Jody’s movie career covered several venues, primarily as a soldier and cowboy and surfer. He co-starred with is father in “Wells Fargo” and in the NBC series “Wichita Town.” He retired in 1970 to a life of ranching in New Mexico, where he lived near his brother, David. A third brother, Peter, lived in the east at the time of the interview, but was planning to move back to California.

Born Sept. 6, 1934, although he was known as Jody, he was named Joel Dee for his father and mother.