# Dean Jones crosses the Finish line. RIP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759 "2015-09-02T23:40:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/1 "2015-09-02T23:40:13Z")
[Dean Jones passes away at 84](http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/02/entertainment/dean-jones-dies-disney-feat/index.html?sr=fb090215deanjones6pStoryGallLink) He was a big part of my childhood, the Herbie, The Love Bug movies, That Darn Cat and other Disney movies. He was the ideal “good guy”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/2 "2015-09-03T00:13:07Z")
Sorry to hear about it. I saw most of his Disney films, including **Blackbeard’s Ghost**. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/3 "2015-09-03T00:23:05Z")
He first came to my notice in the TV series, **[Ensign O’Toole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensign_O%27Toole)**, a role I like more than his Disney ones. A fine actor. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/4 "2015-09-03T00:28:37Z")
We used to have “The Shaggy D.A.” for our Viewmaster. Good times! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/5 "2015-09-03T01:42:40Z")
**The Ugly Dachshund** was one of my favorites growing up. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/6 "2015-09-03T02:32:15Z")
NOW who will Clarence Boddicker work for? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/7 "2015-09-03T02:43:00Z")
He was also in _Clear and Present Danger_ (1994): [http://cdn.moviestillsdb.com/sm/d20a374083fb26bbd8bdd1c197d9e52c/clear-and-present-danger.jpg](http://cdn.moviestillsdb.com/sm/d20a374083fb26bbd8bdd1c197d9e52c/clear-and-present-danger.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/8 "2015-09-03T03:20:26Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > NOW who will Clarence Boddicker work for? That’s Dick Jones. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/9 "2015-09-03T03:20:30Z")
I was gonna say ‘Didn’t he die a while ago?_!_’ but then I remembered I always confused him with Fred MacMurray (who died in 1991)… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/10 "2015-09-03T04:08:14Z")
He was also the original Bobby in “Company”. He was going through a divorce when the show was in try-outs and the stress was making him crazy, so he wanted to withdraw before the show actually opened. Hal Prince convinced him to at least open the show and then he could be replaced (with Larry Kert (the original Tony from West Side Story)). So Jones sang on the original cast recording, becoming immortalized to the role even though he only played it for a very short time before Kert stepped in. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/11 "2015-09-03T04:25:39Z")
Jones’s “Being Alive” from Company is my favorite version (and there are a LOT of good versions). This clip is from the making of the cast album: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/am8qrrZAtP4/hqdefault.jpg "Being Alive - Company OBC, 1970 - Dean Jones") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am8qrrZAtP4) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/12 "2015-09-03T04:52:46Z")
[quote=“Rick\_Kitchen, post:11, topic:729759”] Jones’s “Being Alive” from Company is my favorite version (and there are a LOT of good versions). This clip is from the making of the cast album: [/QUOTE] Agreed. I love NPH but I don’t feel his Being Alive. And I like Raul Esparza, but Forbidden Broadway was spot-on with “Being Intense”. Jones’s performance is the best. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/13 "2015-09-03T05:44:14Z")
Check Julian Ovenden’s version. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/14 "2015-09-03T06:11:44Z")
One of my favorite movies while in high school was “Under the Yum Yum Tree” though it had nothing to do with Dean Jones being in the cast. It was all about Carol Lynley (nee Jones.) To make it even weirder Dean’s middle name was Carroll. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/15 "2015-09-03T14:34:34Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > He was also in _Clear and Present Danger_ (1994): [http://cdn.moviestillsdb.com/sm/d20a374083fb26bbd8bdd1c197d9e52c/clear-and-present-danger.jpg](http://cdn.moviestillsdb.com/sm/d20a374083fb26bbd8bdd1c197d9e52c/clear-and-present-danger.jpg). If I ever knew that, I’d forgotton. Nice catch. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/16 "2015-09-03T17:05:44Z")
I have to watch _ **Million Dollar Duck** _ in his honor! Actually, the last thing I remember seeing him in was _ **Other People’s Money** _, in which he was surprisingly good as the conflicted company President who sells out Gregory Peck to liquidator Danny De Vito. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/17 "2015-09-03T17:08:47Z")
I grew up with those Disney movies and always enjoyed seeing him on screen. He had a friendly, mild-mannered charm that made him very likable. I remember as a kid the first time I saw _Snowball Express_, airing on television. As soon as I saw ‘that guy’ I knew I was going to like it. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/18 "2015-09-04T04:58:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > He first came to my notice in the TV series, **[Ensign O’Toole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensign_O%27Toole)**, a role I like more than his Disney ones. A fine actor. This. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/19 "2015-09-04T11:32:30Z")
I was surprised that his role in “Quantum Leap” wasn’t mentioned in the BBC news reports on his passing. Was that show not aired in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759/20 "2015-09-04T11:39:00Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > I was surprised that his role in “Quantum Leap” wasn’t mentioned in the BBC news reports on his passing. Was that show not aired in the UK? Unless this is a whoosh, I’d like to point out that the guy in Quantum Leap was Dean _Stockwell_, not Dean _Jones_. He played Dr. wellington Yueh in _Dune_ and the guy who appeared in both versions of _The Dunwich Horror_ (And I’m sure he’d be delighted that these are the role I remember him for) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dean-jones-crosses-the-finish-line-rip/729759.md?page=2)