Book Review: Story by Grover Jones

Whenever a book on a more obscure, underrated, and underappreciated figure in cinema’s history is released, there is something of a celebration among historians. A new book on Grover Jones, subtitled The Moviemaking Career of the Underrated Screenwriter and Director told in his Own Words, is one of those books to celebrate.

The book is compiled by comedy film historian Rob Stone, and works as an effective autobiography and filmography.  In 1937 Jones appeared before the National Labor Relations board and, because the panel was interested in learning about his background, he provided it with detail in his own words.  Also, The Saturday Evening Post offered a six part series of autobiographical articles by Jones.  After some introductory chapters, Stone offers the testimony and the Post articles, and a short essay that concludes the biographical section. Stone follows this with a filmography of Jones’ silent films.

Within these pages, we learn about Grover Jones’ life and career, his ideas and aspirations, how he started as a sign painter and worked his way up, and, perhaps most importantly, his creative process.  Some of the films for which Jones wrote screenplays include Tom Sawyer (1930), Huckleberry Finn (1931), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), The Milky Way (1936), Souls at Sea (1937), and Dark Command (1940), working with actors as diverse as Harold Lloyd, Gary Cooper and John Wayne.  Intriguingly, Jones wrote two W.C. Fields features that had Fields teamed with erstwhile Sennett comic Chester Conklin – two fascinating projects, both of which are lost films. 

Rob Stone’s filmography of Jones’ silent films show the writer-director’s vision presented fascinating slapstick subjects with often lesser known comedians whose names might not have lived on, but whose work flourished positively from Jones’ screenplays and direction. 

Grover Jones remained active until his death in 1940.

Story by Grover Jones is an important book, not only for its lesser  known subject, but for the amazing amount of detail it provides.  Stone’s adeptness at compiling the book’s various sections – from intros to autobiographical information to filmography – present a through and fascinating study of an unfairly overlooked corner in movie history. 

This book is highly recommended and can be purchased at this link: JONES