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The Stunt Men and Women


Jock Mahoney
Birth record name: Jack Joseph O'Mahoney
Birth name variation: Jacques J. O'Mahoney
1919 - 1989



(From Old Corral collection)

Lots of name variations used by Jock:
Jacques O'Mahoney
Jack Mahoney
Jock O'Mahoney
Jock Mahoney





Note the Jock O'Mahoney billing.


Jock Mahoney was born Jack Joseph O'Mahoney in 1919 in Chicago, Illinois to Charles J. O'Mahoney and Ruth Eugenia Miller. The family relocated to Davenport, Iowa and Jock spent his child and teen years there and attended Davenport High School where he excelled in several sports. Biographies have him (briefly) attending the University of Iowa and serving in the Marines during World War II.

6 feet, 3 inches tall and with an infectious smile, Mahoney wound up in Hollywood after the war and worked his way up to become the dominant stuntman of the 1940s at Columbia Pictures ... appeared in front of the camera in several of the Three Stooges shorts ... and took over doubling / stunting for Charles Starrett from stuntman Ted Mapes.

In interviews, Charles Starrett commented that "Jocko was just beautiful. Like a cat".

Then came starring roles in a batch of B+ (or A-) westerns at Columbia and Universal in the late 1940s to early 1950s ... had the lead in several serials for Columbia, CODY OF THE PONY EXPRESS (1950), ROAR OF THE IRON HORSE (1951), and GUNFIGHTERS OF THE NORTHWEST (1954) ... wore buckskins as TV's THE RANGE RIDER which co-starred Dick Jones ... sported a mustache as TV's YANCY DERRINGER ... portrayed Tarzan in two films ... and was the stepdad of actress Sally Field.

After Charles Starrett's retirement in Spring, 1952, was Mahoney to become the star of the Durango Kid films ... or another western series at Columbia? There were a few blurbs in trade publications:

  • April 9, 1952 Variety: "After 16 years with Columbia, Charles Starrett galloped that-away off the lot with the completion of 'Kid From Broken Gun', in which he made his last ride as the Durango Kid. New oater series, costarring Jack Mahoney and Smiley Burnette, starts next month with 'Panhandle Territory'." (That film - or any other - didn't happen.)
  • June 4, 1952 Variety: "Columbia dropped its plans to team Jack Mahoney and Smiley Burnette in a new series to replace the 'Durango Kid' oaters."
  • June 16, 1952 Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin: "... cutting back its oater schedule, the studio has abandoned plans to team Jack Mahoney and Smiley Burnette in a new series to replace the former 'Durango Kid' sagebrushers."

In the 1950s, Dell published a comic book series of Mahoney as TV's "The Flying A's RANGE RIDER" (and RANGE RIDER was produced by Gene Autry's Flying A production company).

Years ago, the A&E TV Network ran a biography on actress Sally Field. Margaret Field Mahoney (Jock's second wife) was interviewed and had pro and con comments about Jock - basically that his attitude and behavior was 'erratic'.

Sally Fields' memoir In Pieces (Grand Central Publishing) was published in September, 2018. It included lots on Burt Reynolds ... and years of abuse by her stepfather, Jock Mahoney.

In his later years, Mahoney lived in Poulsbo, Washington. Circa 1973, he suffered a stroke. Jocko passed away December 14, 1989 at the Harrison Memorial Hospital, Bremerton, Washington, two days after being injured in an automobile accident.


  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Jock Mahoney: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0537146/

Daniel Neyer's "The Files of Jerry Blake" serial website has lots of info on Jock Mahoney doing serials: https://filesofjerryblake.com/serial-heroes/jock-mahoney/

YouTube has a three minute compilation of Mahoney doing falls and assorted stunts in Three Stooges shorts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYGHqUoWKYs

The Grand Comics database has covers and more info on the several dozen issues of Mahoney as "The Flying A's Range Rider": http://www.comics.org/series/13322/covers/

Robert Callaghan has a great Jock Mahoney biography with lots of details and images. Included are photos of his parents: http://www.dancebob.com/mahoney13/

Brian Walker's Drive In Theater website has a page on Mahoney, including many photos: http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/jockmahoney.html

Neil Summers has a profile of Mahoney on Boyd Magers' Western Clippings website: http://www.westernclippings.com/stuntmen/jockmahoney_stuntmen.shtml

You may want to visit the Golden Boot award webpage on the Old Corral. Mahoney was presented with a Golden Boot award at the 1986 event.

The Family Search website (free) and Ancestry.com (subscription) have information on Jock Mahoney and family:

  • Family Search has the Chicago, Cook County, Illinois birth index for Jack Joseph O'Mahoney, born February 7, 1919 in Chicago to 24 year old Charles J. O'Mahoney (born Red Cloud, Nebraska) and 18 year old Ruth Eugenia Miller (born Kansas City, Kansas). The record has a May 4, 1942 date which indicates a delayed birth certificate record (which Jock probably needed for World War II service): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2S1-1FCQ
  • 1930 census and census takers worksheet - renting in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa are 37 year old Charles J. Mahoney (born Nebraska; occupation "Switchman - Rail Road"), his 63 year old mother Bertha (born Iowa), and 11 year old son Jack J. (born Illinois): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMVY-KL5
  • 1940 census and census takers worksheet - 21 year old Jack J. O'Mahoney (born Illinois) is a lodger living in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. He is single; has attended one year of college; and no occupation is listed: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMBG-78D
  • Ancestry.com had his World War II draft registration - 21 year old Jack Joseph O'Mahoney registered on October 16, 1940 in Davenport, Iowa. He was born February 7, 1919 in Chicago, Illinois, and is a student at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa. Home address was 311 1/2 West 2nd Street, Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, and also living at that address was his father, Charles Joseph Mahoney [sic]. He's 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds.
  • Marriage and divorce records for Jock and second wife, actress Margaret Field (Margaret Joy Morlan):
    Nevada Marriage Index for Jacques OMahoney and Margaret Field, and they married December 11, 1959 in Clark County, Nevada: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VV2G-KYW
    California Divorce Index for Jacques J. OMahoney and Margaret J. Morlan and they divorced in June, 1968 in Los Angeles, California: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPRT-GTT
  • Family trees on Ancestry.com indicate that Mahoney married Patricia Rice in 1968 (and they would be together through his passing in 1989). She did some modeling and TV work, and used the name "Autumn Russell".
  • Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for 70 year old Jacques J. Omahoney, born February 7, 1919 in Iowa, passed away on December 14, 1989, and last residence was Kitsap County, Washington: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JYB8-JTG

The Los Angeles Times has a death notice on Mahoney, noting that he was injured in a car accident and passed away from a stroke two days later at Harrison Memorial Hospital, Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-16-mn-2-story.html

Find A Grave website notes that Mahoney was cremated: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6748380/jock-mahoney





(From Old Corral collection)

Above - Dick Jones and Jock Mahoney in TV's THE RANGE RIDER (1951 - 1953; 78 episodes) which was produced by Gene Autry's Flying A production company.



(From Old Corral collection)

Above - a lobby card from TRAIL OF THE RUSTLERS (Columbia, 1950) with Jock Mahoney doubling Charles Starrett.



(Courtesy of Dale Crawford & Jim Sorensen)
Left is Mahoney doubling and stunting for Charles Starrett in the Durango Kid films.

Below is an enlargement of the shoes worn by Jock - no cowboy boots for this stunt.




(Courtesy of Jim Sorensen & Dale Crawford)

Above - Jim Sorensen and Mahoney circa 1982.




(Courtesy of Andy Southard)

Above is Mahoney at the 1985 Golden Boot Awards ceremony. At the 1986 event, Mahoney was presented with a Golden Boot award.



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