Al St. John


Alfred St. John was an early American motion-picture comedian. He was a nephew of silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, with whom he often performed on screen. Also credited as Al Saint John and "Fuzzy" St. John, he was employed by Mack Sennett and also worked with many other leading players such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Mabel Normand. His film career successfully transitioned from the silent era into sound, and by the late 1930s and 1940s he was working predominantly in Westerns, often portraying the scruffy comedy-relief character "Fuzzy Q. Jones". Among his notable performances in that role are in the "Billy the Kid" series of films released by the Producers Releasing Corporation from 1940 to 1946 and in that company's "Lone Rider Rides On|Lone Rider]" series from 1941 to 1943.

Early life, family and education

Alfred St. John was born in Santa Ana, California. He was the only child of parents Walter St. John, who supported the family initially as a farm laborer and later as a house builder, and Nora N. St. John, who was the older sister of actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. His uncle Roscoe was five years older than Alfred. In Los Angeles, he lived in the fashionable West Adams district at 4300 Victoria Park Drive in the neighborhood of Victoria Park.

Final years

For a decade after the end of his motion-picture career, he made assorted personal appearances at fairs, rodeos, on television, and at overseas US military bases. He also performed with traveling live-action productions such as the Tommy Scott Wild West Show.
St. John's death on January 21, 1963, occurred while he was touring with Scott. According to his obituaries, he suffered a massive heart attack at a motel in Lyons, Georgia, as he prepared for a special appearance at a nearby American Legion club. It was also widely reported in news accounts that the 70-year-old veteran entertainer died at the motel "in the arms of his wife, Flo-Bell Moore". After a private funeral service in Lyons, St. John's body was sent to Macon, Georgia, for cremation. His ashes were then transferred to Homosassa Springs, Florida, where they were "deposited" at Fuzzy and Flo-Bell's permanent residence on the couple's "Double F Ranch".

Filmography