Jay Wilsey
Jay Wilsey was an American film actor. He appeared in nearly 100 films between 1924 and 1944. He starred in a series of very low-budget westerns in the 1920s and 1930s, billed as '''Buffalo Bill Jr.'''
Biography
Born in St. Francisville, Missouri, the six-foot one-inch, brown-haired, blue-eyed Wilsey rode in Wild West shows and rodeos before he became an actor. Producer Lester F. Scott Jr., who specialized in making low-budget silent westerns, signed Wilsey to a movie contract and billed him as "Buffalo Bill, Jr." One of his early credits, Thundering Romance, cast Wilsey as "Lightning Bill", opposite novice film player and future star Jean Arthur.
Universal Pictures tried to build Jay Wilsey as an action star under his real name, but his two starring roles in the serials A Final Reckoning and The Pirate of Panama did not lead to more assignments, as the studio was converting to the production of sound films.
Wilsey's career as an actor diminished as sound films increased in popularity, although he continued to find work with independent producers. Victor Adamson, whose westerns were so threadbare that he shot them in ramshackle California ghost towns on budgets of $1,000 or less, hired Wilsey for a series of features under the auspices of Adamson's ambitiously named Superior Talking Pictures. One of these has become notorious among bad-film enthusiasts: a 1934 production was announced as Lightning Bill, but the film title was clumsily misspelled as "Lighting Bill", and the cheapskate producer didn't bother changing the title. Adamson did give Wilsey a chance to direct as well as star in Riding Speed ; Wilsey receives performer credit as Buffalo Bill, Jr. and director credit as Jay Wilsey.
The Adamson features were Wilsey's last starring series. Producer Paul Malvern then signed him to appear in his John Wayne westerns. Thereafter Wilsey found work in western features and serials as a supporting player, often uncredited, and his riding skills gave him credentials as a stunt performer. A January 29, 1940, newspaper article reported that he had performed 6,000 stunts up to that time.
Wilsey was married to actress Jeanette Boutelle.
Selected filmography
Rarin' to Go - Bill DillonFast and Fearless - Lightning Bill LewisHard Hittin' Hamilton - Bill HamiltonBringin' Home the Bacon - Bill WintonThundering Romance - Lightning BillFull Speed On the Go - Bill DrakeDouble Action Daniels - Double Action DanielsQuicker'n Lightnin' - Quicker'n Lightnin'The Desert Demon - Bill DavisThe Saddle Cyclone - Bill DemmingA Streak of Luck - Billy BurtonThe Roaring Rider - Buffalo Bill Jr.Hoodoo Ranch Trumpin' Trouble - Bill LawsonComing an' Going - Bill MartinDeuce High - Ted CrawfordRawhide - Rawhide RawlinsSpeedy Spurs - Bill ClarkThe Bonanza Buckaroo - Bill MerrittBad Man's Bluff - Zane CastletonThe Galloping Gobs - Bill CorbittThe Ridin' Rowdy - Bill GibsonPals in Peril - Bill GordonThe Interferin' Gent - Bill StannardThe Obligin' Buckaroo - Bill MurrayRoarin' Broncs - Bill MorrisThe Ballyhoo Buster - Bob WarnerThe Valley of Hunted Men - Tom MalloryA Final Reckoning - Captain WilsonThe Pirate of Panama - KarlThundering Thompson - Cowhand Bar-L Ranch - Bob TylerBeyond [the Rio Grande] - BillThe Cheyenne Kid - Buck Allen / The Cheyenne KidWay Out West - HankBeyond the Law - Henchman The Utah Kid - Deputy South of Sonora - Bill TracyWestward Bound - Bob LansingTrails of the Golden West The Mystery Trooper - Tall Henchman Pueblo Terror - Bill SommersA Holy Terror - Cowboy Riders of the Golden Gulch Ridin' for Justice - Barfly The Texan - Bill RustDynamite Denny - 'Dynamite' DennyHidden Gold - Cowhand The Lost Special - Forest Station Agent Terror Trail - Prisoner The Thrill Hunter - Pilot The Fighting Cowboy - Bill CarsonDeadwood Pass - DeputyRusty Rides Alone - Luke Quillan Strange People - Traveller Trails of Adventure - Bill MerrittThe Whirlwind Rider - Bill ReedLighting Bill - BillWheels of Destiny - Bill CollinsAdventures of Texas Jack - Bill MayberryRiding Speed - Buck CartwrightThe Lawless Frontier - 2nd Zanti Henchman'Neath the Arizona Skies - Jim MooreTexas Terror - Blackie MartinThe Phantom Empire - Thunder Guard Five Bad Men - Bad Man #1Rainbow Valley - Butch GaltPrincess O'Hara - Mounted Policeman The Miracle Rider - Daniel Boone / Henchman The Roaring West - Cowhand Slim Powdersmoke Range - Tex MalcolmThree Kids and a Queen - Cop The Fire-Trap - Henchman Red [River Valley (1936 film)|Red River Valley] - Construction Worker Heroes of the Range - Deputy Avenging Waters - Fence Foreman The Phantom Rider - Deputy Tom Oh, Susanna! - Sage City Deputy Rio Grande Ranger - Texas Ranger Ranger Courage - Ranger Lieutenant CapsWay Out West - Barfly Law of the Ranger - Ranger Lieutenant Wells Forlorn River - Blaine Cowhand Wild West Days - Henchman / Ranch Hand / Townsman The Rangers Step In - Texas Ranger Capt. ThomasRough Riders' Round-up - Barfly Blue Montana Skies - Mallew Pioneers of the Frontier - Henchman The [Lone Rider Rides On] - Henchman BartThe Lone Rider Crosses the Rio - Henchman BartThe Lone Rider in Ghost Town - Cowboy Lawless Plainsmen - Slim - Cowhand Frontier Fury - Stagecoach Shotgun The Dancing Masters - Stage Driver The Last Horseman - Henchman Big Jim McLain - Mr. Whalen