Allan Jones

Personable, wavy-haired singing star Allan Jones paid for his musical training by working in the coal mines of his native Scranton. After Broadway experience, Jones was brought to films by MGM, reportedly as "insurance" in case the studio's house tenor Nelson Eddy should prove troublesome. His first important screen role was as the nominal leading man in the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera (1935) -- in which, according to one critic, he worked so hard at being charming that his lip synchronization was off. In 1936, Jones was loaned to Universal to play Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat, which proved to be his best screen role. The following year, Jones co-starred with Jeanette MacDonald in The Firefly (1937), in which he introduced his signature tune "The Donkey Serenade". During the 1940s, Jones starred in several medium-budget Universal musicals, bearing titles like Moonlight in Havana (1942) and You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith (1943). He spent his later years performing in TV specials, stage productions and nightclubs. For many years, Allan Jones was married to actress Irene Hervey; their son is recording artist Jack Jones.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide