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Jody McCrea

Jody McCrea

Actor, also producer · Died April 4, 2009, aged 74 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Just as strapping (6' 3") and amiably handsome as his actor/father, Joel McCrea, Jody was born Joel Dee McCrea on September 6, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, and bore a strong resemblance to his famous namesake. The oldest of three children, his mother was actress Frances Dee and his two younger brothers are David McCrea and Peter McCrea. Jody had little interest in the entertainment field until his early 20s when he began appearing in minor film roles. Making his unbilled debut in Lucy Gallant (1955), he was afforded the opportunity of first working with his dad in the films The First Texan (1956) and Trooper Hook (1957). He moved up to co-star status in the short-lived TV western series Wichita Town (1959), which again starred his dad. From there, he found employment in other western and action films including Lafayette Escadrille (1958), All Hands on Deck (1961), The Broken Land (1962) and Young Guns of Texas (1962). However, he is most fondly remembered for his recurring comic role as the dim-eyed, carefree lug "Deadhead" (later named "Bonehead") in a number of the frivolous "Beach Party" flicks, starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, which were released by American International Pictures between the years 1963 and 1965. As a trivia note, Jody was the only cast member other than Robert Cummings who could really surf. Jody appeared on TV over the years as well and kept his genial personality an attractive trademark. Although he secured a footing in the business, McCrea found it difficult to escape the shadow of his father, especially in western drama, but comedy served as a welcome individualistic approach. Nevertheless, outside of performing occasionally in community theater over the next few years, McCrea decided to retire from acting altogether in 1970 after appearing in and producing the film Cry Blood, Apache (1970). For the remaining decades, he became a cattle rancher in New Mexico. His wife of 20 years, Dusty McCrea (aka Dusty Iron Wing), who appeared as the Indian "Dancing Moon" in the film Windwalker (1980), died of complications from diabetes in 1996. Jody passed away in 2009 of cardiac arrest at his Roswell ranch.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
September 6, 1934
Died
April 4, 2009 (aged 74)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 29% in 30 days

What are Jody McCrea's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 26th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
36%
Morality
25%
Survival
16%
Self
8%
Power
7%
Society
7%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 8 · Serious 5 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 8 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 7

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 5 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 5
Herald
1 of 5
Hero
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
7
Tense
5
Thrilling
6
Romantic
4
Hopeful
3
Other
11

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jody McCrea's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jody McCrea's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

38 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Revenge of Lady Street Fighter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as (archive footage)

  • Lady Street Fighter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Rick Pollard

  • November Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Actor

  • Cry Blood, Apache(1970)

    Producer · as Pitcalin

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Sioux Nation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Actor

  • Scream Free! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Narc. police

  • The Glory Stompers(1967)

    as Darryl

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Sam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Actor

  • How to Stuff a Wild Bikini(1965)

    as Bonehead

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Beach Blanket Bingo(1965)

    as Bonehead

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Major Dundee(1965)

    as Lt. Brannin (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Pajama Party(1964)

    as Big Lunk

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Young Fury(1964)

    as Stone

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Bikini Beach(1964)

    as Deadhead

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Law of the Lawless(1964)

    as George Stapleton

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Muscle Beach Party(1964)

    as Deadhead

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Greatest Show on Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Beach Party(1963)

    as Deadhead

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Vacation Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Julius Sweetley

  • Operation Bikini(1963)

    as Seaman William Sherman

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Young Guns of Texas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Jeff Shelby

  • The Broken Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Deputy Ed Flynn

  • Force of Impulse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Phil Anderson

  • All Hands on Deck(1961)

    as Schuyler

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Guestward, Ho! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Wichita Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 26 episodes · as Ben Matheson

  • The Restless Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Bruce Mitchell

  • Lafayette Escadrille(1958)

    as Tom Hitchcock

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Gunsight Ridge(1957)

    as Groom

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Trooper Hook(1957)

    as Trooper Whittaker

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Monster That Challenged the World(1957)

    as Seaman Fred Johnson

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Wings of Eagles(1957)

    as Tex Brooks (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Naked Gun(1956)

    as Young man

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The First Texan(1956)

    as Lt. Baker

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Johnny Moccasin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Johnny Moccasin

  • Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Wichita(1955)

    as Gunman (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · as Bobby Applegate

Career shape

Star power in the 81st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 38 titles from 1948 to 1990.

Biggest box office

Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)

$32 worldwide

Highest rated

Naked Gun (1956)

Midcredits 66th

Most popular right now

Pajama Party (1964)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting38 of 38: 38 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rd

By decade

1940s1 · acting1950s12 · acting1960s20 · acting1970s4 · acting1990s1 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Jody McCrea's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 21; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Pajama Party (1964)

66th percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Wichita (1955)

Midcredits 77th · 68% liked

Reviewers score the acting 52/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 34. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Jody McCrea work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jody McCrea's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Les Baxter shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers