Biography
Allan Jones entered the world in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, a short distance from Scranton, and devoted his twenties to vocal studies in Paris. Upon his return to the United States he took up roles in a series of operettas. His Broadway debut came in 1933 when he appeared in Roberta, after which he joined the cast of Bitter Sweet the following year. Jones then transitioned to motion pictures with a minor role in the 1935 release Reckless. Later that same year he delivered the brief but memorable rendition of “Alone” in the Marx Brothers comedy A Night at the Opera. Subsequent leading parts included appearances in the 1936 production of Show Boat and the 1937 film A Day at the Races. In 1938 Jones and his wife Irene Hervey welcomed their son Jack Jones. Around this period Jones gained widest recognition for the signature number “The Donkey Serenade,” featured in the motion picture The Firefly. Following his starring turn in Honeymoon Ahead, Jones clashed with MGM chief Louis B. Mayer in 1945; the dispute prompted his departure from Hollywood and a move to the nightclub circuit, where he frequently shared the stage with his son. During the 1950s he toured the United States in Guys & Dolls, and in the 1970s he performed and traveled with Man of La Mancha. After completing an Australian tour in 1992 he came back to New York, where he succumbed to lung cancer on June 27 of that year. A retrospective collection titled The Donkey Serenade appeared in 2001 on ASV/Living Era Records.