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| Image from Wikimedia Commons |
After starring in a dozen films, mostly westerns for Universal Studios directed by his father, Eason Jr. was tragically killed from injuries sustained in an accident involving a runaway truck outside the family home in 1921 at the age of six. He reportedly died at a hospital with his parents and actor Harry Carey at his bedside.
After learning about this story, I always think about Breezy Jr when I watch "The Phantom Empire" (1935) Undersea Kingdom "(1936) and other cliffhanger serials directed by Breezy Sr.
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| Oakland Tribune, October 26, 1921. |
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| Profile article on the Eason family. From Moving Picture Weekly, December 18, 1920. |
Of the twelve** films Eason Jr starred in, none of his westerns have survived; at least as far as my research has shown. Unless otherwise stated all of the films listed below were directed by his father B. Reeves Eason Sr. If found, his complete filmography would be in the public domain today. BOLD = Extant
Gold and the Woman** (1916) - A Fox Films Drama starring Theda Bara. Breezy Jr's role was minor. This was on of hundreds of films lost in the infamous Fox Vault Fire in 1937.
Nine-Tenths of the Law (1918) - A drama of the Northwoods that also co-starred his father B. Reeves Eason Sr.
The Kid and the Cowboy (1919) - In this western film, serial hero and rodeo champion Art Acord played Breezy Jr.'s father. Universal Film Co.
The Thunderbolt (1919) - Dir. Colin Campbell. A drama starring Katherine MacDonald and Thomas Meighan. Eason Jr. plays their son.
Two Kinds of Love (1920) - This was the last film to star actress Jimsy Maye a.k.a. Mrs. B. Reeves Eason Sr and Breezy Jr's mother. She also co-starred with her son in "Nine-Tenths of the Law".
The Prospector's Vengeance (1920) - A western short starring Pat O'Malley.
The Texas Kid [a.k.a. "His Nose in the Book"] (1920) - Hoot Gibson stars in this western short, with Breezy Jr. as "Bobby Carson"/
Pink Tights (1920) - A melodrama starring Jack Perrin as a local minister who aids a circus performer. Breezy Jr. has a supporting role as a boy named Johnny Bump.
The Lone Ranger (1920) - This short film starring Leo D. Maloney has nothing to do with "that masked man"
Blue Streak McCoy (1920) - Harry Carey is the cowboy this time. Another child star legend from the time Ben Alexander is also in this film. Alexander was later Sgt. Frank Smith on "Dragnet".
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| Guthrie, (Guthrie OK) Daily Leader, April 22, 1921 |
The Big Adventure (1921) - Of all his lost films, this is the one that I wished would resurface today. Eason is the lead in a story of Patches an orphan who runs away from his cruel stepfather. His adventure with his dog leads to a kind hearted woman who is the sister of judge in a small town.
The Fox (1921) - Teamed up with Harry Carey again as the boy "Pard" to the hero who turns out to be a government agent. Directed by Robert Thornby.
Sure Fire (1921) - A western directed by John Ford and starring Hoot Gibson. His last completed film It was released to theaters a few weeks after Eason's death, on November 5th, 1921.
The 1920 drama "Pink Tights" may be his only available film today. A print was found in the Danish Film Institute. It is available online via YouTube and "Silents Are Golden" Channel with restored English subtitles.
Further research on the life of B. Reeves Eason Jr. will go into his impact on children who saw him on the big screen just a little over a century ago. He was a boy whose father was a director, his mother an actress, and who bonded with Harry Carey and other movie heroes of the time. On can imagine that many boys and girls of the time imagined themselves in his shoes.
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** Only Wikipedia claims that Eason Jr. had a role in 1916's "Gold and the Woman" His IMDB filmography begins with "Nine-Tenths of the Law".
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