In her new documentary “King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones,” filmmaker Harriet Marin Jones tells the fascinating true story of her late grandfather, Edward Jones, one of the wealthiest men of the 1930s and 1940s because of his work in the Policy business, an illegal numbers game that ultimately became the modern State Lottery.
The award-winning documentary, executive produced by Debbie Allen and the late Quincy Jones, is a historical narrative that takes audiences through a century of trials and triumphs throughout Edward Jones’ life and lineage. Harriet told the Sentinel how she learned of her grandfather’s intricate backstory.
“I first found out at [age] 17 not from my mother, but through Nicholas Ford, who you see in the film. He’s the one who told me my own story because my mom hadn’t said anything about it for various reasons. I think she didn’t know a lot of it, but like a lot of people in that generation, you don’t share the past, you don’t share those stories,” she explained.
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One of the most interesting aspects of the documentary is the juxtaposition between Harriet’s mother’s experience with her father, Edward Jones, who she believed to be a hero and Jones’ public persona as a gangster.
Harriet shared, “I’m so proud of my grandfather and his accomplishments. My mother adored her father, but she only knew part of his life. In the film, she only told us what an amazing man he was, but I wanted to go much deeper. Because no one is a saint.
“And at the time what he did was illegal. So yes, he was an outlaw. Some can call him a gangster, but he never hurt anyone. During segregation, African Americans couldn’t do a lot of things. They were not allowed access to a lot of jobs. So, he did something that wasn’t immoral, but illegal. And it became the state lottery, which is now totally legal.”
Learning about their great-grandfather has instilled immense pride amongst Edward Jones’ descendants.
“His great, great grandchildren are so proud,” said Harriet. “When they saw the film, they told me, ‘…He was a badass and he was a hero.’ They thought it was very rock and roll.’ My nephew said, ‘How many people in this lifetime had to flee from the KKK, the mob, the Feds and the Nazis?’ Not many.”
Regarding how the documentary came about Harriet shared, “I started my production company in 2008 and the money I had, I put it into other projects, and at one point, those projects, with other directors, for whatever reason, didn’t come [to fruition].
“So, then I said, ‘This is crazy. I have the best story in the world. Why am I putting my energy and my money into other projects instead of mine?’ And that’s when I decided to start doing the research. And the more I found out, the more it blew my mind.”
Supporting Harriet on this journey to bring her Edward Jones’ story to the masses is legendary multi-hyphenate Debbie Allen. She and Harriet hit it off after being introduced by a mutual friend, filmmaker Johnny Simmons.
Allen speaks on her involvement in the project and shares her affinity for Harriet. “She’s a remarkable filmmaker, an extraordinary woman, and someone I regard as my soul sister for real. We’re connected by a mutual understanding of the relevance, the value, and the need to tell our stories.
“Harriet went into her own family backyard and revealed a story that none of us knew but the world needs to know about Edward Jones, The Policy King and “King of Kings”.
A fun fact that audiences will learn from watching the documentary about the late Quincy Jones, one of the documentary’s executive producers, is, “Quincy used to work for my grandfather, and he knew my mother when they were young,” said Harriet.
Both Allen and Quincy hoped that Harriet’s documentary will be the catalyst for Edward Jones’ story to one day become a TV series. Harriet and Allen are also hoping that the documentary will be nominated for an Oscar.
Following its theatrical release, “King of Kings” is now being distributed via Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media and the documentary is available to rent/own online and on DVD.
