Jack Kelly Joins the Navy!

Hi!

At last, here is the rare Jack Kelly "find" I told you about.

I just purchased some wonderful photos of Jack Kelly and his first wife May Wynn snapped by the US Navy onboard the aircraft carrier the USS Shangri-La CVA-38 while it was stationed off the coast of Hawaii.

UPDATE: The seller listed the date of the photos as March 9, 1960, but this is probably incorrect. I've since found the 1959-1961 cruise book for the USS Shangri-La online. It says the ship visited Hawaii in 1959 and then moved on to the Far East. It cruised to South America and the US east coast in 1960. Also, a webpage about May Wynn notes that she and Jack Kelly "will take an early vacation at the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Honolulu, with a stop-off in San Francisco before returning to work" in June 1959.

In any case, I wondered why the Kellys had visited the carrier. The seller regretted that they didn't have much info about the pictures but explained, "These photos came to us from our sister-in-law who was in the service during the time these photos were taken. She told us that there were many entertainers that would visit the Shangri-La and they all would have their pictures taken with the crew."

The seller added, "[My sister-in-law] was a fan of Jack Kelly, too, and will be very happy that another fan of Jack Kelly will be taking care of these photos now."

(I assured the seller that I would indeed take EXTRA good care of these photos!) :->

I also wondered about that name: the USS Shangri-La? Here's the 411.

I have no idea if these Jack Kelly pix have ever been published or displayed before, so who knows, this might be an "exclusive" for "The Tall Dark Stranger There". Also, if there's anyone out there who served on the USS Shangri-La and can provide more info about JK's visit, please contact me--thanks!

And, now, anchors aweigh! :) (PLEASE DO NOT COPY THESE PHOTOS)

This is a close-up view of a pic of Jack and May
standing on the deck of the USS Shangri-La

Here is Jack and May with one of the crew members.By the way, the logo on JK's shirt says,
"Hawaii - 50th State".

More pix to come! :->