Jack Kelly - Best of the West! :)

Howdy!

Spring has finally sprung, and it was such a lovely day today, I thought I'd go antiquing.

There was an antiques show about 40 miles away. I made the pleasant drive in no time, but was disappointed by what I found when I arrived.

This recurring show is typically packed with sellers all around the grounds. Today, however, the selling area was smaller (maybe because another event was being held on the grounds) and there were far fewer sellers than usual.

I did manage to find a booth that looked interesting. The guy had a ton of old paper stuff, including comic books. I asked him if he had any Maverick comic books. No, he didn't, but my inquiry sparked a lively discussion of Warner Brothers TV westerns between the vendor, myself, and a chatty bystander.

Fellow Kelly fans, I'm afraid we may have an uphill battle in our efforts to obtain more parity as a Maverick for JK.

When I confessed I preferred JK and Bart, the seller winced and shook his head dismissively.

"Nope, James Garner is Maverick. That's all there is to it."

The chatty bystander wasn't much help.

"Is Kelly still around? Boy, he sure got heavy after Maverick."

Well, you're not exactly Mr. Svelte yourself, buddy!, I thought as I walked away. >:(

But, not to worry. After I left the antiques show, I visited a nearby antiques mall where I found a 1958 TV Guide with a very interesting story about the beginnings of the movie western. It also touches on the TV westerns of the day.

The story opens with a two-page color photo of some top sagebrush celebrities. And, guess who is featured on the first page of the photo:

Yep, that's Jack Kelly--not James Garner--who is standing next to John Wayne while surrounded by other Western royalty such as Gary Cooper, Gene Autry and James Arness.

It's the best of the west, and JK is literally right in the middle of it! :)

And, that wasn't the only Kellectible I stumbled upon. Next time, I'll share some helpful home decorating tips from Jack and Donna Kelly (which, strangely, don't mention clown pictures). ;->