Hello Everybody,
I noticed that Linda Alexander, author of the forthcoming Jack Kelly biography, has proposed a campaign on Facebook to "rebrand" Maverick in the public's mind so that they'll think of Jack Kelly as well as James Garner whenever the show or role is mentioned.
And I'm all for it! :)
In fact, that's one of the reasons I started this blog, to help people remember--or perhaps learn for the first time--that James Garner wasn't the only Maverick.
Now, I have nothing against Jim Garner. He's a well-loved actor who's had a long, successful showbiz career. I grew up enjoying Garner in The Rockford Files and those Polaroid commercials like everyone else. And, if he doesn't devastate you at the end of The Notebook, well, then you'd better make sure your heart hasn't turned to stone.
However, when it comes to Maverick, usually James Garner is all you hear about. It's as if Jack Kelly has been mysteriously edited out of people's memories of Maverick.
Believe me, I've received plenty of blank stares at antiques shows when vendors ask me if I'm looking for anything in particular and I tell them I collect JK memorabilia. Then, I mention Maverick.
"Oh, I have lots of Maverick stuff with James Garner, but, sorry, nothing with Jack Kelly."
About a year ago, when I first became aware of JK, Encore Westerns was running Maverick promos where present-day poker players gushed, "Maverick is James Garner!" There was nary a mention of JK, or even Roger Moore. One would have thought that Garner was the lone star of the show.
Shortly before that, John McCain and Sarah Palin branded themselves "mavericks" during the 2008 presidential campaign. Blogs and newspaper op-ed columns were filled with references to the "real Maverick", and as shorthand they usually showed a still of James Garner in his black Bret costume. Bart never made it to the primaries.
However, what irks me even more than Jack Kelly's contribution to Maverick being forgotten is when it's simply ignored, or summarily dismissed. Like when people say,"Jack Kelly was the other guy. James Garner was Maverick."
Or, "Jack Kelly was the guy we put up with to see James Garner in Maverick."
Even JK once said, "James Garner was Maverick--I was his brother."
Someone on Facebook wondered if such statements actually bothered Jack Kelly.
Apparently, they did.
I found an excerpt from a 1985 James Garner biography by Raymond Strait which quotes JK:
"...So far as I was concerned, the only negative aspect of Maverick, which I learned to understand and worked very hard to overcome, was being known as Bret Maverick's brother.
"Jim Garner was Maverick. The public always saw him bigger than me and that hurt because it diminished my posture. I was painfully aware of it."
Strait says that JG and JK never discussed this disparity, but both were aware of it. JK concluded:
"As the winner of the battle of the Mavericks without having to lift a finger, Jim didn't need to say anything...but I regard that man with genuine appreciation."
I don't think Jack Kelly knew how really good he was as Bart, or how much he was appreciated. He stayed with Maverick from 1957 until it ended in 1962. His last words on screen were spoken as a Maverick in 1991.
I noticed that Linda Alexander, author of the forthcoming Jack Kelly biography, has proposed a campaign on Facebook to "rebrand" Maverick in the public's mind so that they'll think of Jack Kelly as well as James Garner whenever the show or role is mentioned.
And I'm all for it! :)
In fact, that's one of the reasons I started this blog, to help people remember--or perhaps learn for the first time--that James Garner wasn't the only Maverick.
Now, I have nothing against Jim Garner. He's a well-loved actor who's had a long, successful showbiz career. I grew up enjoying Garner in The Rockford Files and those Polaroid commercials like everyone else. And, if he doesn't devastate you at the end of The Notebook, well, then you'd better make sure your heart hasn't turned to stone.
However, when it comes to Maverick, usually James Garner is all you hear about. It's as if Jack Kelly has been mysteriously edited out of people's memories of Maverick.
Believe me, I've received plenty of blank stares at antiques shows when vendors ask me if I'm looking for anything in particular and I tell them I collect JK memorabilia. Then, I mention Maverick.
"Oh, I have lots of Maverick stuff with James Garner, but, sorry, nothing with Jack Kelly."
About a year ago, when I first became aware of JK, Encore Westerns was running Maverick promos where present-day poker players gushed, "Maverick is James Garner!" There was nary a mention of JK, or even Roger Moore. One would have thought that Garner was the lone star of the show.
Shortly before that, John McCain and Sarah Palin branded themselves "mavericks" during the 2008 presidential campaign. Blogs and newspaper op-ed columns were filled with references to the "real Maverick", and as shorthand they usually showed a still of James Garner in his black Bret costume. Bart never made it to the primaries.
However, what irks me even more than Jack Kelly's contribution to Maverick being forgotten is when it's simply ignored, or summarily dismissed. Like when people say,"Jack Kelly was the other guy. James Garner was Maverick."
Or, "Jack Kelly was the guy we put up with to see James Garner in Maverick."
Even JK once said, "James Garner was Maverick--I was his brother."
Someone on Facebook wondered if such statements actually bothered Jack Kelly.
Apparently, they did.
I found an excerpt from a 1985 James Garner biography by Raymond Strait which quotes JK:
"...So far as I was concerned, the only negative aspect of Maverick, which I learned to understand and worked very hard to overcome, was being known as Bret Maverick's brother.
"Jim Garner was Maverick. The public always saw him bigger than me and that hurt because it diminished my posture. I was painfully aware of it."
Strait says that JG and JK never discussed this disparity, but both were aware of it. JK concluded:
"As the winner of the battle of the Mavericks without having to lift a finger, Jim didn't need to say anything...but I regard that man with genuine appreciation."
I don't think Jack Kelly knew how really good he was as Bart, or how much he was appreciated. He stayed with Maverick from 1957 until it ended in 1962. His last words on screen were spoken as a Maverick in 1991.
Yet, James Garner is still the default Maverick.
So, let's follow Linda's lead and spread the word: Jack Kelly is Maverick, too! :->
I have done so prior to Linda's suggestion and will continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteJust testing...having a problem posting a comment.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know what was happening, but for several days, I wasn't able to leave a comment. Do do, do do, do do, do do..Twilight Zone moment...:)
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say, that Jack Kelly IS "Maverick" to me...he is the reason I watched the original show...didn't care for JG...seemed like a smart Alec to me...after all, I was the wise old age of 10!! LOL
And, JK is the reason I still love to watch the show, some 50+ years later!
I never understood why a man who had it all seemed to be ignored...it frustrated me, even as a child.
I am so glad that now we all can work to change the myth of JG being "Maverick!"
Sincerely, Janet
I think Jack Kelly was unlucky to be in James Garners' shadow... Garner seemed to be the golden boy for the WB Series. He seemed to get the most press and was more aggressive about getting what he wanted. I bet JK received just as much mail and was loved by more females back in the day. Men seemed to like Garner better and that was the difference. I have not met many men who claim to favor Bart over Bret but many women did and still do. Life takes many twists and turns and we can't all come out on top. JK seemed to just accept things instead of making big issues out of what he wanted. James Garner was probably a headache to be around if things didn't go his way. Jack Kelly was Maverick and played the part well. Glad we have sites like this one to enjoy him and discuss how we feel.
ReplyDeleteThx for this wonderful piece! It's important to stand for something--anything--if it doesn't feel right. In the grand scheme of things, Jack Kelly vs James Garner may not be world peace but does have its place.
ReplyDeleteOne of the comments here from Anonymous gets to the heart of this--"JK seemed to just accept things instead of making big issues out of what he wanted."
Jack Kelly did not like making waves. There were many reasons for this but throughout his life, he'd stand to the side rather than put up a fight. Did he know he was forming his legacy--or lack thereof--by doing so? Certainly not. It's never 'til we look back on something, or someone else looks back on it for us, that we see how pieces fit together & oftentimes, why & how.
Jack Kelly was as much "Maverick" as was James Garner ... & in my opinion, much more. He was there throughout. One of the reasons his fans are so dedicated, IMHO, comes to light BECAUSE OF his less-divisive nature.
That both helped & hindered in the long run. However, when the show was in its prime, Jack was receiving as much, & at times more, fan mail than Garner. He was as popular & particularly so w/women.
Time has come ... it's Jack Kelly's era now!
Linda, I wish the "Bret Maverick" series hadn't been canceled just as Kelly was due to come onboard in its second season. It'll be interesting to read a book about Kelly. Linda: are there any photographs of Jack and Nancy Kelly together as adults? I've never seen one.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Rick Jason's online memoir? It's terribly entertaining and amazing by dint of how it provides some of the mistakes Jason, obviously originally poised to become a screen giant, made that sunk his career down to television, and the way the book reads, it's hard to tell for sure whether Jason saw them as such when he was writing, much less at the time. And talk about competitive aggression! I never knew it to be present on "Maverick" but "Combat!" was an apt term for the war for power that Jason's co-star Vic Morrow seemingly waged (although the two actors remained friendly). Another irony: Morrow had finally gotten another good role in "Twilight Zone: the Movie" and played to the hilt only to be decapitated by a crashing helicopter right on camera! Rick Jason later wound up killing himself with one of his many guns although I'm not sure whether a terminal illness was involved (as with Robert Young) or what. Jason also appeared at a panel discussion of what it was like to work with Orson Welles at the Paley Center for Media that's available for viewing in New York City and Los Angeles: he detested working for Welles but the chapter in his book about it is utterly riveting.
Stuart Whitman was strongly considered for the role of Bart Maverick since he and Garner looked eerily similar in 1957, and it would have been interesting to see how that combination would have shaken out. Garner would not physically be "the big one" and Whitman's curious pronunciation (he'd've played a "gam-be-lah") would've been very different for Garner to play against. Garner was a light comedy genius in the vein of Cary Grant and Jack Lemmon, though, which is impossible to top. Kelly never had a chance, especially since Garner had already appeared in seven or eight episodes, many of them the series' best, before Kelly came aboard. And let's face it, Kelly was always a thousand times better in scenes with Garner than solo, although of course he was always interesting.
ReplyDeleteJack Kelly was THE Maverick in my opinion. I won't even watch the Bret episodes. It's unfair for Garner to be the only one mentioned when the show is remembered nowadays...Jack Kelly deserved better.
ReplyDelete