Saturday, July 24, 2010

Jack Kelly - Be My Guest...Blogger! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at blogging? Would you like to review your favorite Jack Kelly movie or TV performance, or do you have an item of JK memorabilia you'd like to discuss here on The Tall Dark Stranger There?

Well, here's your chance to be a guest blogger! All you have to do is identify JK's mystery companion in the photo below:

A couple of hints: Obviously, the lucky lady is not May Wynn, although she is an actress. The toothsome twosome was snapped at a glamourous Hollywood event. (And, poor JK has a bandage on his hand!)

Please post your answer in the "comments" section. (And, to be fair, please don't post the correct answer on Facebook until after I've announced the winner here--thanks!)

The first person to correctly identify JK's mystery date will be my guest blogger. I'll contact you to confirm you're the winner. Then you can send me your Jack Kelly-related write-up--including photo(s), if you wish--and I'll post it here instead of my usual nattering. ;->

So, take a good look--and good luck! :)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Jack Kelly - Bundle From Britain :)

Hi Again!

Wow, it seems like we were just talking about Summer starting, and now it's practically August! Where does the time go...

Lately, I've been passing the time by reading an enchanting little book titled Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. It's a novel about a lady who's launched on an adventure by an amazing collection of books. So, I thought we could enjoy a little adventure of our own with a couple of books which recently joined my Kellection. They're both from England and both have our boy Bart Maverick on the front.

The first book from across the pond is Maverick - Boss of the Rocking H Ranch. And, by "Maverick", they mean Bret Maverick. You see, this is the British edition of the Whitman Maverick book by Charles I. Coombs and Bart isn't in it at all. But, at least we get Bart (in his grey suit!) on the British cover:

A bookplate from the Flintshire Education Committee reveals that a previous owner was awarded this book because they displayed "commendable industry in school work during the school year ended July 31, 1962". Wow! Almost 48 years ago to the day. (And, I think the only end-of-school year award I ever won was a free cheeseburger from McDonald's for getting all A's on my report card in 6th grade! :->)

Our next bookish bundle from Britain is another Maverick "Television Story Book", or annual:

I have several of these annuals, and poor Bart is only partially shown on all the covers. I guess that's better than no Bart at all, but I think the way he's drawn here makes him also look like he's half-asleep. :-(

Anyway, this annual is filled with nifty stories like "Showdown at Powder Springs" (starring Bart, shown below; the caption reads, "They were at the coffee stage before she finished relating the story"):

It also has factual articles about riverboats ("Agents for opening the west") and luxury sternwheelers ("Just as Bart and Bret Maverick traveled aboard the 'river queens', so did thousands of people who desired comfortable transportation to western adventure, without the bump and roll of the stagecoach"). Funny, I don't remember American comic books being so educational. ;->

There are also comic strips starring the Maverick boys, including one where they help a newspaperman get elected mayor of a small town. (Hmm, why does that sound familiar?)

Incidentally, I recently stumbled upon another old book which is now in the Kellection. It's not from Britain, but it's about a famous (and infamous) figure from America's wild western days. The strange thing is, I found interesting facts about another "legend of the west" by reading it. Like, a family tree often has deep roots which influence how some of the branches grow. And, that's all I'm gonna say about it for now. ;->