"Give The Boots The Stars Wear" Pt V

And now, to conclude our yuletide look at JK & Acme Boots, the pièce de résistance:

 A pair of Maverick boots with their original box, courtesy of the now apparently defunct "Toy Cabin" website. Unfortunately, these marvelous boots weren't for sale (the site was just for looking), but the description read, "These fantastic items are produced in black leather with contrasting cut design around the sides which cleverly incorporates hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs on the border."

I hope you've enjoyed these glimpses of Christmases past with JK, JG and Acme Boots. And, I hope you have a blessed Christmas 2016. :)

"Give The Boots The Stars Wear" Pt IV

And the "boot" goes on... :)

This slick 1960 ad is probably the best known Acme Boot ad featuring the Maverick boys--it appeared in popular large format magazines such as Life and The Saturday Evening Post, and it turns up for sale as a standalone Kellectible now and then:

The photo from which the images of JK and JG down in the left corner were taken recently became a part of the Kellection.

Speaking of images, after poring over all these wonderful vintage Acme ads, I got to thinking about the different products that Maverick and its stars were used to advertise. "Mavertising", as it were. :)

The connection to Jeep automobiles and to Kaiser aluminum foil and siding is a no-brainer: they were owned by the show's main sponsor, Kaiser Industries.

Peter Paul was also a Maverick sponsor at one point.

And don't forget the Topper scooter.

In the case of Acme Boots, author Jane M. Gaines reveals in her book Contested Culture: The Image, The Voice and The Law how Acme became the boots the stars wore: "But it is also important to see merchandising as a part of scientific management strategy, in which the principle was to turn star property into capital wherever possible. Control of the star image gave studios certain leverage with other industries with which they may have had many other kinds of cooperative arrangements. And in fact, studios even traded star images for free supplies of props such as automobiles, wild animals and cowboy boots. The Warner Bros. merchandising contract with Acme Boot Company, for instance, gave the studio a $2500 cash advance and fifty-four dozen pairs of western boots each year for two years in exchange for the use of the stars of Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Lawman and Maverick in their advertising."

By the way, I haven't seen Roger Moore (cousin Beau Maverick) in any of these Acme ads, maybe because of some candid remarks he made while filming Maverick. He recounted to a Reuters reporter in 2008, "At Warner Bros. I was doing (the 1950's TV series) Maverick and sitting on the back lot and it was hot and my feet were pinched in these bloody cowboy boots. I was doing an interview and said the reason there were so many killers in the Old West was the boots--they pinched their feet and they got bad-tempered and shot one another. About a month later, I was sent for by Bill Orr, who was the head of Warner Bros. TV and he said: 'You know, the Acme Boot Company are very upset. They supply our boots and you'd better stop saying these things.'"

UPDATE! I found RM's original comments in a 1960 Australian "TV Week"

Well, I'm sure you won't complain when you see what's coming up next in TDS.  ;->



"Give The Boots The Stars Wear" Pt III :)

So, did the Acme cowboy boot craze continue into 1959?

You betcha! :)

In fact, Acme created a special style of "Maverick" boots and our boys got the ads all to themselves ("Adios", other Warner Bros. cowboys).  

Maverick boots weren't advertised only as Christmas gifts; they were also touted as back-to-school footwear (and look, you got a free autographed picture of Bart and Bret with your purchase!):

The ad copy proclaims, "Give your little Maverick star billing...in boots named for the exciting Maverick show on ABC television!"

"The Official Warner Brothers Television Maverick Acme Boot" was for "Boys and Girls" and it featured..."Acme's all new Maverick outside leather pull-strap. Beautiful underlay top pattern on a stovepipe top with striking contrasting stitching..."

As Christmas 1959 approached, even Pappy Maverick got into the Acme advertising act when he was quoted by Bret:

This ad, from Corpus Christi, Texas, urged: "Bring in your young Texan and get him fitted now. We promise to get the word to Santa. Christmas morning his eyes will outshine the stars on the tree! Cowgirls like Acme Boots, too!"

Never fear, Bart also appeared in the 1959 Christmas ads:

"Sure...they want BOOTS", this ad begins. "Santa's cobblers have been busy all year fashioning these ACME BOOTS for your little 'Maverick'. See their eyes sparkle with real delight when they put on these boots the Stars wear. A traditional favorite with children."

Stay tuned as we continue the boot-scootin' boogie towards Christmas in TDS! :)

"Give The Boots The Stars Wear" Pt. II :)

Howdy Again!

As promised, here's a look at another Acme Boot ad featuring Jack Kelly. This one, also from 1958, is similar to the Christmas ad shown yesterday:

The ad entices, "From the magic world of the spirited Old West...in the glamorous setting of Hollywood...here is the one gift with the authentic touch...Acme Boots, in all their wonderful color and handsome styling! Magnificent selections to help make your youngster's dream come true! See your Acme dealer today! Acme Boots are worn by stars and featured players of Warner Bros. western television and motion picture productions."

These eye-catching boots even came in infant sizes, for baby buckaroos and buckarettes. :)   

Also: While further researching the Acme ads, I discovered that a colorful cardboard standee with the same "Christmas tree with Warner Bros. TV western stars as ornaments" motif was used to promote the boots in stores. Below is a photo of one such standee (courtesy Hake's Americana):

  And, a close-up of JK (also courtesy Hake's Americana):

(BTW, the rest of JK in this pose can be seen here.)

Stay tuned for more fun as we countdown to Christmas with JK! :)

"Give The Boots The Stars Wear" :)

Howdy!

It's hard to believe, but Christmas is just one week away. If you need a last-minute gift suggestion, this newspaper ad may help (but only if you have a time machine--it's from 1958):

Kids sure were lucky back then! :)

I was lucky to find this merry Maverick Christmas ad (and a few similar Acme Boot ads) in the pages of the past. I'm going to showcase them in TDS this week, so please stay tuned!