Under The Flight Path :)

Hello Everyone!

An exceedingly rare bit of Jack Kelly stage ephemera just landed in the Kellection. It's a playbill for Under The Yum-Yum Tree, a racy romp in which JK starred in July 1962.

The 55 year-old playbill looks almost brand new. While it doesn't contain any cast photos, it does have bios for JK and the rest of the players.

What's really unusual about this production is its venue. The O'Hare Inn was a sprawling 400-room luxury resort motel located minutes from O'Hare International, the world's busiest airport at the time. The Inn's exhibition hall had been converted into a theater complete with a stage, plentiful seating, air-conditioning and its own separate parking lot--perfect for summer stock.

Under the Yum-Yum Tree  was only the third production to be presented at the Theatre. Besides JK, other stars who appeared in plays during that inaugural season included Kim Hunter, Inger Stevens, Hans Conried and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

The O'Hare Inn was the site of a John F. Kennedy presidential campaign speech in October 1960. It also served as the backdrop of a 1962 episode ("Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing") of the Route 66 TV series. However, these claims to fame weren't enough to spare the Inn from the relentless ravages of "progress". The motel was demolished years ago. It's "Checkered" history can be reviewed here.

I've added info about the O'Hare Inn Theatre production of Under the Yum-Yum Tree (including excerpts from a wonderful newspaper review) to "All the World's A Stage With JK Pt. II".

Please stay tuned for more fun with JK and TDS! :)