The "Road" to JK :)

Hello!

You may have seen character actor Mike Road on TV or in films. More likely, you heard him, since probably his best-remembered role was one in which his own face was never seen: "Race Bannon" in the original Jonny Quest animated television series.

Fans of  Maverick will also remember Mr. Road as smooth-talking con man "Pearly Gates", who bedeviled Bart Maverick in the episodes Dade City Dodge and The Troubled Heir.

MR kept a large collection of photos as mementos of his many roles. Recently, I was able to purchase some of the photos with Jack Kelly from his collection and add them to the Kellection.

Thankfully, MR wrote information on the backs of the photos, thus saving us from having to guess "Who is that woman?" or "What episode is this still from?" nearly sixty years later. 

Below is a fabulous candid pic of JK and MR on the set of Dade City Dodge. MR noted that it was taken on June 12, 1961, and added the description "On Maverick set (as Pearly Gates) - Jack Kelly, star":

As you can see, this photo is extra special because it's signed by JK! It's also extra large (11" x 14"), meaning not all of it fit in my scanner at one time. So, here's a separate close-up scan of the signature (you can also see the shadow of JK's wedding ring on his left hand, since he'd switched the ring to his right pinky to play bachelor Bart):

The inscription reads "Mike - If we ever do this again, perhaps 'Pearly' will keep score!!--Jack Kelly". (Maybe he was referring to the lunchtime poker games on the Warner Bros. lot?)

You can read more about the talented Mr. Road here on the fascinating "Yowp" blog. And, you can see another fantastic pic of MR and JK, coming up next in TDS. Please stay tuned! :)