Those "Mercury"-al Mavericks! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Just about this time 60 years ago, the Maverick boys--Jack Kelly and James Garner--were crisscrossing the country making personal appearances.

Many of these appearances were in support of the United Appeal charity. For example, according to newspaper accounts, JK promoted the UA campaign mainly in western cities while JG did the same in the east. While JK paused for the cause in Cincinnati, JG visited Cleveland, and they eventually met up in Chicago to wrap up the promotion. Then, they returned to Hollywood to resume filming Maverick.  

So, how did Bart and Bret accomplish this whirlwind trek? Certainly not on horseback or by stagecoach. Nope, they traveled via the latest mode of luxury air transportation for 1958: a non-stop, all first-class American Airlines DC-7 propliner! It was part of AA's service dubbed the "Mercury" because of its speed (7 hours and 15 minutes from Los Angeles to New York City). 

And...well, I'll just let these vintage newspaper ads for the Mercury--starring the Mavericks!--explain the rest:

  
"Millions of viewers follow James Garner and Jack Kelly as Bret and Bart Maverick each Sunday night on ABC-TV in Maverick filmed by Warner Bros.", the text reads. "And when they set forth across the country to meet personal appearance commitments, both Mavericks follow the trail of other knowing travelers aboard American's famous Mercury. Once you've been aboard, the reason's obvious. You fly the radar-equpped DC-7, fastest airliner coast-to-coast. You enjoy reserved seats, spacious lounge, the marvelous Mercury menu and and exceptionally attentive service every minute of your flight. Make your next trip East on American's Mercury. You'll be glad you did."

There were variations of the ad tailored to different cities:

    

 

To get an idea of the Mercury "experience" for yourself, here's a fascinating video from the archives of the San Diego Air and Space Museum:

 

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed our flight through time with JK and JG. Where will TDS travel to next? Please stay tuned and find out! :)