60 Years Ago Today...

 ...A "Bundle From Britain" arrived on Maverick!

Yes, it was on September 18, 1960, that Roger Moore debuted as "Beau Maverick", the "white sheep" cousin of the Maverick family.

I was about to ask Beau and his cousin Bart how they felt about this historic anniversary. Unfortunately, they're tied up at the moment:

Please stay tuned for more about Jack Kelly and Maverick in TDS! :)

A Zoomin' Birthday! :)

"With lockdowns and social-distancing, it looks like we won't be able to have a birthday party for you this year, Jack."

"Not to worry, Goldie--we'll have a virtual party! Okay, everyone, the party is online...now!"

"Uh, Jim, you're on mute..."

"Oops, sorry old chap! CAN YOU 

HEAR ME NOW?"

"Yep...can you turn the volume down?"

"Certainly!"

"Bonjour, Jack!"

"Well, hello Countess!"

"What kinda caper is this? 

Dad? Suzanne? What's with the crazy threads?"

"I think you have the wrong party, son."

"I sure do...this is Squaresville! 

Hey, you ever been to 77 Cherokee Strip?"

"We sure have! Right, Jack? Er, Jack?"

"I'm here! Say, can somebody ping Bret? 

He accepted the invite but hasn't joined us yet."

"Will do!"

"Happy birthday, Jack!"

"Happy Holliday, Doc!"

"I see what you did there."

"Howdy, Jack, it's Pappy and Bentley here. 

Bret got your IM...he sends his regards."

"What's Bret doing?"

"He's playin' poker with that Samantha Crawford. Now, you know what I always say about playin' poker with women..."

"Yeah, I do Pappy. Uh, Goldie?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"What about my birthday cake?"

"Well...I'm afraid it's going to be 

virtual this year, too."

"Psych! I sent it by express delivery. 

It should be at your house any minute now!"

(DING DONG!)

"It's here! Thanks a million, Goldie!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACK!!!"

--Meeting has ended---

(Click!

Click!

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A Stormy Moment With JK :)

Hello!

Presenting one of my favorite original vintage stills from one of my favorite Maverick episodes:  "The Goose-Drownder", starring Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick and guest-starring Fay Spain as the provocatively named dance-hall girl "Stella Legendre":  

Even in this still image, JK's and Ms. Spain's expressive eyes convey the tense emotions of the scene. 

Here's how the photo looked when it was published in The Columbus Dispatch on May 8, 1960, the date 'The Goose-Drownder' was rerun on ABC:

The caption reads, "Jack Kelly, as Bart Maverick, protects Stella Legendre, played by Fay Spain, from a vicious outlaw in 'The Goose Drownder' on Maverick, Sunday, May 8, on Chan. 6 at 7:30 p.m.)"

(The Dispatch cropped out the deceased character in the background.)

By the way, I'm always baffled when authors, reviewers, etc., claim that when Maverick originally aired in the 1950s, viewers didn't know from one week to the next if they were going to see Bret or Bart Maverick as the star of an episode. Really? Did these viewers not read "TV Guide" or their local newspapers? 

I've found that Maverick was very well-publicized during its 1957-1962 network run, with plot synopses and photos appearing in advance of each weekly episode. I found several different promo photos and write-ups for 'The Goose-Drownder' alone during my perusals of various newspaper databases. 

For example:

The caption: "TIME OF DANGER - Time is running out for Jack Kelly and Fay Spain, who are stranded in a ghost town with a band of stagecoach robbers in 'The Goose-Drownder', next segment in the Warner Bros. Maverick series, to show on Sunday, December 13 [1959], on the ABC-TV network."

Notice it says "next segment". So, viewers shouldn't have been surprised when Bart showed up as the star of "The Goose-Drownder". Unless, of course, they were too busy watching TV to read the newspaper. ;)

Well, please stay tuned for more photographical fun with JK in TDS! :)