"Sub" of a Gun! :)

 

In tonight's episode of Maverick, Bart misplaces his pistol and must use his hand as a substitute gun. ;)

Seriously, this is a still from the "Substitute Gun" episode of Maverick which recently joined the Kellection. The episode first aired on April 2, 1961. 

Joining Jack Kelly in this still is erstwhile child actor Jack (Jackie) Searle, who portrayed the appropriately named Wilbur Smiley Drake. 

JS and JK would act together again in an episode of The Lucy Show titled "Lucy Makes a Pinch", which originally aired on November 9, 1964! 

Please stay tuned for the next TDS--accept no substitutes. :)

Yet Another Bundle From Brazil! :)

Olá!

Here's yet another fantastic look at Jack Kelly and Maverick on Brazilian television, courtesy of the March 24-30 1964 issue of  "Intervalo", with "The Brothers Maverick" as cover boys:

(If that photo looks familiar, it's the same image used on the cover of this Brazilian magazine, only flipped.)

Photo caption: "Jack Kelly is satisfied with the presence of Robert Colbert [Brent], replacing James Garner as Bret."

The text of the cover story (roughly translated with Google) reads:

"The Mavericks - Cute But Not Ordinary 

[I love that description! B27]

The brothers 'Maverick', Brent and Bart, and their cousin Beau, are noted for the impeccable elegance of their dress and how they present themselves. The three have all the requirements of the most perfect gentleman. For this reason, they can be called "cute" (but not ordinary), despite the questionable and sometimes not very honest activities they perform. They enable Brazilian viewers to watch vibrant adventures set in the rugged American West, at the time of the pioneers. See them on Channel 13 in Rio (Saturdays, 21:45) and Channel 5 in Sao Paulo (Tuesdays, 21:35)."

"Next week, the Maverick series begins its second season in São Paulo and Rio. A change for this second season: the replacement of James Garner by Robert Colbert, who will play Brent Maverick, with Jack Kelly continuing as Bart Maverick.

"Living incredible adventures in the old west, the Mavericks are  admired as the quickest on the trigger, although they insist on not being identified as such. They prefer to be known as romantic and adventurous players. Each episode has light and picturesque humor, interconnected with a mild dose of romance, provoked by the two brothers who, even following different paths, invariably end up in the direction of a beautiful girl who always arouses their passion. Bold poker players, they always risk a bluff, or some trick, although they claim great honesty. They are impeccable dressers, contrasting with the inhabitants of the places they pass through.

"Brent and Bart alternate their adventures weekly and in each program they play opposite excellent and renowned stars of television and cinema. This new phase of Maverick presents a new figure, whose interpreter is already known to viewers in Sao Paulo and Rio for his role as "Ivanhoe": Roger Moore, who plays the part of Beau Maverick, cousin of Brent and Bart. 

"Completely dubbed into Portuguese at Cinecastro Studios, the series should continue to delight the public, who are used to admiring and applauding the adventures of the Maverick brothers. Rio residents will continue to follow them on TV-Rio, Channel 13, while São Paulo will keep their receivers tuned to TV-Paulista, Channel  5, every Tuesday, at 21:35 hours."

Wow, that's interesting, how Brent is described as a regularly occurring character, when he appeared in only two episodes. And, how Beau is described as a "new" character, when he actually appeared in the episodes before Brent showed up and then vamoosed. 

Well, where in the world will TDS travel to next? Please stay tuned and find out! :)

White Snow, Icy Wind Chill :)

Hello!

The calendar says "March" and Spring is just around the corner. However, in much of the US, Winter is determined to stay put. The wind chill in my neck of the woods is forecast to be -4 degrees tonight! :0

So, here's an original NBC publicity still (with some artistic flourishes added) of Jack Kelly and Senta Berger in "White Snow, Red Ice", a 1964 segment of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre:

Original B&W 1964 still of Jack Kelly & Senta Berger 

scanned and color-tinted by La Bartista (2019).

Frame effect courtesy of LoonaPix.

The snipe on the back reads: "INDOOR SPORTS...Senta Berger is a beautiful ski champion (and jewel thief) and Jack Kelly a private eye in 'White Snow, Red Ice', airing in color Friday, March 13 (8:30-9:30 pm EST), on Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre, over NBC-TV."

 

No matter what the weather outside is like, you'll always find a warm welcome in TDS. Please stay tuned for more fun with JK! :)

A Bundle From Brazil--Pt. II

As we've seen before, Maverick was still going strong on Brazilian television after its original network run ended in the US. These two TV Programas are from 1964, when a third season of Maverick episodes was airing in Brazil.

The first issue is dated January 27:

While the cover story is mainly about James Garner leaving the show ("Why James Garner Isn't Playing 'Brother Bret' Anymore"), it does have a nice pic of Jack Kelly and Roger Moore:

 

It also mentions a couple of things which I hadn't heard before. Reportedly, actor John Smith (of Cimarron City and Laramie TV fame) was originally considered for the role of Bret Maverick. And, after JG left Maverick, Warner Bros. supposedly thought about replacing him with Wayde Preston, formerly star of Colt .45!

The second TV Programas issue is dated October 26. It lauds Maverick for "Three Years of Success" on Brazilian TV:

 

The text of the cover story (roughly translated from Portuguese) reads:

"THREE SUCCESSFUL YEARS ON PARANAENSE TV--
In its third year on television in [the Brazilian state of] Paraná, Maverick remains popular with viewers. Although the series lost James Garner ('brother Bret'), who decided to go into movies, a new member of the family came on the scene: 'cousin Beau', personified by Roger Moore, who previously appeared on Brazilian screens in the Ivanhoe series. And it is possible that we may still see Robert Colbert ['brother Brent'], Garner's substitute. As for Jack Kelly, he remains firm as 'brother Bart', staying near the poker table with a handful of 'straights'.

Living incredible adventures in the old west, the Mavericks quickly became famous. They don't need to prove they are 'fastest on the draw'. They prefer to be known as romantic and adventurous players. And in each episode, they provide moments of mild humor, interspersed with a gentle dose of romanticism. Even though they tread different paths, they invariably walk in search of a beautiful girl. That's when they're not around a poker table, risking a bluff or doing a little trick, though they swear great honesty. 'Bret', 'Bart' and 'Beau' alternate in their weekly adventures, sometimes appearing together.

Milton Rangel, a popular national actor (he created the celebrated 'Jeronimo, Hero of Sertao' on National Radio in Rio) dubs the 'voices' of 'Bret' and 'Beau', while Domingos Martins speaks in Portuguese for Jack 'Bart' Kelly.

Maverick airs Mondays at 9:20 pm on TV-Paranaense, Channel 12."

There's another nice pic of JK (one I don't think I'd seen before) in this story:

The caption says, "A Maverick doesn't live only for poker.

Jack Kelly is well-accompanied here."



Plus, there's even a couple of cute Maverick cartoons in the 10/26 issue:

Roughly translated, the first cartoon says, "I'm just practicing until the other players show up." The second one says, "Maverick! Don't smoke so much while we're playing cards!"

STAY TUNED NEXT TIME FOR ANOTHER LOOK AT Maverick FROM "SOUTH OF THE BORDER" :)
　

An "Arresting" Find! :)

Hi Everyone!

Last weekend, I surfed onto a "classic TV" channel which was running a marathon of The Lucy Show, the series Lucille Ball starred in after I Love Lucy. In this show, the wacky redhead plays a cash-strapped widow who's constantly getting tangled up in money-making schemes and other comic predicaments.

I knew that Jack Kelly had appeared in an episode of The Lucy Show. I hit the "info" button on the remote to see if that episode was included in the marathon. Yesss! It was. I'd watched (actually squinted at) the episode on YouTube many moons ago, but this would be the first time I'd see it on a big TV screen.

At last the moment in the marathon arrived. I watched the 1964 episode, "Lucy Makes a Pinch", and it was even more hilarious than I remembered. And, JK was even handsomer. (And in color, too!)

However, the picture quality wasn't that great. Plus, I had to sit through interminable ads for reverse mortgages and adjustable mattresses. So, I went online and found the "The Official Third Season of The Lucy Show" on DVD! Almost faster than I could say "Desilu", the DVD set arrived in my mailbox.

Wow! Each episode is "beautifully restored" (as the box says) and the set includes all kinds of cool special features, like photo galleries and mini-bios of the guest stars--including JK.

And, I had a "ball" making these screen caps! :)

JK plays a police detective named "Bill Baker". He needs a female partner to help him stake-out "Lover's Lane" to catch a bandit named "Green Scarf Louie". Lucy is a meter maid at the station, so guess who's chosen for the stake-out? Lucy gets so flustered at the sight of Detective Baker, she forgets her own phone number!

 

Uh, now, um, what was I writing about? Oh, yes:

 

When Detective Baker arrives to take Lucy on the stake-out, he doesn't recognize her out of uniform. She's wearing a sexy black dress and he'd thought of her as "just one of the boys". (Eyebrow alert! ;>)

 



 Detective Baker (and JK) takes his work very seriously.

 



 Baker shows the meter maid what she'll be wearing during the stake-out: real diamonds (but Lucy isn't in the sky)....

 



 ...and a platinum mink. Baker reminds Lucy that these are only bait to lure Green Scarf Louie into their trap.

And so Baker and Lucy get down to business at Lover's Lane, in a Lincoln Continental convertible no less.

Baker thinks he hears the bandit. Lucy is worried that her partner will put himself in danger going after Green Scarf Louie (the detective has been awarded a medal for going above and beyond the call of duty before).

But, Bill has a different strategy in mind.

He orders Lucy to snuggle up to him, so Louie will think they're sweethearts.  

Lucy seems to get the hang of this "sweethearts" stuff pretty quickly.

 

 (One of the few times JK actually smiles in the episode.)

Suddenly, Baker realizes Louie is near, so he kisses Lucy!

She's so shocked, she accidentally hits the siren button and scares Green Scarf Louie away.

 

 Baker thinks all is lost...

 

 ...But, Lucy convinces him to give the stake-out another try.

 

Another night, another stake-out:

 

Detective Baker is obviously good at his job!

 



 

This stakeout also goes awry (it's The Lucy Show after all), but Bill finally gets the drop on Green Scarf Louie.

 



 

He tells Lucy he'll give her credit for collaring the robber. 

And, he's also taking her to the Policemen's Ball! (Since his usual Saturday night bowling was cancelled.)

As you can see from these pictures, JK looks fantastic. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of The Official Third Season of The Lucy Show so you can hear him as well. When this DVD set was originally released in 2010 it retailed for about $40.00. You can now find it online--brand new and still factory sealed--for a fraction of that price. You might even say it's a steal! ;->

Tee Time Pt. III - A Father's Day Finale and Coming Attractions! :)

Happy Father's Day to All Daddies!

I couldn't think of a better day to wrap up our look at Jack Kelly and golf, what with lots of pops getting new clubs for Dad's Day and the U.S. Open in full "swing".

JK participated in many celebrity golf tournaments over the years. Below is a terrific photo from one such event. A handwritten note on the back of the photo says, "Bill D. and Jack Kelly - Celebrity Golf 1964". (If anyone can provide more info about this pic, please let me know!)

And, here's another great glimpse of JK in golfing togs. This color image was scanned from a vintage transparency which came with a bunch of other celebrity slides I purchased some time ago. I don't know when or where this was snapped, but I love JK's tousled hair!  And, as far as I know, this slide has never been published--until now. :)

COMING SOON IN TDS:

• Bon Appetit, JK!
• All the world's a stage--especially when Jack Kelly is the star!
• And more--stay tuned! :)

"60 Minutes of Mystery and Suspense!" :)

Howdy!


Thankfully, the extreme hot weather of the past week or so seems to be cooling down a bit. What a relief!


Here's something else that's cool...

...A poster for "White Snow, Red Ice". This was actually a 1964 episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater. Since it's being advertised as a "motion picture for television", I'm guessing this poster was promoting the availability of the film for TV syndication. It shows a suave JK (as PI "Fred Piper") snuggling up to his co-star Senta Berger. 


For more info on "White Snow, Red Ice", click here and here. And, here's hoping we get to see the actual film some day...that would be really cool!  :)

There's "Snow" One Like JK! :)

Hello All!

Well, it looks like the sultry days of summer may finally be on the way out. I took my dog for a walk this evening and there was definitely an autumnal tinge to the air. Fall will be here in no time at all, which means winter is just around the corner, too! :0

While I'm certainly in no hurry for wintry weather to arrive, I do want to share this, uh, cool pic of Jack Kelly in 1964. It's from the "White Snow, Red Ice" episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater. JK portrayed private eye "Fred Piper"; the cutie he's cozying up to is Senta Berger. (Read more about this episode here.)

COMING SOON IN TDS:

• A birthday salute to you-know-who



• A look at Maverick from Down Under



• And more!

Love and Kisses--And Roses--For Sis! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Here's another rare pic of Jack Kelly with his older sister, Nancy Kelly, in 1964. The siblings are having an impromptu family reunion in Chicago. The reason? I'll let the caption explain:

"Nancy Kelly, star of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which opened at the Studebaker Theatre, was pleasantly surprised by her brother Jack. He flew to Chicago from Los Angeles via American Airlines to open in a new play, Love and Kisses, which will open at the Drury Lane Theatre, March 3. Jack Kelly played Bart Maverick on TV."

Incidentally, JK's stint in the play Love and Kisses led to him being cast in the film version, which was directed and co-written by Ozzie Nelson. JK played the reel-life father of Ozzie's real-life son, Rick Nelson. (Rick's real-life wife, Kristin, played his reel-life wife in the movie.)

And, in November 1964, Nancy Kelly earned the prestigious Sara Siddons award for her performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Ms. Kelly was the only person at the time to have won the Sara Siddons award twice. The first time was during the 1955-'56 season for her role in the play The Bad Seed.