When Jack Kelly Had "Fun" In 1979 (Part II)

Hello Again!

JK also spent "Cinco de Mayo" (May 5th) 1979 working on When The West Was Fun. (It was a Saturday, too!)

This time, he had a 10:00 am call:

This was the day the wonderful closing western song medley with Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and the Sons of the Pioneers was taped (watch for glimpses of JK in this clip):

Watching When the West Was Fun is kind of bittersweet, with so many of its stars (including Jack Kelly) now gone. But, thankfully this marvelous "Re-Union" is preserved on DVD, so future generations can enjoy it, along with press photos like this one:

The snipe on the back says, "Legends meet when more than 50 of the stars who made television Westerns a prime-time part of American entertainment, including  (l to r) Guy Madison (Wild Bill Hickok 1951-53), Peter Brown (Laredo, 1965-'66), Jack Kelly (Maverick, 1957-'62), and Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger, 1951-'57), get together for a roundup of memories on When The West Was Fun, airing on the ABC Television Network on Tuesday, June 5 (10:00-11:00 PM EDT)".

Happy trails! :)

When Jack Kelly Had "Fun" In 1979! :)

Hi!

Do you know what Jack Kelly was doing on this day in 1979?

You do now! :)

Thanks to an original script that's now in the Kellection, I discovered that JK was busy participating in When The West Was Fun, the star-studded Western "Re-Union" (that's how it's spelled on the title page) special which aired on ABC on June 5, 1979. It was taped just a month earlier, on May 4 and May 5.

 

JK's first day at ABC's Studio 59 began at 9:45 am. As you can see, he was in very good company (although Clint Walker actually appears only via film clip in the finished show):

 Here's how he made his entrance:



JK was a real "card" here. BTW, I don't think the scene shown below in the script appeared in the actual broadcast, although another scene featuring JK playing cards with Neville Brand, etc., did.

STAY TUNED FOR DAY 2

OF

THE MAKING OF WHEN THE WEST WAS FUN! :)

 

Jack Kelly - How the West Was Fun - Again! :)

Hi Everybody,

Today's post may look like a rerun, but I just found some additional information about the When the West Was Fun special--and a much better copy of it on DVD--and I wanted to share it with you.

While watching the DVD I bought last Saturday, I noticed that the picture quality left a lot to be desired, as you could tell by the grainy screen caps I posted. Plus, a news brief scrolled across the bottom of the special at one point, and I realized someone had simply taped this landmark special from TV and copied it to a DVD. Grr.... >:(

I wondered if I could find a better copy of it somewhere, so I checked eBay. Well, not only did I find a better copy of When the West Was Fun on eBay, I actually found the show's producer, Brad Marks! His son, Michael, is selling sharp, "director's cut" DVDs of the special on eBay right now. How "sharp"? Have a look:

As you can see, the color and clarity are far better. If interested in purchasing the authentic DVD, search the seller name marcos1brad on eBay.

And, of course, I had to ask about you-know-who. This is what Michael told me his dad remembered about JK's stint on the special:

"Jack was a politician who lived in Orange County, California. During the show Dad, Jack, Neville Brand and Slim Pickens played cards during breaks."

JK also has a very funny card-playing scene in the special with Neville Brand of Laredo (on which JK guest-starred) and Lee Van Cleef (his Commandos co-star) which erupts into a full-scale bar room brawl. He even smashes a bottle over the head of Alan Hale, Jr. (who guest-starred in two of JK's Maverick episodes!) Bart Maverick also makes a cameo appearance by way of a Maverick clip.

Speaking of bottle smashing, Michael let me in on another little secret: In a scene where host Glenn Ford is demonstrating how fake prop bottles are usually used in western film fights, he accidentally conks Larry Storch of F-Troop on the head with a real bottle! (They left the scene in the special.)

There's also a clip of a fight scene from Bonanza where the Cartwright boys display an unprecedented lack of brotherly love. And, Pernell Roberts wasn't too forgiving in real-life either after When the West Was Fun aired--according to a 1979 article in the Pittsburgh Press he claimed his image was used without his permission and sued ABC, the network that ran the special!

Jack Kelly - How the West Was Fun! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Before we begin another jaunt into JK Land, I just want to thank Linda Alexander and those two other Wise Girls (Debbie Barth and Dori DeCarlo) once more for inviting my "alter ego" to speak on their wonderful podcast last Thursday. I've heard from several TTDST readers who heard the show. I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was helpful to you.

And, I want to again thank you all for your kind words for this little blog. :)

Well, today (Saturday) I did some traveling and ended up at an established cinema event. It's an annual gathering of old-time movie fans, or, I should say, fans of old-time movies. And, I mean old-time. Like, when Rin-Tin-Tin was just a puppy.

Now, I adore old-time, classic, vintage films. But, I didn't watch any today because it would have cost me $35. See, this was a bona-fide film festival.

In addition to the film screenings, there was also MUCHO movie memorabilia for sale. Fortunately, the festival offered a substantially reduced entrance fee for fans like me who only wanted to peruse the posters and such. And not only did I have to pay to get in, I had to register and wear a badge, just to flip through photos.

But, in the interest of Jack Kelly fans everywhere (and in the never-ending kwest for Kellectibles), I paid the fee, registered, and entered the sales room. :->

The sellers were all fine folks with many rare and wondrous items, but I have a favor to ask of them: Please organize your stuff!

Frankly, the place looked like an explosion in a movie buff's basement. For instance, there were loads and loads of fabulous movie stills, but they were all piled on crowded tables with no rhyme or reason. Is there a Jack Kelly pic in here? Maybe, but I have to thumb through pix from Gold Diggers of 1933, Rocky II, and just about every other movie made in the last 80 years to find out. After a little while of hunching over the Hollywood stills, my back was yelling "Cut!". (To those photo vendors who did have their wares thoughtfully arranged in binders: thank you!)

Although I didn't find any JK pictures, I didn't come away empty-handed. I found a couple of interesting movie magazines, and a DVD of When the West Was Fun, a 1979 reunion special which rounded up scores of famous TV cowboys, including JK.

This special really is fun. It begins with a cleverly pantomined sequence as famous western stars enter a saloon. Each is ushered in by their TV theme song. Below is a scene from JK's memorable entrance (sorry, these screen caps are a bit grainy):

He gets in a little bit of comedy right after his entrance, too. Incidentally, he wears a fantastic black frock coat, but no cowboy hat.

Another great shot. I absolutely LOVE the adorable look on JK's face here and the way it kind of mirrors the image behind him. And, yes, you can really see his chain. :->



After this, JK is mostly glimpsed in the background. But, he does get in a funny line here, and you can see more of the chain:

There is lots more fun (and funny) stuff in this special, such as a hilarious discussion between "Festus" (Ken Curtis) and "Doc" (Milburn Stone) from Gunsmoke. I'm glad that so many of these now-departed western stars were gathered here for posterity.

I could have done without the dance hall girls chirping, "Back when the west was fun, you could tell a man by the size of his gun!" (Well, that's why they invented the fast forward button
;->.) But, I wouldn't have missed the special's moving musical finale with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans for the world. :)

Jack Kelly - Who Was That Masked Columnist? :)

Hello All! The late Jim Croce sang a song titled You Don't Mess Around With Jim. In addition to not messing around with Jim, the lyrics advise, "You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger".

But, in 1979, someone did pull the mask off the Lone Ranger. Clayton Moore was renowned for portraying the legendary masked man in films and on television. However, when the Wrather Corporation decided to produce a new feature film version of The Lone Ranger, they chose a younger, unknown actor for the part. What's worse, they legally barred Moore from wearing his trademark mask in public.

Unfortunately, Jim Croce was gone by this time. Fortunately, though, Clayton Moore and "the old Lone Ranger" had another defender in 1979: a columnist for the Huntington Beach News by the name of Jack Kelly. JK, of course, knew something about cowboy heroes, and, as you'll see from his column dated September 27, 1979, he also knew something about writing:

"There's a gag card making the rounds: 'Old Actors Never Die--They Just Fail to Perform.' I'll be the first to publicly deny the allegation if you promise never to question my wife. Her answer could wreck a career.

"There is one actor who will never die, and as sure as Tonto is faithful, has never failed to perform. He's a great guy named Clayton Moore. He played the Lone Ranger for so many years, the silver bullets have tarnished. He galloped so many cinematic miles on the great steed Silver, he should be enshrined in Hollywood Park. Clayton saved so many sod busters from cattlemen's wrath, they should have named chicken fried steak after him. He used so many silver bullets as momentoes to startled and thankful range families, laid end-to-end they'd stretch from Dodge City to the Chicago stockyards. His courage-provoking salutation, 'Hi-Yo, Silver, Awayyy!', is more memorable a rallying cry than 'Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!', or 'Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition'.

"Clayton Moore's next birthday celebration could be his 50th, 58th, 63rd, 69th, or 75th--one answer you'll never get from him is whether I'm being vindictive or kind--though his body still easily slips into a 32" waist, to get him to discuss his birthdate would be an accomplishment equal to proving Wilt Chamberlain wears elevator shoes, Chrysler Corporation isn't really stupidly managed, or John Wayne is a bad guy!

"Clayton Moore is so loyal to the Lone Ranger, he wouldn't go to a restroom at the L.A. Coliseum without wearing his mask. He's so determined to separate his private life from the outstanding fictional hero of the West, he'd likely be fingered as the masked rapist in a police lineup, and still wouldn't request Tonto to vouch for his character.

"Since The Lone Ranger went off the air, Clayton has been earning a living at state fairs, rodeos and every other conceivable personal appearance where his services are continually requested by eager entrepreneurs. Last week, Clayton Moore was legally ambused as indelicately as when the 'dirty little coward' plugged Mr. Howard, as when the infamous Bob Ford squeezed the shot that propelled Jesse James into an orbit of American folk legend.

"The Wrather Corporation, owners of the Lone Ranger rights and trademarks, successfully enjoined Clayton Moore from ever appearing again as the masked crusader. Ain't it a shame. A man who subverted his own identification to perpetuate his fictional career partner will have to hang up mask, six-guns and future as if he were a hopeless mosquito, smashed on the forearm of a jet-setter taking sun in Acapulco? 

"The Wrather Corporation is into a rejuvenation cycle of the Lone Ranger, in keeping with the the Superman flick of recent issue. Since westerns have vacated TV and theatres for the past ten years or so, the Lone Ranger movie should be successful. The producer is rightfully protecting his ability to capitalize on appearances of the new artist portraying the legendary hero. 

"Mr. Wrather, for a happy birthday to Clayton, whenever it is or whichever one it is, you might consider appointing him to a position of value in the new project. He's been of continual value over the years by keeping Silver's rider unsullied."

*************************

Alas, the Wrather Corporation didn't take JK's hint and failed to give Moore a role in the new film, which was released in 1981 as The Legend of the Lone Ranger. But, after the film bombed big-time, Clayton Moore was allowed to wear his famous mask once more. :)