Who Wore It Best?

Hello Everyone!

A fellow Jack Kelly fan just let me know about a fascinating Maverick-related subject which was recently a topic of discussion elsewhere. Namely, how actresses who appeared on different episodes of the series all wore a certain dress.

I got to thinking about this, which led me to look through Maverick stills in the Kellection. And, by golly, they were right—that little plaid dress did get around!

The phenomenon of the frequently-used frock wasn’t unique to Maverick or to Warner Bros., which was notorious for recycling other elements of its television productions including sets, scripts and even characters. Most TV westerns of the era didn’t have huge wardrobe budgets, so re-using costumes was the norm, particularly when it came to dresses.

As an article titled “Hollywood Hand-Me-Downs” in a 1959 issue of TV Guide explained, “Television costumers often find themselves in the same predicament as Scarlett O’Hara of Gone With the Wind. Poor Scarlett had to fashion a velvet gown out of draperies; TV costumers, when stuck with low budgets, frequently must resort to hand-me-downs. The problem of ‘making do’ arises especially with shows about the Old West. This was a period when women’s clothes were voluminous, of elegant fabrics and elaborately hand-ornamented. Today, it is expensive to copy such garments. Materials cost up to $20 a yard, highly skilled seamtresses as much as $35 a day. A replica of an 1880 dress may cost from $400 to $700. Understandably, such a creation can’t be discarded after one show, so it is returned to Wardrobe to be used later ‘as is’, or it may undergo repeated alterations and become a glorified hand-me-down.”

Thus, as the TV Guide story illustrates, the long-sleeved gray wool suit jacket one actress wore on Laramie could be re-worked into a bolero for an actress on Wagon Train and then further altered to costume yet another actress on Riverboat.

And, so it was with the women’s wardrobe on Maverick. Now, the only question remaining about the ubiquitous plaid dress is, “Who wore it best?”

Was it Roxane Berard in "The Royal Four Flush":

Or, Gail Kobe in "Marshal Maverick":

Or, Sharon Hugueny in "The Devil's Necklace":

Or, Suzanne Lloyd (wearing an altered version in this original color slide from the Kellection) in "Last Stop Oblivion"?

I'm sure other actresses also acted in the popular plaid dress. And, it wasn't the only women's costume which had a recurring role on Maverick.

For example, there was this dance-hall outfit. Who (barely) wore it best:

Was it Anna Lisa in "The Judas Mask":

Or Arlene Howell in "Alias Bart Maverick"?

A more demure costume was also seen in numerous scenes. Who wore it best:

Dawn Wells in "The Deadly Image":

Or, Merry Anders in "The People's Friend"?

Here's one last example of a dress which did double (or more) duty in Maverick. Who wore it best:

Whitney Blake in "The Burning Sky":

Or Joan Marshall in "The Substitute Gun"?

Of course, the correct answer is that ALL of these lovely ladies wore these outfits the best, thanks to talented and resourceful costumers who "made do" and made every performer in Maverick look great, even in Hollywood hand-me-downs. 

Please stay tuned for more about JK in TDS! 

 

Lave--It's Saturday Night! :)

 Hello Everyone!

Original 1961 Maverick publicity still scanned and colorized 

from the La Bartista Kellection 

It's Saturday night, and rub-a-dub-dub, here's Bart Maverick in a tub! He's getting all spruced up for the holiday weekend.  Yaquito (Ref Sanchez) is there to remind him to wash behind his ears.

Of course, this is really a colorized original publicity still for the Maverick episode "A State of Siege", which initially aired on ABC-TV on January 1, 1961. The plot has Bart in New Mexico, where he lands smack in the middle of a political siege at his new amigo Don Felipe Archelata's hacienda. Don Felipe is played by Ray Danton. Lisa Gaye also guest stars as Don Felipe's fiancée Soledad Lazarro:

Original 1961 Maverick publicity still scanned 

from the La Bartista Kellection 

Although it's not acknowledged in the episode credits, "A State of Siege" is based--very loosely--on the Robert Louis Stevenson novella "The Pavillion on the Links", which deals with intrigue in Scotland. According to original Maverick documents in the Kellection, Stevenson's story appeared to be in the public domain in most of the world at the time and Warner Bros. acquired "all rights in the teleplay adaptation without restrictions or obligations."

Please stay tuned for much more about our amigo Jack Kelly in the next TDS! :)

An Imaginary Trio :)

Happy New Year Everyone!

I've puzzled over Brent Maverick before in TDS. He was the mysterious Maverick brother who suddenly appeared and then disappeared in early 1961. 

As far as Maverick episodes go, Brent's tenure was just two and through. Apparently, though, some folks didn't get the message. Like, the editor of the Chicago Daily Tribune's "TV Week" section:

Yep, that's Brent (Robert Colbert) showing off his $1000 bill to brother Bart (Jack Kelly) and cousin Beau (Roger Moore).  JK, RG and RC posed for a series of goofy pictures like the one above. Which is odd, since this particular configuration of Mavericks didn't exist in the actual series. Beau and Moore had already vanished from Maverick by the time Brent showed up. 

But, that didn't stop "TV Week" from publishing this fantastic photo in July of 1961. Plus, the cover story (titled "Coming Up: One More Maverick") presents Brent as a character who hadn't yet debuted, rather than one who had already come and gone:

"There's another Maverick riding down Channel 7's TV trail this season--name of Brent, relative of Bret, Bart and Beau. His real name is Robert Colbert--and he's the latest substitute pressed into duty for James Garner, who blew the Maverick series amid a flurry of lawsuits. First, there was Roger Moore, who subbed as the Mavericks' British cousin, Beau. But, Roger proved too Piccadilly for TV viewers and is being dealt out of the game.

"Now comes Brent, or Bob Colbert, who bears a striking resemblance to Garner, the original. They even sound alike.

"Bob's introduction to the role came as a complete surprise. One day, after rehearsing for a Lawman episode, he was told to report to Warner Bros.'s wardrobe department for a costume. When the attendants dressed him in fancy dude's outfit, he told them they were making a big mistake. 

"Still in the dark as to what was happening, Bob reported to ABC production bosses. They eyed him up and down.

"'He's perfect,' said one official. 'We can use the same stock footage.'

"The young actor finally got the drift: He was nominated to be the new Maverick brother.

"'I know it's tough to follow the original,' Bob says realistically. 'I don't hope to be as good as Jim Garner. But I think the show can capture the same flavor it had in those early days. We are going back to the original concept of the Mavericks as slightly larcenous and cowardly, instead of playing them as the standard western heroes. There's enough of that on TV.'"

(Of course, Colbert realized all along that Garner's boots were way too big to fill and later admitted he told his bosses, "Put me in a dress and call me 'Brenda' but don't do this to me!")

Here's another fun pic of the imaginary Maverick trio from the Kellection:

"Surprise! I was just pretendin' to be a Maverick--now give me your thousand-dollar bills!" ;)

Please stay tuned for more fun with JK in TDS. :) 

Grand Old Bart! :)

 Poor Bart Maverick...

Although Bart and Jack Kelly were official stars of Maverick, Brother Bret and James Garner accounted for much of the merchandising and Mavertising during the show's early days.   

For instance, there were Bret Maverick rider and gunfighter figures issued by Hartland Plastics. However, Hartland didn't see fit to issue any Bart figures.  

Or, this clever bit of ephemera ballyhooing Maverick and its sponsor Kaiser Foil:

Designed to resemble paper currency it proclaims, "Bret Maverick--'The Man With The Thousand Dollar Bill'--blazes his way across your TV Screen every Sunday Evening, ABC-TV Network. Don't miss him!"

But, Bret wasn't the only man with a grand on Maverick. Bart had one, too. He even said so:

And, Bret didn't blaze across the TV screen every Sunday evening--sometimes it was Bart. (And, later Beau or Brent.)

Well, I can't do much to remedy the Hartland figure omission, but I did try to fix the faux $1000 bill situation. Ladies and Gentleman, presenting Bart Maverick--The Other Man With The Thousand Dollar Bill:

Don't miss him! And, please don't miss the next TDS, either! :)

Oh Brother (Bart)! :)

Happy Tuesday!

Today is another auspicious date in the history of Maverick. On November 10, 1957, viewers first met Jack Kelly's Bart Maverick in the episode "Hostage!"

Bart was born of necessity. Before Maverick had even premiered, newspaper columnist Erskine Johnson announced in August 1957 that Bret Maverick was getting a brother as a form of "health insurance" for the show's already overworked lead:

"James Garner...will have a kid-brother as a sort of ride-on. The lad, not yet cast, will star in an occasional stanza and dominate the plots of others, giving Garner time off to avoid joining the list of weekly TV performers who have collapsed from the strain."

The strain was genuine for Garner, because a lot was riding on this unconventional new western series and its then-unknown star. To meet the scheduling demands of weekly television, each episode of Maverick was being cranked out over a period of eight long days. The sole lead actor and filming crew soon found it impossible to maintain the grueling pace. 

So, a Maverick brother was added to help carry the load. The only question was, who was going to play him?

The answer was Jack Kelly: 

Although not exactly a "kid" (JK was in fact about eight months older than JG), it was eventually established that Bart was younger than Bret.

A fantastic photo of the smilin' Maverick brothers in "Hostage!" entered the Kellection not long ago. That's lucky guest star Laurie Carroll (as "Yvette Devereux") in the middle:

What's even cooler about this photo is that before it joined the Kellection, it was part of the personal collection of James Arness--yes, Marshal Dillon of Gunsmoke! :)

I also have an original script for "Hostage!":

Bart's first lines:

A brotherly reunion:

A scene sizzling with danger:

And, finally, the old Maverick switcheroo:

November 10, 1957, was also a meaningful date for JK because:

Well, I hope reading about JK's debut as Bart Maverick has made your Tuesday just a little bit better. Please stay tuned for more fun in TDS! :)

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! :)

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! :)

Happy National Day of the Cowboy from JK & TDS! :)

Howdy!

To celebrate National Day of the Cowboy 2020, here's an autographed photo of a jaunty Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick:

 

The inscription on this original photo in the Kellection says: "To Myra + Bill, Jack Kelly".

 

Have a wonderful day and please stay tuned for more rip-roarin' fun with JK in TDS!



ABC and JK :)

Hello Everyone!

Have a look at this GORGEOUS pic of Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick:

It's a typical promo photo from ABC-TV, right?

Take a closer look at the ABC logo:

Actually, this promo pic is from the Associated British Corporation TV network, rather than the American Broadcasting Company which aired Maverick in the United States. As noted before in TDS, Maverick was pretty popular in the UK during the late 1950's and early 1960's. 

Here's another marvelous Maverick promo pic from the ABC network across the pond (the "Jack Kelly" is not JK's signature--it looks like someone else scrawled it on the photo):

There's a veddy British notation stamped on the reverse of this pic:

Alas, the Associated British Corporation network is long defunct. It was forced to merge with the Rediffusion London network in 1968 and become Thames TV--yep, the folks who brought us Benny Hill. But, here's a fun look at the various ABC logos (I'm sure you'll recognize the one which spells out "Associated British Corporation" from the end-credits of The Avengers TV series).

So, there you have the ABCs of JK and Maverick. Please stay tuned for more fun in TDS--cheerio! :)

More Bart Art :)

Hello!

As promised, here's more "Bart Art":

A drawing of Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick from a 1950's "Eras-O-Picture" coloring book:



Next, here's some very interesting artwork! It's not only Bart art, but Matt Dillon (James Arness), Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors), Chris Hale (John McIntire) and Paladin (Richard Boone) art, too! It's from the cover of a 1962 newspaper TV supplement:

A close-up of a somewhat disheveled Paladin glancing warily at Matt Dillon's gun while holding a card with Bart on it (and, yes, the card is a jack! :>):

 I believe the portrait of Bart on the card is based on the 1958 drawing done to promote the United Appeal tour, which appeared in the previous "Bart Art" post.

Finally, here's a wonderful sketch of JK as Bart created in 1986 by Armand Polverari (1944-2015), an artist known for his pen-and-ink portraits of Roy Rogers and other western stars. Mr. Polverari signed his work as "Mondo", which can be seen on Bart's left lapel:

Well, that's all for right now, but there'll be more "Bart Art" in a future TDS. In the meantime, please stay tuned for more about JK, stay well and please "Love one another" (John 13:34).

A Three-Day Special! :)

Bart and Bret are here to welcome the Memorial Day weekend! :)

I hope everyone has a safe and meaningful Memorial Day. 

Horton Has A Flop (And So Does Jack Kelly) :)

Hi Everyone!

Here's another little tidbit about Kings Row, from a 1958 magazine article about actor Robert Horton of Wagon Train fame. Horton co-starred with Jack Kelly in the ill-fated Kings Row series and naturally had nothing good to say about the show:

"Turning to television in preference to what he calls bad movies, Horton soon found himself--like Jack Kelly of Maverick and Nan Leslie late of The Californians--an unhappy alumnus of Kings Row, first of Warner Bros.' TV 'trilogy' of 1955-'56.

"'I was never so glad to see anything come to end,' he says emphatically. 'Actually, Kelly got hurt much worse than I did. He was hot, and I wasn't. So all they figured was that Kelly had a flop.'

"Actually, Horton today believes that Kings Row saved his professional life. 'They told me it was going to be the big hit of the three [shows]--Casablanca and Cheyenne were the other two--and I believed every word of it. It taught me to be a lot more selective about what I do.'"

And, just as Robert Horton got back on the horse and became Flint McCullough, JK also dusted himself off from the Kings Row fiasco and became Bart Maverick. 

JK and RH were later interviewed for an article in "Show Business Illustrated" about TV westerns. JK also guest-starred on Wagon Train, but by that time (1963), RH had already left the series.

Please stay tuned for more Jack Kelly lore in TDS--and stay safe and well. :)

It's The Night Before Christmas...

...And who did appear?

Why, it's Bart Maverick to wish you holiday cheer! :)

JK Saturday Sillies :)

"Say, Bart old boy--do you know what you'd be if you moved to Norway and lived on a rocky cliff near a deep sea inlet?"

 

"No, Dandy Jim--what would I be if I moved to Norway and lived on a rocky cliff near a deep sea inlet?"

 

"A fjord Maverick!"