"Double Jeopardy", Double Image :)

Howdy!

Jack Kelly appeared as private eye "Fred Piper" in three episodes of Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre: "White Snow, Red Ice" "One Embezzlement and Two Margaritas" and "Double Jeopardy".

I've looked at all three episodes before in TDS, but I'm doing a double-take on Double Jeopardy because of this fantastic photo which recently came into the Kellection:

Of course, that's JK with his lovely co-star, Lauren Bacall. And, there's another side to this photo--literally. On the back is a newspaper clipping with the same image (complete with editing marks) which explains the premise of Double Jeopardy:

The caption reads "'DOUBLE JEOPARDY' is the title of the show, and what Jack Kelly is in as he gets involved with Lauren Bacall playing the dual role of twin sisters on Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre. The romantic mystery, co-starring Zsa Zsa Gabor and Tom Poston, airs Friday, 7:30 p.m. [January 15, 1965] on Ch. 3, 2."

I also found a nice article in which Ms. Bacall shares what it was like playing twins:

"All their lives they competed for men. Amanda was the athletic trophier...her sister, Barbara, nabbed the fraternity pins. Noted actress Lauren Bacall captures both on Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre in a dual-role portrayal calling for dramatic characterizations of twin sisters, poles apart in personality but in love with the same missing man.

"...'The biggest problem in playing a dual role,' notes the husky-voiced beauty, 'is in keeping the characters separated. It's very easy to slip into the mannerisms and speech of the other twin--you have to concentrate on keeping them apart every minute. I've developed a full-blown schizophrenia for the role, but both halves have loved it.'"

Earth Day was first observed on April 22, 1970, and perhaps in the spirit of the times, NBC recycled some episodes of The Chrysler Theatre under the title NBC Adventure Theatre in 1971. The six year-old Double Jeopardy aired on Adventure Theatre on July 31, 1971:

Adventure Theatre returned in 1972 and Double Jeopardy was repeated on August 17 of that year. 

Incidentally, Adventure Theatre was hosted by Art Fleming, who was the emcee of another NBC series at the time: just plain Jeopardy (which is still running in its current syndicated version). And, as noted previously in TDS, Jack Kelly hosted NBC Comedy Theatre (a.k.a. NBC Comedy Playhouse) which showcased lighter episodes of The Chrysler Theatre.

Whew! Doing all that research on Double Jeopardy made me double-tired, so I'm going to turn in now. But, I'll be back with more about JK, so please stay tuned! :)

Jack Kelly in "Deadlock"

Hello Everyone!

Fifty-three years ago today--May 17, 1967--Jack Kelly starred in "Deadlock", an episode of NBC-TV's Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre. JK portrayed police detective "Ray Baker".

The plot: There's a heat wave going on--and things suddenly get even hotter in Baker's squad room when "Virginia Cloyd" (Lee Grant) enters with a .38 pistol and a vial which she claims contains nitroglycerin. Mrs. Cloyd intends to kill another detective who just shot her lowlife husband in a bar. While on her way to meet Mr. Cloyd at the bar, she saw his body being removed from the premises. She doesn't realize the shooting was in self-defense (her husband had pulled a gun as the detective attempted to apprehend him).

Caption: "DEADLOCK  co-stars Jack Kelly and Lee Grant on Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, airing in color Wednesday, May 17 (9:00-10:00 pm ET) over NBC-TV. Tige Andrews, Brooke Bundy and Percy Rodriguez also star in the drama, set mainly in a police station, of a hoodlum's widow who seeks revenge for her husband's death."

The detective hasn't returned to the station yet, so Mrs. Cloyd holds Baker, two other cops and assorted crooks hostage in the sweltering squad room as she awaits his arrival. Detective Baker doesn't know if she's actually bluffing about the nitroglycerin, but he and his partners can't take the chance by trying to disarm her.

When the detective finally returns with a female suspect, a disturbing detail is revealed which causes Mrs. Cloyd to turn the squad room into a shooting gallery. During the commotion, the vial is safely retrieved and the vengeful widow is taken into custody. Later, the police lab informs Detective Baker that the vial did indeed contain nitro!

"WAITING GAME--Jack Kelly (left) is a detective and Lee Grant (right) a revenge-seeking hoodlum's widow...caught in the 'Deadlock' when that episode airs in color on Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre..."

Incidentally, the plot of "Deadlock" had previously been dramatized in 1961 under the title "Lady in Waiting" as an episode of the NBC series 87th Precinct. Both "Deadlock" and "Lady in Waiting" were adapted from the novel Killer's Wedge by Ed McBain (a nom de plume of author Evan Hunter). McBain/Hunter also wrote the teleplay for "Deadlock".  

And, "Deadlock" was the final episode of The Chrysler Theatre. Associated Press TV writer Cynthia Lowry noted:

"Bob Hope's weekly anthology series came to the end of its four-season run on NBC Wednesday night. Over-all, the programs deserved more attention than they received.

"The final show was 'Deadlock', a suspense tale as so many of them have been. It was well-acted, professionally and slickly produced and followed a story line that, in one form or another, is a television favorite."

(Hmm...I wonder if "Ray Baker" is any relation to "Bill Baker", the police detective JK portrayed in The Lucy Show?) ;>

Well, I'll detect more about JK in the next TDS, so please stay tuned--and stay healthy. :)

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! :)

Comedy (Theater) Tonight! :)

Hello!

Here's an incredibly rare snippet of Jack Kelly previewing a segment of The NBC Comedy Theater, the summer replacement series he hosted in the early 1970's while he was also emceeing Sale of the Century:



The NBC Comedy Theater consisted of lighter episodes recycled from the Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre anthology show which ran years earlier on NBC. Comedy Theater premiered at 8:00 pm on June 7, 1971, and replaced Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In for the summer. As host, JK provided new intros and outros for the previously aired Chrysler Theatre productions. Comedy Theater also subbed in 1972 for Emergency!, which debuted in mid-season and didn't have enough original episodes which could be rerun throughout the summer.

Enjoy! :)

(Special thanks to Obsolete Video Services for discovering, preserving and uploading such rare TV treasures!)

Slidin' Into Saturday :)

Howdy!

A real Jack Kelly rarity just joined the Kellection:

 

It's an original promo slide for "Time of Flight", a 1966 segment of Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre.

It's not the usual type of slide, either. It's actually a transparency enclosed between two pieces of glass which are sealed in a plastic frame. It was used in a "filmchain" set-up. The filmchain usually incorporated a slide projector, which is how TV stations aired images such as this one as well as station logos and test patterns back in the day. The filmchain captured the image from the slide, turned it into an electronic signal and then converted it back into a picture which was broadcast over the air. Today, most filmchains have been replaced by the telecine process.

"Hope"fully (pun intended) I'll get to see "Time of Flight" some day. For now, though, I'm glad just to see this beautiful slide, which is still in pristine condition after 52 years.

What other rarities from the Kellection are coming up in TDS? Please stay tuned to find out! :)

Jack Kelly - Spring Break With JK!

It's spring break time for JK--
and we're all
invited to join in the fun! :)



"Hola, room service? Hundreds of my amigas just arrived. Could you send up mucho Mexican food, por favor?"

"Caution: soft shoulder ahead."

"Now, honey, if you want to learn how to play tennis
you're going have to keep your eye on the ball, not on me!"

"I love that tattoo on your tummy, Bartista!"