Let's Celebrate! :)

Hello Everyone!

As we celebrate the 91st anniversary of Jack Kelly's birth today, let's look back 40 years to another celebration:

 

I'm sure we've all seen this photo. It's sometimes identified as being from When the West Was Fun, the reunion of TV western stars which originally aired in 1979. However, this gallery of greats (L-R Hugh O'Brian, Chuck Connors, Clint Walker, John Wayne, David Carradine, Clayton Moore, Michael Ansara and JK) was actually gathered for the ABC television network's celebration of its 25th anniversary in 1978.

 

 

Here's a photo you may not have seen before. It's the same group in more contemporary garb:

 

 

The caption on the reverse of the photo reads: "The Old West lives again when eight great Western stars join the party on 'ABC's Silver Anniversary Celebration', a four-hour gala, airing on the ABC Television Network, Sunday, Feb. 5 (7:00-11:00 pm ET). The classic Westerners from ABC's past and present are (foreground, 1. to r.) Hugh O'Brian, Chuck Connors, John Wayne, Clayton Moore, (background, l. to r.) Clint Walker, David Carradine, Michael Ansara and Jack Kelly."

 

I found a remarkable clip with "the Duke" from the ABC anniversary special which features scenes from the network's most popular westerns and ends by showing how the preceding photos came to be:

 

 



And, here are a couple of close-ups of our birthday boy:

Happy Birthday, JK!

"And don't forget your carrot cake!" :)

 

Sally and Some Fotobustas! :)

Ciao!

Here's another look at Sally and Saint Anne--with an Italian accent! :)

The title SALLY... e i parenti picchiatelli on these vintage fotobustas (Italian lobby cards) roughly translates into English as Sally and Her Crackpot Relatives. And, the "cards" are actually more like posters since they're huge and printed on thin, fragile paper, which made it a challenge to handle and photograph them.

The fotobustas range in condition from fair to fairly terrible. However, they're an incredible find in any shape. And sometimes, it's not only the subject matter that's important in movie memorabilia, it's the preservation factor, as well. This ragged bit of JK ephemera will have a safe place in the Kellection.

Now, back to Jack! He appears on all four fotobustas. I hadn't seen three of these images and none of them in color before.

First, here's JK as bird-brained magician Mike O'Moyne with his sister, Sally (Ann Blyth):

 
Next, a wide-eyed Mike (dig that crazy tie!) and a smiling Sally:
 

The gang's all here with yet another variation on the cast photo:

How about a close-up of jovial JK:

Finally, Mike seems to be daydreaming as he and Sally watch their boxer brother Danny (Hugh O'Brian) spar with his manager (King Donovan):

One more close-up of that dreamy JK:

Have a wonderful Wednesday and stay tuned for more fun with fotobustas! :)