The First Kellectible of 2015! :)

Howdy Everyone!

I finally captured a Kellectible I've been chasing since I first became interested in Jack Kelly and Maverick :

It's a cardboard display box which once held 24 "Mounds" and "Almond Joy" candy bars. I've actually had several chances to buy items like this one, but the cost was always pretty steep for an empty box. I finally found one for a "sweet" price. :)

Why is Bart Maverick on the box? Because the Peter Paul company sponsored Maverick during its 1961-'62 season. A blurb in the 6/26/1961 issue of Sponsor (a TV/radio advertising trade publication) explains:

Here are a couple of Mounds and Almond Joy commercials from 1961:

 

Can you believe these candy bars were only $.10 back in the day? The last time I got a Mounds out of the vending machine at work it cost $.95!

But, they are still "indescribably delicious":

By the way, the gal on the box with Bart is "Pinky Pinkham" (Dorothy Provine) from The Roaring 20's series. You may remember Bart and Pinky dancing a mean Charleston in this previous TDS post.

Jack Kelly: Hoppin' Down the Kelly Trail! :)

Howdy Everyone!

As you know, I'm always scouting for Kellectibles. Yesterday (May 6), my kwest took me to a well-known western destination. Only, it was in the East!

Find out more about my travels and my fabulous Jack Kelly find in the next TDS.

Jack Kelly: A Kornucopia of Kellectibles! :)

Hello Everybody,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I did. I traveled to visit family. It was great sharing a meal and memories with them. Never seems to last long enough, though. 

 I drove home on Friday, but I didn't stop at any antiques stores along the way like I did last year. However, on Saturday (11/27) I attended the same antiques show as I did last November. It was crowded with both vendors and shoppers. There's always a little bit of everything at this show, and you just never know what you might see. The most amazing item I saw was a 1931 Ford sedan. A real one, not a model. (I'm still wondering how they got it into the building.) Of course, I was on a kwest for Kellectibles, not kars, so I kontinued up and down the aisles. Finally, I kame upon a booth kontaining kowboy komemoratives of all kinds. I spied momentoes of Hoppy, Gene, and Roy, and even a few of Paladin's cards. And, after a little bit of digging, I found this:

This is one of the more unusual Maverick Kellectibles I've encountered. It's sort of a coloring book, only the drawings are erasable (hence the name "Eras-O-Picture"). Alas, the erasable crayons and crayon sharpener are long gone, as is the clear "magic screen" that made it possible for kiddies to color pictures from "magazines, funnies, or picture books" without actually marking on them.

Luckily, all of the drawings in the book are intact and many of them look like they were never colored in. Naturally, most of the drawings are of Bret Maverick, but there is one drawing of Bart:

When I went to pay for this Kellectible koloring book, the vendor asked if I kollected Maverick memorabilia. I answered "Yes," and then he asked, "Haven't I sold you stuff before?"

I remembered that he'd sold me a picture of Bart a little over a year ago.

"That's right...and I had a puzzle with Bart and Bret on it that I wanted to show you then, but I didn't have it with me. Well, I brought it today. I know I stuck it one of these boxes--let me see if I can find it for you."

The vendor quickly looked through box after box, and at last he came up with this:

It's a "Jr. Jigsaw Puzzle" that's "not too hard--not too easy". And, it's "for boys and girls who want REAL puzzles" (and for fans who want a REAL picture of Bart on the box). ;->

Speaking of pictures, here's a close-up of our boys:

I believe this now completes the jigsaw puzzle portion of my Kellection. :) As I paid for my purchases, we got to talking about the Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry festivals, both of which I attended this year. In fact, he gave me some "inside" info about the 2011 Hoppy fest. I don't know if I should mention the name (I don't know if it's been announced officially), but one of the guests scheduled to appear next year is an actor who co-starred in popular TV westerns which begin with the letter "L". :->

Jack Kelly - Hoppin' Along With Bart Maverick! :)

Hey Everybody!

I'm sorry I haven't blogged much lately. I've been on the go. Last weekend, I visited the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington to watch the exciting cross-country portion of the Rolex 3-Day Event. Beautiful park, beautiful horses. I visited a couple of antiques stores while in KY, too, but found no Kellectibles.

I had better luck this Friday (4/30) at the Hopalong Cassidy Festival in Cambridge, a town nestled in the rolling hills of southeastern Ohio. Hoppy's portrayer, actor William Boyd, was born near Cambridge in 1895.

I'd heard about this two-day festival before, but this was the first time I'd attended. It doesn't seem to be very widely publicized and I wasn't sure if it was still being held. However, I saw it advertised this year and just happened to have an opening in my schedule, so I decided to check it out.

I already had an all-day commitment for Saturday (5/1), so I attended the festival on Friday. The weather was unseasonably warm and brilliantly sunny, so I slapped on the sunscreen and brought along a cowboy hat I'd bought in KY. I thought I'd be spending a lot of time walking around outdoors, because to me, "festival" suggested an event with carnival rides and food booths. Stuff like that.

Well, it turned out I didn't need the sunscreen or the hat. What I saw of the "festival" was contained inside a building, the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center. There was a food stand outside the Civic Center, along with a fellow in cowboy duds performing rope tricks for a small group of spectators.

Inside, I saw a guy dressed like Zorro and a couple of vendors selling western DVDs in the lobby. To the left there was a large room where more vendors were selling western toys and collectibles. To enter the room, however, one had to pay $5.00.

The lady collecting the entrance fee took my fiver and then said, "Now I have to stamp your hand." Whomp! The stamp left a bright blue line portrait of Hopalong Cassidy's head on the back of my hand.



This being the Hopalong Cassidy Festival, naturally there was a ton of Hoppy stuff for sale in the vendor's room, along with a bunch of Roy Rogers and other western star collectibles.

But, of course, I was looking for Kellectibles. In fact, if any other Jack Kelly fans happened to attend the festival after me, you probably didn't see too much Maverick stuff because I bought most of what I saw, including: a jigsaw puzzle with a photo of Bret and Bart; the Maverick Whitman book (which, although it mentions JK on the cover, seems to be only about Bret Maverick), and a Maverick comic book.

The Maverick puzzle

I would have bought more comics (the vendor had several), but the prices were a bit higher than my pocketbook would allow at the time. However, the vendor was extremely nice and we had a pleasant conversation about Maverick and Cheyenne.

A couple of vendors had the Hartland Maverick rider and gunfighter figurines for sale, but these were (a) way too expensive and (b) only Bret (Hartland didn't make any Bart figurines), so they stayed on the shelf. (Trivia: The Maverick figurines wear white cowboy hats, when everyone knows that Bret usually wore a black hat.) However, I did find a rare Hartland woodgrain-patterned mustang figurine for a very good price, and it joined my stash of souvenirs.

A few authors were hawking western-themed books and a singing cowboy did a spot-on impression of Kermit the Frog crooning "The Rainbow Connection".

The memorabilia, books and cowboy Kermit impersonators were not the biggest attractions in the room, though, because surviving cast members of The Virginian (James Drury, Gary Clarke, Roberta Shore and Randy Boone) were also there. They were seated at a table, with Virginian DVDs playing on a TV in the background. The show is currently being rerun on the Encore Westerns channel.

I have fond memories of watching The Virginian with my older sister. Along with the title character, for some reason I particularly remember vivacious Betsy (played by Ms. Shore). I think I wanted to be like Betsy and ride a horse around the ranch all day. Of course, Ms. Shore also co-starred in an episode of Maverick with JK ("The Royal Four Flush"), so I should have gone up and at least said, "Hello". But, there were a lot of people hovering around the table, and signs saying it would cost $20 to have a photo taken with the actors or to get an autograph.

Maybe I should have waited until the crowd thinned out. But, I knew I had a long drive ahead of me, so I didn't want to linger too long. I did get a glimpse of 76 year-old James Drury (who appeared with JK in Forbidden Planet)--he looked kind of tired--and 67 year-old Ms. Shore is as vivacious as ever.

I'm sure there was more to the festival in Cambridge proper (the Civic Center is on the highway leading into town), but, unfortunately I wasn't able to check it out due to time constraints. Maybe next year. :)

Jack Kelly - Best of the West! :)

Howdy!

Spring has finally sprung, and it was such a lovely day today, I thought I'd go antiquing.

There was an antiques show about 40 miles away. I made the pleasant drive in no time, but was disappointed by what I found when I arrived.

This recurring show is typically packed with sellers all around the grounds. Today, however, the selling area was smaller (maybe because another event was being held on the grounds) and there were far fewer sellers than usual.

I did manage to find a booth that looked interesting. The guy had a ton of old paper stuff, including comic books. I asked him if he had any Maverick comic books. No, he didn't, but my inquiry sparked a lively discussion of Warner Brothers TV westerns between the vendor, myself, and a chatty bystander.

Fellow Kelly fans, I'm afraid we may have an uphill battle in our efforts to obtain more parity as a Maverick for JK.

When I confessed I preferred JK and Bart, the seller winced and shook his head dismissively.

"Nope, James Garner is Maverick. That's all there is to it."

The chatty bystander wasn't much help.

"Is Kelly still around? Boy, he sure got heavy after Maverick."

Well, you're not exactly Mr. Svelte yourself, buddy!, I thought as I walked away. >:(

But, not to worry. After I left the antiques show, I visited a nearby antiques mall where I found a 1958 TV Guide with a very interesting story about the beginnings of the movie western. It also touches on the TV westerns of the day.

The story opens with a two-page color photo of some top sagebrush celebrities. And, guess who is featured on the first page of the photo:

Yep, that's Jack Kelly--not James Garner--who is standing next to John Wayne while surrounded by other Western royalty such as Gary Cooper, Gene Autry and James Arness.

It's the best of the west, and JK is literally right in the middle of it! :)

And, that wasn't the only Kellectible I stumbled upon. Next time, I'll share some helpful home decorating tips from Jack and Donna Kelly (which, strangely, don't mention clown pictures). ;->

The Kelly Pages: Brrrr--Paper Show Day! :)

Hi All!

I risked frostbite to attend the semi-annual paper (ephemera) show today. See, the parking lot was full, meaning I had to park a few blocks away and walk in 11-degree weather to reach the show's venue, which also hosted a bridal show and a graduation ceremony today (why parking spaces were at a premium).

Don't worry--I was bundled-up, and the wintry walk was well worth it, because I found kwite a few Jack Kelly Kellectibles! :)

Such as a very nice copy of the book Poker According to Maverick, with a great color photo of JK and James Garner on the front cover, for just $1!

Plus, a few movie magazines with JK inside. For example, the Hollywood Secrets Yearbook (published 1961) with this hot shot of JK and wife May Wynn:

The caption says: "It's no casual peck on the cheek for head of the Kelly house when he sets off to work. May Wynn kisses her Jack as though she means it."

Yes, that definitely helped chase the chill away! ;->

Stay tuned--more new Kellectibles next time.

Jack Kelly: Adding to The "Kellection"! :)

Howdy! It was off to the antiques fair today.

Thankfully, I had beautiful weather and a smooth drive to the fair. After I arrived, I heard someone say there were 2000 vendors in attendance, and I believe it. The place was packed.

Naturally, I started right on the prowl for "Kellectibles", e.g., Jack Kelly memorabilia.

I found a vendor who was selling Western-themed comic books. I asked if he had any Maverick comic books. Nope, just old movie cowboy comics (like "Rex Allen").

Oh, well.

Then, a little more hunting and--eureka!

I found another very nice seller with Western items in his booth. I inquired about Maverick memorabilia, and he said, yes, he did have a couple things. I specified that I was particularly looking for Bart Maverick stuff. He said he had a Maverick jigsaw puzzle with Bart and Bret--no wait, he remembered, he'd left it at home. But, he did have another item he thought I might like, and he pulled this out of a box:

"Ah, yes, that will do!" I happily assured him. (It's a poster from an Argentine TV magazine.)

I made my purchase and pointed out the interesting "flub" on the poster with JK's wedding ring (as bachelor Bart, he usually wore a ring on his right pinky).

"You must be an expert!" the seller chuckled.

No, no, I demurred, only a "newbie" fan.

Then, he noted that when most people asked him about Maverick, they meant James Garner.

"Jack Kelly just kind of disappeared after that show," he added.

Well, of course, I filled in the blanks for him. I explained how Mr. K actually did a lot of acting work following Maverick and eventually went into politics. I even mentioned the book being written about JK.

The seller said he'd look for that jigsaw puzzle and try to bring it to the next antiques fair. I told him I'd keep an eye out for his booth.

Back to the hunt.

I came upon a booth with tons of DVDs and video tapes. Voila! Two official Warner Brothers Maverick tapes, new and still sealed in plastic. They were "Iron Hand":

and "Bundle From Britain":

Now, I've seen these episodes on Encore Westerns and have them recorded, but I just couldn't pass these tapes up for $1.00 each! If nothing else, the cover pix will brighten up my video shelf. ;->

Finally, I found something that isn't directly related to Jack Kelly or Maverick, but it gives some insight into real-life Western apparel and customs. It's a fascinating little booklet called The 1880 Cowboy Sketch Book, by Western artist Jerry Riness. It's filled with skillful pen-and-ink sketches of authentic 1880's cowboy hats, clothing, guns and tack. It also provides facts about these items.

For instance, about buckskin coats (like the one Bart is wearing on the "Iron Hand" cover above): "Buckskin coats were seldom worn by cowboys. They were more apt to be worn by military officers assigned to the 'Far West', but, occasionally one would find its way into the hands of some cowboy who lucked out in a poker game!"

(Guess Bart lucked out! ;->)

And, the "Mackinaw" sounds like what Bart wore in the "Ice Man" episode: "The 'Mackinaw' was a winter coat, made of a wool blanket. They were sometimes lined and had a rounded collar that stood up to cover the neck and back of the head in windy weather."

Incidentally, The 1880 Cowboy Sketch Book was published by The River Junction Trade Company, which can help you dress like a real cowboy...or a gambler. ;->

So, I definitely found some great stuff at the antiques fair.

The only thing I couldn't find was my car when it was time to leave. If the attendant who helped me to finally locate my vehicle in the vast outdoor parking area happens to read this: thanks again!!! :)