Warner Bros. Presents A Failure - Pt II

 Original 1955 "Kings Row" publicity headshot from the La Bartista Kellection. Caption: "Jack Kelly, who has served an acting apprenticeship which included movies, television, stage and radio will appear as Dr. Parris Mitchell in 'Warner Bros. Presents' TV series 'Kings Row' for ABC-TV"

Our examination of "Kings Row" continues:

Into A Spin

Aside from the show’s bland scripts (which were churned out mostly by less experienced and thus less expensive writers), the promotional aspect of Warner Bros. Presents was another annoyance.

TV Guide concluded its review of the series by noting, “Actor Gig Young, a personable host, serves as guide on the studio tours that wind up each week’s show. Some behind-the-scenes techniques are engrossing. But, Young’s interviews with Warner stars would be more interesting if they weren’t such blatant commercials for new movies.”

Douglas Kirkley of the Baltimore Sun noted, "The 'hour' program is overburdened with what amounts to long commercials for Warner Bros.' film department."

The show’s sponsors were also unhappy. In return for letting Warner Bros. toot its own horn, advertisers expected Warner Bros. Presents to be of the same caliber as Warners’ top-flight feature films. (The series had been sold to sponsors solely on the Warner name and reputation, without even a pilot episode.) Instead, they got a schlocky infomercial for Warner Bros. for their advertising dollars.

  

Warner Bros. Presents was plagued by problems from the start. Filming began in June for the September premiere. I own an original final copy of the script for “Lady in Fear”, the very first episode of “Kings Row”. It shows a completion date of June 10, 1955, with filming completed on June 24.  A Screen Actors Guild strike that August shut down production for twelve days, throwing a monkey wrench into the already hectic filming schedule. In September, Los Angeles was broiling with a late summer heat wave (which prompted JK to install an air conditioner in his WB dressing room, one newspaper reported). 

Other issues, such as spiraling episode costs, were caused by Warner’s lack of experience with television production. Columnist Aline Mosby reported, “At Warner studio, ‘stepchild’ television is causing more headaches. Budgets of $65,000 per episode were set for the studio’s three series, ‘King’s Row’, ‘Cheyenne’ and ‘Casablanca’. But, the cost has soared to around $72,000 [per episode]. Two producers on the Warner series resigned in mid-stream. ‘They’re behind schedule and confused’, says one executive at ABC-TV, which is releasing the show. ‘TV has thrown them into a spin. They’ll come out of it eventually, after a shake-down process.”

Quality control was another casualty of the rush to get Warner Bros. Presents on the air. Warner's film editors and technicians were still learning the ropes of network television, where the break-neck pace often left little margin for error. Mistakes weren't always caught before air time. As a result, some episodes of Warner Bros. Presents were broadcast with major editing gaffes.  

For example, a viewer wrote to entertainment columnist Sidney Skolsky that they'd noticed repeatedly that the sound on Warner Bros. Presents was sometimes out of sync and wondered how this was allowed to happen: 

“I would certainly like to know how a thing like that could get by unnoticed, especially when the announcer stresses how great and qualified they are at Warners. It must be embarrassing for the people connected with putting together the reel and releasing it for TV.” 

Naturally, ABC demanded changes. Among other tweaks, it was decreed that the stories on "Casablanca" and "Kings Row" should contain more action to attract male viewers.  

Unfortunately, "Kings Row" was anchored to its small-town setting. By contrast, "Cheyenne" was the name of the title character (played by Clint Walker) and not the town, which opened up the entire Old West as a setting. Cheyenne Bodie could become involved in action-packed adventures in different locales, whereas Parris Mitchell and friends were confined to Kings Row.

Warners toyed with the idea of revamping "Kings Row" with new characters, varied locations and heightened tension in the stories. A script was even written in which an escaped killer terrorizes a teacher and her pupils in the Kings Row schoolhouse.

In the end, however, it was easier (and cheaper) to just cancel “Kings Row” rather than fix it. It disappeared from the Warner Bros. Presents lineup in January 1956. 

So, now you know why "Kings Row" was such a dog. ;)

Original 1955 "Kings Row" still from the La Bartista Kellection. Caption: "'Dr. Parris Mitchell' (Jack Kelly) plays with 'Little Doc' in this scene from 'Kings Row', to be presented on Warner Bros. Presents, Tuesday, October 4, 7:30 pm, EDT, over ABC-TV."

THERE'S STILL MORE TO THIS STORY--PLEASE STAY TUNED!

Warner Bros. Presents a Failure

I purchased this rare original "Kings Row" wardrobe test photo of Jack Kelly a number of years ago--sharing it here in TDS for the first time

Hello Everyone!

We all know that the 1955 series "Kings Row", in which Jack Kelly had his first TV starring role as “Dr. Parris Mitchell”, was a colossal flop. But, you may not know why the show laid such an egg. 

I’ve researched this subject and have learned that "Kings Row" was doomed to failure. It was part of a hastily developed concept which was run up the proverbial flagpole to see if TV viewers would salute it. (They didn’t.) 

So, please sit back and discover why "Kings Row" didn't have a snowball's chance: 

Ballyhoo 

“If we may believe the ballyhoo, television history will be made tonight.”

So wrote television critic James Abbe in the Oakland Tribune on September 13, 1955.

The “ballyhoo” was for the anthology series Warner Bros. Presents, which would debut that evening with the first episode of "Kings Row". 

Warner Bros. Presents even had a Hollywood-style premiere, but with a twist: there were actually five premieres held simultaneously around the US, with the stars of "Kings Row" and "Cheyenne" appearing in the homes of private citizens chosen at random from phone books! Jack Kelly popped up at a home in New York:

Abbe continued, “At 7:30 our time KGO-TV will relay the first of a three-part series of hour-long movies tailored to televiewers by that old established firm of movie-makers, the Warner Brothers."

He concluded, “This surrender to new-fangled TV by the firm that pioneered talking pictures back in the Twenties exemplifies that old saw ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’…tonight’s premiere should not be missed by televiewers. Especially viewers who eagerly scan the TV horizon for evidence of new ideas, new blood and new approaches.”

However, Warner Bros. Presents was cobbled together from old ideas. The three rotating segments of the anthology—"Casablanca", "Cheyenne" and "Kings Row"—were based on vintage Warner Bros. feature films. This approach was nothing new for Warners, which often recycled material from its vast library of properties. 

Actually, the primary purpose of Warner Bros. Presents was to promote Warners’ theatrical films. The “hour-long movies tailored to televiewers” (which were really only 45-minutes long) were considered less important by WB than the interviews with movie stars such as Alan Ladd and glimpses of the Warner Bros. backlot which were presented at the end of each episode. 

Actor Gig Young—who wasn't associated with any of the three dramatic segments—served as the series’ host and interviewer for the promo inserts. Instead of talking about the stars and stories of Warner Bros. Presents, Young talked up the studio’s upcoming feature films. 

Another function of Warner Bros. Presents was to help the studio and the ABC TV network gauge which segments “clicked” with viewers. Each segment was chosen for its familiar title and its appeal to fans of different genres. "Cheyenne" represented the western; "Casablanca", intrigue; and "Kings Row", melodrama. 

According to Christopher Anderson in his book Hollywood TV—The Studio System in the Fifties, “The alternating format of Warner Bros. Presents offered both the studio and the network a chance to test the prime-time waters. In fact, the production agreement assumed that not all three series would find an audience; in case any of the series failed in the ratings, the contract specified that ABC and Warner Bros. would substitute one from an entirely different genre.

“As far as both companies were concerned, Warner Bros. Presents was something of a fishing expedition in which alternating series, identified with specific genres, would be used to attract certain elements of the TV audience. The alternating format represented an unsystematic effort to acquire greater knowledge about television viewers through a process of trial and error. Variety’s review of the series speculated that 'Cheyenne' was designed for children, 'Casablanca' for teenagers and 'Kings Row' for adults.” 

Indeed, the feature film version of Kings Row was pretty adult for its time (1942). Based on a popular novel by Henry Bellamann, Kings Row explored the dark side of an outwardly upright community. It gave Ronald Reagan his famous line “Where’s the rest of me?!” after his character’s legs are amputated by a sadistic doctor played by Charles Coburn.

Soap Opera-Ish

Nothing remotely like that happened in "Kings Row" the TV show, which was basically a soap opera aimed at female viewers. Critic James DeVane wrote in the Cincinnati Enquirer after viewing the first episode, "So suds-like was it that someone chuckled while watching it that it should have been called 'Young Doctor Mitchell'".  Unlike daytime serials, though, each episode of "Kings Row" was self-contained, without continuing storylines. 

The plots centered on progressive young psychiatrist Dr. Mitchell (JK, whose role was played by Robert Cummings in the film), his life-long friends “Drake McHugh” (Reagan’s role in the film, played here by Robert Horton) and “Randy Monaghan” (played by Nan Leslie here and by Ann Sheridan in the film), plus other denizens of quaint Kings Row in 1905.  

The first airing of "Kings Row" got decent ratings, but the ratings fell with each successive episode. Viewers, critics, sponsors and the network quickly became disenchanted with the lackluster writing and plodding plots typical of Warner Bros. Presents teleplays, especially where "Kings Row" and "Casablanca" were concerned. The scripts for this "prestige" project were strictly builder grade. 

Donald Kirkley of the Baltimore Sun wrote after "Kings Row" premiered, "There have been so many alterations to the [original] characters and situations that it would be confusing to list them. This is a watered-down, simplified and sentimentalized adaptation, made, apparently, in the fat-headed belief that the television audience is less discriminating than the movie audience, and may be treated with condescension and contempt.

"If this theory is to be followed all through the series, it may well be that [Warner Bros.] is in for some costly disillusionment. The opener, despite shreds of quality carried over from the original film, was not good television. It was slick and smooth, all right, and full of handsome young men and pretty girls, but it had the lack of depth which marks the Class B feature, and can't compete with the better TV drama shows. It was pat and corny."

And, as TV Guide’s review of Warner Bros. Presents stated, “The Hollywood studios may know how to turn out movies for theaters, but Warner Brothers, for one, still has much to learn about producing movies for TV. ABC’s hour-long Warner Bros. Presents is no better than most of the half-hour telefilm dramas turned out regularly in Hollywood. It is well-produced and competently acted, but the producers seem to have forgotten that the play’s still the thing…The 'Kings Row' regulars—Jack Kelly, Nan Leslie, Robert Horton and Victor Jory—are good in soap opera-ish stories about a young psychiatrist struggling against the superstitions and tradition-bound medical practices of a small town in the early 1900s…Each film reflects a lavish budget and technical skill. The same cannot be said for the quality of the scripts.”

COULD ANYTHING HAVE BEEN DONE TO SALVAGE "KINGS ROW"? FIND OUT NEXT TIME IN TDS!

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. :)

Page-ing Doctor Mitchell :)

Happy Friday Everyone!

You know the old saying: "April showers bring May flowers". Well, where I live, April showers brought May showers in addition to flowers. Hopefully it will stop raining by June! :)

Anyway, here's a wonderful photo from the Kellection of Jack Kelly and Joy Page enjoying some flowers in an episode of the very short-lived 1955 TV series Kings Row:

 

This episode is called "Ellie" and Ms. Page plays the title role, as the info on the back of the photo explains: "Lovely Joy Page appears as Ellie, co-starring with Jack Kelly, as Dr. Parris Mitchell, in the third Kings Row offering of Warner Bros. Presents, Tuesday, October 25, at 7:30 p.m., EDT, over the ABC-TV network. Dr. Mitchell uses his knowledge of psychiatry to reveal to Ellie Banning that she is being destroyed by her mother's possessive love."

 

Incidentally, Joy Page had very strong ties to Warner Bros. Her stepfather was none other Jack L.Warner, head of the studio. She married actor William Orr, who later became the first head of television production at Warners. If you've watched Maverick or virtually any other Warner Bros. TV series from the mid-1950's through the mid-1960's, you've seen his credit as "Wm. T. Orr".

 

I shared some British lobby cards for "Ellie" in one of the earliest posts in TDS. In fact, I thought the photo above was on one of the lobby cards, but it's actually different:

 

 

Please stay tuned for more about Kings Row next time in TDS...and stay well. :)

 

Dr. Mitchell's Bedside Manner :)

Happy Friday!

Two rare stills from Jack Kelly's short-lived 1955 television series Kings Row recently joined the Kellection. JK starred as "Dr. Parris Mitchell", an American psychiatrist trained in Vienna who encounters small-minded opposition when he brings his big-city treatment methods to his hometown of Kings Row in 1905.

These stills are from the show's very first episode, "Lady In Fear", which premiered on September 13, 1955. They illustrate Dr. Mitchell's thoughtful bedside manner as he evaluates his patient, a young wife named "Eloise" (Peggy Webber). 

The doctor suspects that the root of Eloise's invalidism is emotional rather than physical:

However, as this original newspaper ad for the episode says, "If he couldn't break through her curtain of fear--no doctor could help!"

"Parris was sure he could cure Eloise...if only he could talk to her, win her confidence! But how...with her husband and all of Kings Row against him?"

Well, I'm sure if Parris was my doctor, he'd cure me of whatever was ailing me! :)

BTW, I've seen JK steeple his fingers like that in at least a couple of other photos:

And, I noticed how opulent the furnishings look in those two Kings Row stills, which seemed unusual for a TV show. I found the explanation in a newspaper story which quoted actor Paul Stewart, who directed "Lady In Fear": "Stewart proudly displayed the Kings Row sets, which fill Stage 16 on the Warner lot. 'Everything is done in the authentic 1905 era,' he remarked. 'Some of the stuff is fabulous. I'd estimate we have $30,000 worth of furnishings here.'"

Alas, Stage 16 would soon be used for other productions as Kings Row was quickly canceled. The final episode aired in early 1956. Fortunately, JK had his eye on the future. Another newspaper item reported that "Jack Kelly of Kings Row has invested all of his earnings in a Hollywood tailor shop."

We'll revisit Kings Row soon in TDS--please stay tuned! :)

Jack Kelly: It's the First Day of Summer...

...and, since this is the season with the dog days, here's a pic of JK with a K9! :)

This lucky pup is the dog who played "Little Doc", the canine companion of Parris Mitchell, the small-town psychiatrist portrayed by Jack Kelly in the Kings Row television series.

Jack Kelly: Howdy, Sis! :)

Hello Everybody!

At last, I have a photo of Jack Kelly with his sister, actress Nancy Kelly, to share with you:


As you can see, there is definitely a family resemblance, especially around the eyes.

The caption on this photo (which is stamped 10/17/1955) reads: "Nancy Kelly, who plays one of the leading roles in Warner Bros' production, The Bad Seed, is met at the airport by her brother, Jack Kelly, upon her arrival from New York. Jack is the leading man of Warner Bros' television series, Kings Row for ABC-TV".

Jack Kelly: Kings Row - The Rest of the Story Pt. II

Howdy Everyone!

I'm sorry for not posting Part II of the Kings Row photo feature sooner. I've been having some problems with my router. It appears the router problems have been routed for the time being, so let's go on with the show:

The natty gentlemen pictured above are
"Doctors Mitchell (L, Jack Kelly) and Tower (Victor Jory)" who
are enjoying "a light moment in the mail order romance
between a lonely small-town widower and a scheming young
woman in the Kings Row story to be presented on Warner Brothers Presents, Tuesday, November 15 (1955), 7:30 p.m., EST, over ABC-TV."

JK in a tense scene from "Lady in Fear".

Dr. Mitchell appears puzzled by the unusual present a
young couple receives in "Wedding Gift". That's Dennis Hopper
as "Tod" and Natalie Wood as "Renee".


This is dialogue for the scene shown above,
from the actual script of "Wedding Gift".

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

Stay tuned for a birthday tribute to another talented member of the Kelly family.

Jack Kelly: Kings Row - The Rest of the Story - Part I

Hello All! As you may remember, I wrote a post in 2009 about Jack Kelly's short-lived (1955-'56) television series Kings Row. After purchasing a number of rare stills from the series online last summer, I'd planned to do a photo feature about it, as well. But, there are so many JK photos, only one Bartista, and so little time... I saw some of the same images from Kings Row reposted elsewhere today and they reminded me of my long-deferred photo feature. The photos in my Kellection have the original episode info on the backs, so I can provide answers to questions about the other actors and actresses in the photos. I also have some additional images from Kings Row, including one very special photo of JK with an "easy rider" and a beloved actress in the splendor of her youth.

The original caption for the photo above reads: "Jack Kelly (Parris), Peter Votrian (Tim), Adrienne Marden (Mrs. Brownton) in 'Warner Bros. Presents,' 'Kings Row' ('Two of a Kind') for ABC-TV. " Now, don't ask me what JK is doing with that bell:

I can tell you, however, that this is another still from "Two of a Kind". And, the lovely lady is Myrna Fahey, who would later appear in several episodes of Maverick, including "Duel at Sundown" and "Mano Nera".

Now, here's a very distinguished looking JK with winsome Nan Leslie, his King's Row co-star, in a still from the episode "Wedding Gift":

Stay tuned for more Kings Row stills--coming after a pause for Saint Patrick's Day in TDS. :)

Jack Kelly - Christmas in the Air :)

Howdy!

As you know, I love visiting antiques stores and malls. I also enjoy attending live auctions.

A couple of years ago, I attended a local auction where tables full of showbiz-related ephemera (movie magazines, photos, scrapbooks, etc.) were up for bid. I was pretty lucky at this auction. One of the things I won was a box lot, which meant that in addition to the magazine or whatever it was I really wanted, I received several extra items as well.

One of these "extras" was a large cardboard box stuffed with pictures and stories salvaged from old fan magazines. When I returned home, I took a cursory rummage through the box and then put it away for future reference.

After I "discovered" Jack Kelly this year, I remembered the box and thought, "I wonder if...?" I burrowed through reams of yellowed newsprint and, sure enough, there was a 1955 story about JK! It was actually more of a photo feature, showing JK and his Kings Row co-stars Robert Horton and Nan Leslie Christmas shopping. Or, more likely, pretending to Christmas shop in August, when this feature was probably photographed! ;->

Whatever the case, I thought now would be the perfect time to share the story, which is titled "Christmas in the Air":

"When it comes to tackling the problem of what to buy for whom, some folks like to do it solo, but not this trio of Kings Row stars! Reasoning: if they can work well together as a team on the Warner Bros. ABC-TV drama, they ought to be just as successful on a shopping tour. Besides, the men, being bachelors with sisters, mothers and dates to shop for, felt the need of feminine advice on late fashions and fads. And, Nan, though she naturally has a pretty good idea of what her husband, Charles Pawley, wants and needs, picked up a few pointers on the difference between what a man says he wants and what he really hopes to find in his Christmas stocking!"

"First stop: Jane Davis's shop, where Jack and Nan head
straight for the jewelry, while Bob finds
a collection of novelty print blouses."

"At the Sportsman men's store, Jack plays necktie model for Nan. Nan followed masculine advice, stuck to conservative styles."

"But, like most men, when it comes to wrapping fancy packages, Bob and Jack leave it all up to Nan!"

Although he doesn't look too thrilled in these photos, JK was apparently an enthusiastic Christmas shopper and "wrapper" in real life. A 1962 TV Guide story states that JK's Christmas shopping "is a yearly ritual which starts in October -- the fancy wrappings take two months to concoct."

And, there's more JK-related Christmas news. Hallmark is selling a Robby the Robot ornament (complete with sound!) in its stores this year, and it's flying off the shelves. Too bad they couldn't have a Lt. Farman ornament, too.... ;->

Jack Kelly on TV: I Love Parris... ;->

Hello!

I've added another intriguing artifact to the Kellection. It's an original script written by Muriel Roy Bolton titled "Wedding Gift", an episode of Kings Row, the short-lived TV series in which Jack Kelly starred from September 1955 to early 1956. The script is dated October 1, 1955, with revisions listed inside dated October 4, 1955.

In Kings Row, JK played small-town psychiatrist "Parris Mitchell". His friend "Drake McHugh" was played by Robert Horton, who later starred in Wagon Train:


Kings Row was one of three rotating shows presented under the umbrella title Warner Brothers Presents. The other two shows were Casablanca and Cheyenne, and all three were based on old Warner Brothers feature films.

Guess which show clicked with audiences and went on to stand-alone status? Yep. Kings Row and Casablanca quickly bit the dust, and Cheyenne quickly became a big hit.

But, Jack Kelly must have made an impression. When Bret Maverick needed a brother a couple of years later, someone remembered that fellow from Kings Row...and the rest is TV history. :)

The description given for this script said that "Wedding Gift" was never filmed. However, the Internet Movie Database lists "Wedding Gift" in its entry for Kings Row. And, it shows up in TV Guides and newspaper TV listings from the late 1950's and early 1960's, usually as part of the syndicated series TV Hour of Stars:

• "Dr. Parris Mitchell (Jack Kelly) reunites two young lovers when a
  Spanish-American War veteran returns to Kings Row in 'Wedding Gift.'"


• "'Wedding Gift', with Jack Kelly. A man who has just returned from army duty is resentful that his future wife has planned their life."

"Wedding Gift" guest-starred Natalie Wood as "Renee" and Dennis Hopper as "Tod" (both seen in the still below), two immature youngsters who are about to get married...or perhaps not.

Dr. Mitchell uses a clever wedding gift to reunite the couple:

Incidentally, I've seen a still from Kings Row with Jack Kelly holding a shaggy dog, and the script says that Dr. Mitchell has a pup named "Little Doc".

Of course, I have no idea which actor used this actual script, but its fun to think it might have been JK. It would be even more fun if we could actually view Kings Row with JK some time. Until that happens, I posted some lobby cards from another Kings Row episode a while back so we can see JK as Parris.

The Kelly Kollection - From the Telly to the Cinema

Although my interest in Jack Kelly dates back only a few months, one corner of my desk is already precariously piled with JK kollectibles. (Don't panic - I'm going to find a proper place for them.)

One of the items I've found is a set of British lobby cards advertising a film called Ellie. Now, if you glance at any of Jack Kelly's filmographies, you probably won't find a movie by that title. I didn't. But, the info on the lobby cards made me wonder if this was originally a TV production. Sure enough, Ellie is actually an episode of JK's short lived Kings Row series that was released as a feature film in English cinemas. I did some sleuthing, and the plot involved a fearful older lady who keeps her daughter near by pretending to be ill and broke.

It's doubtful that Ellie will be appearing on a TV screen or theatre near you any time soon, but here's a look at how Jack Kelly appeared in the episode as psychiatrist "Parris Mitchell":

I'm wondering about this picture -- is she trying to figure out if he likes butter?


This one is my favorite.

I think JK looks very Humphrey Bogart-ish here.

Smilin' Jack!