JK Remembers "The Alamo"!

Hello!

Jack Kelly played movie critic in 1961, expressing his candid opinions about a cinematic epic and film award campaigns to columnist Lee Belser:

"Jack Kelly shot what may be his last Maverick the other day and then trundled off with his wife to a neighborhood theater to see The Alamo.

"He found it 'a gigantic episode of heroism that was completely uncalled for'.

"'But, it is a good picture,' he added, 'and interesting from a money standpoint. It's fascinating to see what can happen when there's an unlimited bank account handy.'

"Jack concluded that, in his opinion, the film would have sold itself without the publicity campaign conducted by John Wayne's press agent, Russell Birdwell.  

"'Birdwell,' he said, "reminds me of an Orry-Kelly with a typewriter. If I had a million-dollar publicity budget, I could be a star tomorrow morning.

"Kelly had some kind things to say about Wayne's possibilities as a director.

'"'If he's responsible for any of the direction of that picture,' he said, 'he never should have become an actor. Even Laurence Harvey was superb in it and I can't stand Laurence Harvey.'"

"Kelly, a non-joiner (and if he joins, he doesn't attend), says that, for once, he'd like to voice an opinion--as a member of the Motion Picture Academy. 

"'I wish,' he said, 'that they would classify pictures according to type. They should even have an award based on cost.

"'There should be no publicity campaigns,' he added, 'and nominees should be prohibited from displaying pictures of themselves and rundowns on their accomplishments, other than what is handed them by the free press.

"'I feel also', Jack went on, 'that voters should be forced into seeing every picture that's up for an award, and every voter should be forced to register and to see the picture only under the auspices of the Academy.'

After setting the record straight on the Academy Awards, Jack admitted he's pretty much in the dark on the future of Maverick.

"'I don't know what will happen,' he said. 'We'll go into reruns for the summer, but then we just finished shooting 32 segments and we're supposed to start shooting again in June or July.'

"'I'm gonna ride the bandwagon as long as I can,' he added. 'I'm taking 99% of my salary and investing it in real estate and land, so when the magic lantern burns out I won't have to end up on the street.

"'I own real estate,' he confided, 'from Puget Sound to San Diego.'

"There may be a motion picture coming up for Jack--The Devil in Bucks County with Simone Signoret, last year's best-actress award winner. "

As you can see, JK wasn't shy about speaking his mind! 

Incidentally, The Alamo was infamous at the time for its over-the-top award campaign, especially when supporting actor Chill Wills' agent went overboard in seeking a golden statuette for his client. 

And, despite gossip columnists proclaiming this or that actor (JK, Henry Fonda, Robert Taylor, Jackie Gleason, Dick Shawn, Shirley Knight, etc.) would be co-starring with Ms. Signoret in The Devil in Bucks County for Warner Bros., the movie was never made. 

It's probably just as well. The 1959 novel on which the film was to have been based was considered daring in its day. However, more contemporary reviews I found described the book as "trashy",  "campy" and "unreadable".    

Statistician-turned-novelist Edmund Schiddel set the story in a thinly-disguised version of a real-life artists' colony called New Hope in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and peopled it with characters whom those "in the know" would recognize. As one reviewer on Amazon said, "Fun book if you live in Bucks County. More fun if you know the characters. Dull reading if you don't." 

What will JK sound off on next? Please stay tuned to TDS and find out! :)

Make Room For JK! (Pt. II)

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Here's Part II of Zuma Palmer's 1961 interview with JK, conducted in his plush dressing room at Warner Bros. studios:

JK in a screenshot from "The Golden Fleecing" episode of Maverick, which was filming when this interview was conducted. 

“Jack Kelly is one person who ‘loves his job and thrives on work.’

“’I like television when it on the prestige level it is now,’ he said.

“How does the actor look at Bart Maverick, his role in the Maverick series? 

“’[Bart] is not an outright hero and not a bum,’ he stated. ‘He is not a crook. He legitimately earns his living with gambling devices. He backs off from cheating.’ 

“How does [Kelly] classify the series?

“It is sophisticated, high-style comedy,’ Kelly declared. ‘During the [1960] writer’s strike we had to use straight dramatic material. Some viewers noticed the difference and objected. We did not want to do an anthology, that should be left up to Dick Powell who does it so well.’

“’Casting is basically not a problem,’ he continued, ‘Writing is roughly our only problem because where sophisticated comedy is concerned, it is not easy to pick up acceptable material.’

SITS IN

"Kelly sits in on the Monday story conferences with Arthur Silver, (the supervising producer), the director and the writer. ‘I have five years of Maverickian knowledge,’ he remarked.

“The actor likes all the directors under contract at Warner Bros., but the three with whom he believes he can ‘punch out the work better’ are Irving Moore, Michael O’Herlihy and Les Martinson.

“’They are sympatico with the Maverick idea,’ Kelly explained. ‘They know comedic facial values, for instance, and keep me from going overboard in the matter of grimaces to remarks and situations.’

“The actor has a key group on the set, the same gaffer or head electrician, cameraman, wardrobe and prop man. ‘I don’t have so many questions to answer,’ he said.

FIRST JOB

“The first job of Kelly was as a model in a soap advertisement. He was two weeks old. His pay was ‘a finn’, a five-dollar bill which he still has.

“His father, the late John A. Kelly, was a real estate operator; his mother, Ann M. Walsh, an actress. He was not the only member of the family to inherit acting ability. His sisters, Nancy and Carol, are actresses. Brother William chose to be an art student. He is not the only professional in his own home, his wife being May Wynn (Donna Lee Hickey). 

“Kelly was a law student at UCLA when World War II was declared. Sent to Alaska as a weather observer for the Air Force, he was on the first B-29 to fly over the Arctic Circle.

OPINIONS

“Kelly is of the opinion that ‘producers who don’t have responsibility will not make the kind of pictures people will want to watch’.

“He believes that it is the responsibility of parents ‘to instill spiritual values in their children so that will become the type of citizens they should be.’”

***

OPINIONS: JK DID HAVE 'EM! PLEASE STAY TUNED NEXT TIME WHEN HE SPEAKS HIS MIND ABOUT A WESTERN ICON TURNED DIRECTOR AND AN ACTOR HE DIDN'T (BUT DID) LIKE! 

Make Room For JK!

Howdy!

Previously in TDS, I discussed dresses which appeared in Maverick. Now, let’s take a fun and insightful visit to Jack Kelly’s DRESS-ing room at Warner Bros. 

Columnist Sheilah Graham had reported in early 1961 that since JK was now the top star of Maverick he'd been given "a new plush dressing room on the Warner lot complete with hi-fi, FM radio tape recorder, etc., etc.".  Another veteran newspaper scribe, Zuma Palmer, visited JK in his posh studio digs later the same year: 

“There was a guard at the parking lot, a guard sitting at a desk inside the door to the publicity department and a guard in a covered place at the entrance to the dressing room and stage area. 

“In walking to dressing room suite No. 9, Ted Ashton of the Warner Bros. publicity department, [publicist] Eddie Kafafian and I passed a half-marked tennis court. The other half had been used in a scene in Task Force and was pitted by explosives.

“Jack Kelly did not answer the knock so we knew lunch break had not yet come for the Maverick cast. 

“Jack L. Warner’s shuttered private dining room was on the way to the soundstage. Kelly, who is Bart Maverick, was stretched out on a settee dozing while Paula Raymond was before the cameras in a riverboat setting.

“’It is easy to go to sleep when you’re up at 6,’ Kelly remarked.

“For a TV set there seemed to be many costumed actors around. Richard Loo was the Chinese [actor]. Kelly later said there were 40 [extras] for atmosphere. ‘The Golden Fleecing’ by Charles B. Smith is the tentative title for this Maverick episode. [B27- Of course, this was also the final title of the ep.]

JK with Paula Raymond as "Adele Jaggers" in "The Golden Fleecing" 

episode of Maverick, which first aired on October 8, 1961

“The first actions of Kelly upon reaching his dressing room were to tune into music and loosen his shirt collar. 

LUNCH

“The lunch, ordered by Ashton from the commissary, was brought by a man in a spotless white suit. Off the main room of Kelly’s suite is a small dining and kitchen area.

“When the actor saw the steak, the peas, French fries, sliced tomatoes and onions and fruit cup, he remarked, ‘I usually just have milk with Knox Gelatine and that gives me time for a nap or to work on a hobby.’

"Beside the amplifier on which he had been working was a rack of plastic handles for tools. On a shelf was model of the ship Essex.

“Upon returning from making a motion picture in Hong Kong, Kelly learned that Warner Bros. was looking for someone to play Bart.

“Kelly said he told William Orr and Hugh Benson, TV head and assistant top man [respectively], ‘There is no use of your spending $5000 on a [screen] test. I played in a series here ("Kings Row") which flopped and I have been in pictures. You know what I can do. I will ad lib on the set with Garner before the cameras.’

HIRED

“’I am 6 feet and Jim is about 6 feet four,’ the actor continued. ‘I was standing in a hole. I was hired. Jim and I worked well together.’

“Some time later there were contractual problems.

“’Jim had some other things in mind he wanted to do,’ Kelly reported. ‘I wanted to stay. I liked the steady salary, the first time in my career I had had one. I came down in my asking price and Jack L. Warner came up.’

“’I have been studying about real estate,’ he said, ‘and buying up acreage, not to develop, someone else can do that. I am not interested in buying houses. I have had unfortunate experiences with them.'”

MUCH MORE IN STORE IN PT. II--PLEASE STAY TUNED! :)

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! 

 

Happy National Day of the Cowboy 2021!

Howdy!

To celebrate National Day of the Cowboy 2021, here's a magnificent pic of those marvelous Maverick brothers, Bret and Bart! (And, yes, that's Goldie with Bart in this original vintage still from the Kellection):

Have a rip-snortin', rootin' tootin' day, everyone! :)

JK At the Tee in 1963 :)

Hello Everyone!

On June 16, 1963, a charmingly tousled Jack Kelly participated in the third annual Celebrity Golf Tournament at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California:

In 1962, JK won a trophy at the same tourney for "the longest drive off the 10th tee" (354 yards). 

Shown in the background is Bob Wilke, famed western bad guy who won the tourney's top prize in 1961 and was competing again in 1963. JK had previously faced Wilke both on the links and on Maverick.

Please stay tuned "fore" 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! :)

Remembering...

 Donna Lee Custer 
(formerly Donna Kelly, a.k.a. May Wynn)

1928 - 2021

Autographed candid snapshot of Donna and Jack snapped by a fan, dated May 1958.
Scanned from the La Bartista Kellection 

Donna Custer, who acted professionally under the name "May Wynn" and was Jack Kelly's first wife, passed away on March 22, 2021, although her passing wasn't reported in the press until over a month later. She was 93 years old. 

She was born Donle (later changed to Donna Lee) Hickey in New York City on January 8, 1928, into a family with ties to vaudeville. Her father, Ray Hickey, was a singer and dancer.  Her grandmother, Gertie Black, was also a vaudevillian. 

In her early teens, Donna worked after school in a real estate office and in a department store. She was later employed as a page and ground stewardess at LaGuardia Airport in NYC.  According to a 1954 story in the Provo UT Daily Herald, young Donna designed an ensemble consisting of a navy blue suit and powder blue blouse which she wore to work at LaGuardia. The outfit was soon adapted as the official stewardess uniform of Pan Am airlines. 

Donna performed as a showgirl at the Copacabana Club in New York City while still a teenager. She also won beauty contests and titles such as "Queen of the New York Press Photographer's Ball of 1950". The petite beauty was also a popular pin-up model, often pictured smiling in a swimsuit on the cover of such magazines as "Hit!" and "See".

She made her way to Hollywood in the early 1950's and played bit roles in movies. Her big break came in 1953, when she was cast as singer "May Wynn" in the feature The Caine Mutiny starring Humphrey Bogart. Columbia Pictures studio chief Harry Cohn insisted that Donna assume her character's name as her professional name. She did, but later told reporters that she hated being known as May Wynn. 

Donna met JK during the filming of They Rode West in 1954 and they married in 1956, first in a civil ceremony in Quartzite, AZ, and then in a church ceremony a month later in Los Angeles, CA. Also in 1956, Donna played receptionist "Liz Clark" in the short-lived television series Noah's Ark (produced by Jack Webb), in addition to having a recurring role as "Jean Blackburn" in The Bob Cummings Show.

Donna as "Liz Clark", from the La Bartista Kellection

JK reportedly hated his wife's May Wynn moniker as much as she did and called her Donna, "Kukie" and "The Big M" during their marriage. The Kellys were very big on togetherness and made a pact to never be apart from one another for any great length of  time. This even extended to their careers. Donna accompanied JK to Asia when he was hired for the starring role in Hong Kong Affair. She ended up playing the female lead when the actress originally cast reportedly had trouble speaking her lines in English. 

In addition to Hong Kong Affair and They Rode West, Donna acted with JK in The Violent Men starring Glenn Ford and Taming Sutton's Gal. Her other feature films include The White Squaw, The Man is Armed and the cult horror film The Unknown Terror starring Paul Richards. 

Donna (as "Concha") shows off her new dress 

to "Pete" (Paul Richards)

in The Unknown Terror (1957)

 - original vintage still scanned from the author's private collection

Donna made guest shots on a number of other TV shows including The Millionaire and Perry Mason. Her last listed acting credit is a 1960 appearance in the western series Shotgun Slade. 

Although Donna never appeared on Maverick, it was reported that she and JK wrote a script for the show, which apparently was never filmed. They also formed a production company called "Majak" (guess how the name was formed?). And, Donna was frequently photographed visiting her hubby behind the scenes of Maverick:

Caption: "'Maverick' And Mate--Actress May Wynn visits husband Jack Kelly on the set of 'Shady Deal at Sunny Acres', on ABC-TV's Warner Bros. produced 'Maverick'..."--vintage original still scanned from the La Bartista Kellection 

Another visit during the filming of "Shady Deal" 

(vintage original still scanned from the La Bartista Kellection)

Even a Kelly kanine got into the act! 

(Vintage original still scanned from the La Bartista Kellection)

The Kelly's union seemed to be a template for togetherness, so Hollywood and fans were shocked when it was announced in October 1964 that the loving couple who had acted, wrote, cooked and golfed in tandem for nearly a decade was permanently Splitsville.

Donna remarried and divorced once more. She worked in real estate and then spent 28 years as a beloved school aide (teaching public speaking and handwriting classes after school) at the Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in  Newport Beach, the California city in which she resided. Sadly, her nephew Brian Hickey was among the NYC firefighters who died in the 9/11 attacks in 2001. 

Rest in peace, Donna, and deepest condolences to your family, friends and fans from TDS.

A TV Spectacular--At the Drive-In! :)

Hello Everyone!

It's still February, but how about spending Saturday night at the drive-in movies? Although it may be a bit chilly outside, this 1962 line-up of TV favorites starring in older feature films (including Jack Kelly in Hong Kong Affair) will warm us up!

(Of course, they could have shown The Night Holds Terror which featured both JK and Vince Edwards.) 

The "Why Settle for Substitutes? Try a Real Saturday Night at the Movies" is probably a dig at NBC-TV's popular Saturday Night at the Movies series which aired from 1961-1978. 

And, speaking of Hong Kong Affair: another look at JK in this film is coming soon in TDS!

PLUS: Also coming soon, two incredibly rare Kellectibles from Jack Kelly's pre-Maverick TV career--please stay tuned! :)

Happy Valentine's Day 2021 From "TDS"! :)

Maverick still of Jack Kelly and Patricia Crowley

 in "A Tale of Three Cities" 

autographed by 

Ms. Crowley

(colorization and caption added by La Bartista)

"Beggars" Night :)

Hey!

I meant to post this original pic from the Kellection a couple of weeks ago, in honor of the 62nd anniversary of "Two Beggars on Horseback", the Maverick episode which premiered on 1/18/59. 

But, any time is a good time to remember this lively episode, which pairs Jack Kelly and James Garner with Patricia Barry (as crafty "Jessamy Longacre"). It's a fan favorite and reportedly was JK's favorite Maverick episode, as well. 

It's also time to say "Bye-bye" to January and "Hello" to February. What's coming up in TDS during the next month? Please stay tuned to find out! :)

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. :) 

"Give the Boots the Stars Wear" Revisited!

 Hello Everyone,

Christmas will be here in just a few days! So, what better time to revisit the "Give the Boots the Stars Wear" Acme Boots ad campaign. This colorful holiday-themed magazine page from the Kellection dates back to December 1959:

As Santa says, "Here's authentic western style, fiery color, imaginative design--all in comfortable, sturdy-wearing boots that live up to the legend of the west, every day of the year! No gift ever speaks with such understandable language to youngsters...'the boots the stars wear...Acme Boots.'"

Here's a closer look at those Warner Bros. western stars, headed by Jack Kelly and James Garner of Maverick:

And, a close-up of those magnificent Maverick boots:

Lucky was the little cowboy or cowgirl who found this footwear under the tree on Christmas morning! 

What will you find in the next TDS? Stay tuned and "Yule" find out! :)

Bart Is Kitty Cornered

Hello Everyone,

On this date in 1958, the Maverick episode "Prey of the Cat" premiered. It's one of the most dramatic and harrowing installments of the series. It's also the closest thing Maverick ever had to a Christmas episode, although the holiday is only incidental to the plot.

When his horse is spooked by a mountain lion, Bart falls and breaks his leg. He's rescued by rancher Pete Stillman (Wayne Morris), who takes Bart into his home to recuperate from the injury. While Bart recovers with the help of Stillman's wife, Kitty (Patricia Barry), the ranch has a Christmas celebration.

The day finally comes when Bart feels he's well enough to leave the ranch. However, Kitty has become obsessed with Bart. Desperate for  him to stay, she suddenly throws herself into his arms. Bart breaks free of Kitty's unwanted embrace, but not before it's witnessed by Bender the ranch foreman.

Pete asks Bart to remain at the ranch long enough to help him and Kitty hunt the puma who caused Bart's accident. During the hunt, the trio spreads out. Bart shoots at the cat. But, instead of finding it, he discovers Pete Stillman's corpse.

Kitty tells the sheriff that Pete's shooting was accidental and that Bart's bullet ricocheted off the rocks. Bart isn't charged. But, Bender blabbed about seeing the embrace, and Bart knows the town has already judged him guilty. 

Then, he's confronted by Pete's former girlfriend, Raquel (Yvette Dugay). She's heard the rumors about Bart and Kitty, and wants to kill Bart. However, he convinces Raquel that he is innocent of killing Pete.

Bart once more lets Kitty know that he's leaving. But, she confesses that she killed Pete so they could be together. Bart realizes Kitty is insane. She further informs Bart that if ever tries to leave her, she'll tell the sheriff that he killed Pete and that she just lied to protect him. 

A shaken Bart reveals Kitty's statements to the sheriff, but Kitty sticks to her original story. The sheriff now thinks Bart and Kitty are in cahoots. He orders Bart to stay at the ranch with Kitty, assuming that one of them will eventually crack and tell the truth.

Although he knows it will make him look guilty, Bart escapes during the night. He's re-captured and returned to the ranch--where Kitty is found with her throat slashed.

Now suspected of both murders, Bart watches helplessly from his jail cell as the sheriff resigns. The vengeful townspeople storm the jail, put Bart on a horse, and slip a noose around his neck. Bender raises a riding crop to strike Bart's mount so the horse will run out from under him. Bart is a hairbreadth away from being wrongfully executed. But, before the crop touches the horse...

You'll have to watch the episode to find out what happens next. It's one of Maverick's best. 

Please CATch the next TDS for more about Jack Kelly. :)

"Maverick" and Moppets :)

Clipart image of kids watching TV courtesy Clipartmag.com; 

image of Jack Kelly from the La Bartista Kellection

Howdy!

Like most of us, I grew up watching television. One of my earliest childhood memories is of eating a messy chocolate cupcake while watching The Lone Ranger on TV. 

So, when I recently stumbled upon a scholarly study about television and children which was published in the late 1950's, I was fascinated. Now, I wasn't around in the Fifties, but I've seen reruns of many of the programs mentioned in the study, including Maverick. 

Which age groups were most captivated by Bart and Bret? Let's find out:

First, a bit of background. The study is titled "Television in the Life of a Child--Implications for the School". It was authored by Wilbur Schramm of Stanford University. 

Dr. Schramm opens his study by explaining, "This paper is concerned with an activity which fills approximately one-sixth of the waking hours of an American child three years of age or over. It is an activity which ten years ago was known to only a few children, but in the last decade has replaced many of their other activities and rearranged their lives on a grand scale. Furthermore, this activity represents an experience so potent and flexible that it not only serves as the source of externally controlled recreation for children, but also is coming to be entrusted with a part of the teaching function of the schools. I refer, of course, to television."

(Naturally, today "television" could be substituted with "computing", "cell phone use", "social media use", etc.)

Dr. Schramm also noted that studies at the time revealed elementary school students viewed two to three-and-a-half hours of TV each day; their use of television began early (he recalls seeing babies in bassinets watch horses run across the TV screen); by age six, 90 percent of children were viewing television, meaning "that the average child brings to the first grade with him whatever adheres to his vocabulary, his values, and his picture of environment from several years of watching television."

Schramm discovered that--surprise!--the kids who were surveyed didn't really watch much educational TV. What did they watch instead? 

"As the child passes through the school years, childish programs are gradually replaced with adventure, crime, family serials and popular dance. Disneyland and Zorro dominate the first six school years; 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, American Bandstand and Peter Gunn, the second six years."

Maverick was the third most popular program among 5th graders and fourth among 6th graders. It was first with 8th grade boys and third with 8th grade girls. 10th grade boys placed Maverick second in popularity and 10th grade girls rated it fourth. Finally, 12th grade boys put Maverick in second place and 12th grade girls ranked it in third place. Other popular programs among teens included The Rifleman, Sea Hunt and Gunsmoke.

There's some hand-wringing in the study about how all this TV viewing might cause youngsters to imitate things they saw on screen.  Well, I watched a lot of Bugs Bunny as a kid and have never had the slightest inclination to drop an anvil on anyone. And, watching TV led me to Maverick and Jack Kelly, and that's not a bad thing. :) 

Please stay tuned for additional studious dissertations on Mr. John A. Kelly, Jr., er, more fun with JK in the next TDS!

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! :)

"Sub" of a Gun! :)

 

In tonight's episode of Maverick, Bart misplaces his pistol and must use his hand as a substitute gun. ;)

Seriously, this is a still from the "Substitute Gun" episode of Maverick which recently joined the Kellection. The episode first aired on April 2, 1961. 

Joining Jack Kelly in this still is erstwhile child actor Jack (Jackie) Searle, who portrayed the appropriately named Wilbur Smiley Drake. 

JS and JK would act together again in an episode of The Lucy Show titled "Lucy Makes a Pinch", which originally aired on November 9, 1964! 

Please stay tuned for the next TDS--accept no substitutes. :)

Lucky "Lass"

 Hello Everyone!

Wow, I can't believe it's November 1 already. 

Speaking of November 1--it was exactly 61 years ago today (Sunday, November 1, 1959) that the Maverick episode "The Lass With The Poisonous Air" premiered on ABC-TV.

The plot:

The storyline for this episode was adapted by Catherine Turney from series creator/producer Roy Huggins' novel Lovely Lady, Pity Me (which was also the basis for an episode of 77 Sunset Strip with the same title). 

On the outskirts of Denver, Bart gallantly rescues Linda Burke (Joanna Moore), whose horse is galloping out of control. The gambler and the lady fall in love and rendezvous by a lake every day. 

Lovely Linda remains coy about her private life during their lakeside trysts, neglecting to tell Bart that she's married to the wealthy guy he plays poker with in town. 

Linda has a rival for Bart's affection: Cathy, the teenaged daughter of the owner of the livery stable where his mare (Goldie!) is being stabled. Bart pays no attention to her, so she sneaks to the lake where she secretly spots him and Linda. Later, Cathy asks Bart to take her for a buggy ride, and they conveniently "happen" to pass by the Burke mansion in time to see Linda leaving for dinner with her husband.

Bart also has a rival for Linda's affection: Dana, a drunk who's already sore at Bart because he lost at poker to him. Dana knows about Bart's meetings with Linda and threatens to blab to her husband. He also taunts Bart until the gambler knocks him out.

The next day, Dana beats Bart to the lake and is shot in the back by Linda, who flees, leaving Bart to take the rap after he arrives to find Dana dead. Cathy warns him that the sheriff is on the way to arrest him for Dana's murder. Bart wonders how that's possible, because, didn't he just now discover the body, with no one else around?! 

Cathy hides him in a barn and urges him to run away. But, Bart wants to prove his innocence. He asks Cathy for some tattered old clothes and a nondescript horse to ride. Bart lopes into Denver and narrowly escapes after he's spotted by the sheriff. 

Bart scales a balcony into Linda's room at the mansion. She's startled to see him, but then professes her "love" for him. She tells him to go to the lake and she'll meet him there. 

Instead, Linda runs downstairs, screaming to her husband and the sheriff that Bart just tried to kill her. Then, Bart comes downstairs with his hands up. The sheriff hears him out. Linda's husband tries to alibi for her, but their stories become so contradictory that they finally confess that Linda is guilty of killing Dana. Bart goes free and can be his carefree gamblin' self again.

Although she had a poisonous air, Linda was a lucky lass to have been "extra chummy" with Bart Maverick. Unfortunately, her portrayer, Joanna Moore, wasn't so lucky. Following a promising start that included a brief stint as "Peggy" on The Andy Griffith Show and a marriage to actor Ryan O'Neal which produced actress Tatum O'Neal, Ms. Moore's career and life sadly declined. After battling drug addiction and lung cancer, Ms. Moore died at age 63 in 1997.

But, she shines in "The Lass With The Poisonous Air". Here are some original stills from the Kellection of Ms. Moore with Jack Kelly:

"BEHIND THE TV CAMERA", the snipe begins. "Jack Kelly, an old hand now at playing Bart Maverick, assists pretty Carole Wells [sic--yes, it really identifies Ms. Moore as the actress who played "Cathy"!] in getting the most out of the script of 'The Lass With the Poisonous Air', the next Warner Bros. Maverick show, in which she appears with Kelly. The new episode will appear on ABC-TV network Sunday, November 1." 

Another rehearsal still 

Surprise! 

It's Bart in disguise...

...And he's not buying Linda's lies! :)

The original snipe for this still says, "ROMANCE LEADS TO TRAP...Bart Kelly [sic--yes, the caption writer actually called him that!] gets chummy with a mysterious beauty named Linda (Joanna Moore) and ends up in a well-planned frame in 'The Lass With the Poisonous Air', ABC's Maverick teledrama Sunday, November 1 (7:30-8:30 PST). Jack Kelly stars as Bart Maverick."

Well, please stay tuned for more about Bart, er, I mean Jack Kelly in TDS.  :)