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! 

 

The Kelly Pages: Jokin' Jack Kelly

Hi! I found a cute story about Jack Kelly and what it was like to act with him.

Merry Anders, JK's leading lady in three Maverick episodes (including "Destination Devil's Flat", featured in yesterday's post), tells the story in the book Westerns Women: Interviews With 50 Leading Ladies of Movies and TV by Boyd Magers and Michael G. Fitzgerald. By the way, the episode Ms. Anders describes below sounds like "The People's Friend":

"'...I had an absolute ball working with [Jack] Kelly. He had such an outrageous sense of humor and he pulled little pranks. Tickle you from behind when he was standing behind you and you were supposedly watching your father on his deathbed, trying to look serious.'

'We were working on Christmas Eve and they brought two young boys down on the set that must have been nine or ten, dressed exactly like Mavericks, right down to the brocade vests and string ties. Their parents had brought them down as a treat to see Maverick filmed.'

'Jack and I had an 18-page scene. He'd come out of the bar, we went around the corner to the boardwalk, had this conversation, and it ended with a kiss. We started into the final take, looked down, and, under our elbows--that close--and I don't know how they weren't on camera, were these two little boys. They were just drawn into the scene--they were mesmerized!'

'Jack and I looked out of the corner of our eyes and we just went into hysterics! It took us seven takes to control ourselves. Every time we'd get to that point, we'd start giggling.'" :)

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Oh, and speaking of "The People's Friend", here's a link to a review of that episode, from a blog about cigar smoking!

The Maverick Report - "Destination Devil's Flat"

One of the Maverick episodes shown on Encore Westerns this evening (9/1) was "Destination Devil's Flat". It was an enjoyable romp about a reformed faro dealer who keeps trying to convert Bart, a sheriff who keeps trying to get rid of Bart, and some gold that keeps getting the old switcheroo. And, I just happen to have a publicity still for it. Poor Bart has such a "Why me?" expression--probably from some of the antics he experiences in this episode. Well, his co-stars (Merry Anders and Peter Breck) look happy anyway. :)