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! :)

Jack Kelly's Universal Appeal :)

Hello!

Jack Kelly and his pals definitely aren't practicing social distancing in the photo below. But, they have a good excuse--this pic was snapped in 1953:

The info on the back of the photo reads: "THEY"RE INTERNATIONAL--WITH A UNIVERSAL APPEAL! - It's a young people's movie world at Universal-International Studios, noted for development of young talent for the screen. Herewith is a mixed group of Hollywood hopefuls and winners of the second annual 'Miss Universe' bathing beauty contest, now under contract to U-I. Left to right: Lisa Gaye; Brad Jackson; Maxine Morgan ('Miss Australia'); Lance Fuller (currently in Taza, Son of Cochise); Alicia Ibanez ('Miss Uruguay'); William Leslie; Christiane Martel ('Miss Universe' and in costume for her first movie, Yankee Pascha); Jack Kelly; and Emita Arosemena ('Miss Panama')."

A close-up of Hollywood hopeful JK:

 

Of the other U-I contract players pictured above, few besides JK went onto notable careers, although Lance Fuller did appear in "The Island in the Swamp" and "The Cats of Paradise" episodes of Maverick, portraying a character ("Faro Jack Norcross") in the latter episode which spoofed Richard Boone's "Paladin" from Have Gun--Will Travel.

 

And, Lisa Gaye (sister of actress Debra Paget) appeared with JK in the 1961 Maverick episode "State of Siege", which also guest-starred Ray Danton:



Caption: "Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly, left), Soledad (Lisa Gaye), and Don Felipe (Ray Danton) make up a happy household before 'A State of Siege' hits their Spanish hacienda, forcing them to fight for their lives on MAVERICK."


Incidentally, JK was part of another line-up of talent in 1975, this time to publicize an episode of the Ellery Queen series in which he guest-starred:

 

Well, "hopefully" this post "appealed" to you. Please stay tuned for more fun with JK in TDS and please stay well. :)

 

JK Code 98! :)

Hola!

Here's another goodie from the wide wide world of Kellectibles. Not a fotobusta this time, but a lobby card from Mexico:

The film being advertised is, of course, 1963's FBI Code 98, which starred Jack Kelly and just about every actor under contract at Warner Bros at the time, including a bunch who'd appeared with JK in Maverick (e.g. Kathleen Crowley, Andrew Duggan, and Ray Danton, to name just a few).  Phil Carey (in the lower right corner) had previously acted with JK in They Rode West (coming to TCM on 7/26 at 2:15 am ET, BTW!). JK later joined PC in two episodes of Laredo and the Bob Hope special Shoot-In at NBC.

Guess Who Doesn't Survive The "Alamo"? :)

Hi!

I always keep an eye out for episodes of TV shows where JK guest-starred. One such show--McCloud--popped up on Me-TV the other night. Since it came on pretty late, I had to DVR it. Yesterday, I was finally able to watch the DVR'd episode, titled "This Must Be The Alamo".

And guess what?

[Spoiler alert]

JK's character, a womanizing bookie named Manny Donner, gets bumped off before the first commercial! In fact, he barely makes it through the first three minutes of the episode.

Manny surprises his latest girlfriend while she's sharing a drink with a pro football player. Things go south from there. Manny gets mad; the girlfriend shoots the ball player, then shoots Manny, and runs off with the incriminating diary she's been keeping. Poor Manny ends up as a corpse dumped in front of a hospital and then as a sheet-covered stiff in a makeshift morgue at McCloud's precinct. The football player and the girlfriend meet similarly dire fates.

The rest of the episode revolves around McCloud (the cowboy cop from New Mexico played by Dennis Weaver) and his colleagues coping with a crippling heat wave in New York City. The mercury hits 108, but this was in 1974, so they couldn't blame global warming.

In addition to the heat and the homicides, McCloud and company must deal with power shortages, a shoplifter, a deadly hit-and-run case, and even an abandoned infant. Finally, nearly everyone in the precinct is held hostage by mobsters looking for Manny's girlfriend's little black book. Can McCloud save the day? You bet your Stetson he can!

The episode is chock-full of other familar faces including Van Johnson and Ray Danton. The only thing worse than Danton's hairdo (more like a hair-don't) is JK's jacket:

I know you'll still want to see JK if this episode ever comes on again. Just don't blink or you'll miss him! :)

Coming Up:

• "All the World's a Stage With JK" continues
• A colorful birthday salute
• Flying high with JK!
• And more...stay tuned :)

"Plumbing" The Depths of the Kellection! :)

Hello!

Have you ever looked for one thing and ended up finding another?

I can't tell you how many times I've started to look for something--either online or offline--and then gotten distracted by something else I discover. For example, I was combing through the Kellection for research material for upcoming TDS posts when I found a pair of negatives in a protective sleeve.

I held the negatives up to the light and instantly remembered them. I had purchased them some time ago but put them aside because my aging scanner didn't do negatives. However, I have a new scanner now and am positively thrilled to be able to share these "before he was Bart" images of Jack Kelly with you. (Aren't you glad I got distracted?)

JK seems to be in a real "fix" here! This is a scene from "Just Across the Street", an episode of Lux Video Theatre which originally aired on January 10, 1957. The plot: To help support her father (Cecil Kellaway), a young woman (Julie Adams) pretends to be a socialite and gets a job as a plumber's helper. Actually, I don't know how much help she can be in that dress and those heels--maybe she can borrow some coveralls from Josephine the Plumber! And, maybe JK (who plays a character named "Fred Newcombe") should just call Roto-Rooter before he hurts himself.  :)

Here's another cute scene from "Just Across the Street". That's the sprightly Mr. Kellaway photobombing JK!

Julie Adams would meet up again with Jack Kelly in two episodes of Maverick ("The White Widow" and "The Brasada Spur"). Her husband at the time, Ray Danton, would also star opposite JK in Maverick (the episode "State of Siege") and in the feature films A Fever in the Blood and FBI Code 98. Ms. Adams is still active today.

More info: According to TV Guide, "Just Across the Street" was broadcast in color (although few viewers had color sets at the time) and was based on a 1952 film with the same title starring Ann Sheridan and John Lund. Cecil Kellaway also played the father in that version.

Hmm...I wonder if this show will ever be available on DVD? I wonder what else neato I can find in the Kellection? Oh-oh! Getting distracted again...better get back to work! :)