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. :) 

Yet Another Bundle From Brazil! :)

Olá!

Here's yet another fantastic look at Jack Kelly and Maverick on Brazilian television, courtesy of the March 24-30 1964 issue of  "Intervalo", with "The Brothers Maverick" as cover boys:

(If that photo looks familiar, it's the same image used on the cover of this Brazilian magazine, only flipped.)

Photo caption: "Jack Kelly is satisfied with the presence of Robert Colbert [Brent], replacing James Garner as Bret."

The text of the cover story (roughly translated with Google) reads:

"The Mavericks - Cute But Not Ordinary 

[I love that description! B27]

The brothers 'Maverick', Brent and Bart, and their cousin Beau, are noted for the impeccable elegance of their dress and how they present themselves. The three have all the requirements of the most perfect gentleman. For this reason, they can be called "cute" (but not ordinary), despite the questionable and sometimes not very honest activities they perform. They enable Brazilian viewers to watch vibrant adventures set in the rugged American West, at the time of the pioneers. See them on Channel 13 in Rio (Saturdays, 21:45) and Channel 5 in Sao Paulo (Tuesdays, 21:35)."

"Next week, the Maverick series begins its second season in São Paulo and Rio. A change for this second season: the replacement of James Garner by Robert Colbert, who will play Brent Maverick, with Jack Kelly continuing as Bart Maverick.

"Living incredible adventures in the old west, the Mavericks are  admired as the quickest on the trigger, although they insist on not being identified as such. They prefer to be known as romantic and adventurous players. Each episode has light and picturesque humor, interconnected with a mild dose of romance, provoked by the two brothers who, even following different paths, invariably end up in the direction of a beautiful girl who always arouses their passion. Bold poker players, they always risk a bluff, or some trick, although they claim great honesty. They are impeccable dressers, contrasting with the inhabitants of the places they pass through.

"Brent and Bart alternate their adventures weekly and in each program they play opposite excellent and renowned stars of television and cinema. This new phase of Maverick presents a new figure, whose interpreter is already known to viewers in Sao Paulo and Rio for his role as "Ivanhoe": Roger Moore, who plays the part of Beau Maverick, cousin of Brent and Bart. 

"Completely dubbed into Portuguese at Cinecastro Studios, the series should continue to delight the public, who are used to admiring and applauding the adventures of the Maverick brothers. Rio residents will continue to follow them on TV-Rio, Channel 13, while São Paulo will keep their receivers tuned to TV-Paulista, Channel  5, every Tuesday, at 21:35 hours."

Wow, that's interesting, how Brent is described as a regularly occurring character, when he appeared in only two episodes. And, how Beau is described as a "new" character, when he actually appeared in the episodes before Brent showed up and then vamoosed. 

Well, where in the world will TDS travel to next? Please stay tuned and find out! :)

New Season, New Time--But No Brent :)

Howdy!

With the new fall TV season starting, I decided to look back to September 1961, when Maverick was beginning its fifth (and unfortunately final) season. And, I noticed something strange:

Brent Maverick (Robert Colbert), who was never mentioned before, suddenly showed up in Season Four as Bart's brother. He appeared in only two episodes that season and was never mentioned again. So, why is he featured prominently in this newspaper ad for the Season Five premiere?

I thought maybe this particular newspaper made a mistake, but here's a similar ad in a different newspaper from September '61:

"Three B's--Bart, Brent and Bullets--call the tune for a whole shootin' shebang of Western adventure! Jack Kelly, Robert Colbert star", this ad proclaims. But, this season, Bart was actually riding solo. There was no Brother Bret (except in reruns), no Cousin Beau--and no Brent:

This article states that "Jack Kelly won't be sharing his adventures and romances with any relatives while traveling down the TV trail this fall. Bart Maverick will be happily going it alone when Warner Bros.' Maverick series for ABC-TV begins its fifth year at a new time, 5:30-6:30 CDT. The hardy and contented Kelly will be without his former partners, James Garner, Roger Moore and Robert Colbert, who are currently otherwise occupied."

But, JK didn't complain about having to carry the show alone. The article quoted him as saying, "I've no sympathy for actors who declare how tough it is to play [in] a series week after week. I've never enjoyed acting more since I started to portray Bart, a wonderful, gay character whom I understand and like. It's great to be associated with a success. And, that weekly paycheck is a pleasant reminder of how lucky I am."

JK was indeed lucky to find a role he loved and be paid for it. However, in September 1961, Warner Bros. did not need to pay the Brent. ;>

Please stay tuned for more fun with JK in TDS.

Jack Kelly Japanese Style :)

Hello!

We've seen Jack Kelly featured in Japanese magazines here, here and here in TDS.

Now, let's have a look at JK (and James Garner & Robert Colbert) from the pages of yet another Japanese periodical. Nearly all of this 1961 magazine was devoted to the Old West and to US TV westerns such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Bronco, Rawhide and of course Maverick: 

As we say sayonara to today's post, please stay tuned for more fun with JK from the pages of the past, including a 1950's scrapbook all the way from the UK and a couple of other interesting books recently added to the Kellection. :)  

Saturday Night "Fever"! :)

Well, it's actually Saturday morning, but I'm sure you won't mind seeing these stills of Jack Kelly in A Fever In The Blood any time of day!

In this 1961 feature film JK plays ambitious district attorney "Dan Callahan", who throws an innocent murder suspect under the bus during a ruthless bid to become a gubernatorial candidate.

Callahan listens intently to Senator Alex Simon (Don Ameche), who also intends to seek the governor's office. (That's actor Parley Baer behind JK.)

Accompanied by the press, Callahan himself arrests the murder suspect, Thornwall (Rhodes Reason):

The same scene seen in color (detail from an Italian fotobusta):

Callahan grills the real killer (Robert Colbert) on the stand as Judge Leland Hoffman (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) looks on.



BONUS: A lurid 1961 newspaper ad for Fever which mentions Bart Maverick and Stu Bailey (Zimbalist's character in 77 Sunset Strip):

 

TRIVIA: A Fever In the Blood was referenced in the recent miniseries Feud: Bette and Joan. Director Robert Aldrich tries to convince Warner Bros. chief Jack Warner to let him hire Bette Davis and Joan Crawford for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? by bluntly pointing out that WB films such as A Fever in the Blood flopped because they had no "stars". 

But, JK will always be a star to us. To read (and see) much more about him in A Fever in the Blood, please click here and here.

A Valentine's Day Question :)

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Last summer, I posted a look at Jack Kelly from a Brazilian movie magazine called Cinelandia. I just added another issue of Cinelandia to the Kellection. This issue not only contains some wonderful pix of JK inside the magazine, but features him on the Valentine-red cover as well (along with Robert Colbert as brother Brent):

 

The banner just above Bart and Brent reads (roughly translated from Portuguese): "Cinelandia Asks: Should Cowboy Heroes Get Married?" Apparently, the question was prompted by a story arc on Bonanza which almost had Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts) marrying a widow with a young daughter. Their wedding never happened, supposedly because Bonanza's female fans demanded that Adam remain single.

The cover article begins (again, roughly translated):

"The good guys from the 'Far West' are the only men in the world who need the approval of thousands of people to go to the altar. Marriage may be the aim of many of them, but the 'yes' depends on the TV viewers. Should the cowboys settle down to family life? Or should they keep chasing bandits? This depends on you and Cinelandia wants to know your opinion."
 
On the cover, bachelor Bart's opinion of marriage seems to be "No thanks". But, inside the magazine, he enthusiastically aims some affection in the direction of pretty Karen Steele, while brother Bret (James Garner) seems to second that emotion. Ms. Steele guest-starred on two episodes of Maverick (with JK in the episode "You Can't Beat The Percentage" and with JG in "Point Blank") and was later linked romantically to JK in real-life following his 1964 divorce from wife Donna (May Wynn) Kelly.

 
Below, Bart and Bret are barely visible behind a bevy of potential brides:

Actually, these are some of the many actresses who co-starred opposite JK and JG in Maverick. The photo is a bit grainy, but some of the ladies I recognize are Ruta Lee, Patricia Crowley, Adele Mara, Joi Lansing, Ms. Steele, Marie Windsor, and Arlene Howell. This gathering of glamor gals appears to be from the same shoot as this photo.

Well, Bart Maverick may have escaped matrimony, but he still captures our hearts. :)

Clipart courtesy of Shannon Hatfield

Freebird! :)