Another Postcard Post! :)

Howdy!

Two more vintage Jack Kelly postcards just joined the Kellection, including one with the quintessential JK image which adorns this blog. So, I now have five of these cool cards:

These postcards were sent by the Warner Bros. fan mail department whenever folks wrote to JK. For only fifty-cents, you could also get an 8"x 10" photo (try getting one for that price now! ;>)

The reverse side of the cards features a reproduced signature and a greeting ("You are a real friend for writing!") from JK. Helpful hint: Some sellers erroneously assume the signatures on these cards are hand-written. I way overpaid for the first JK postcard I bought many years ago because I was led to believe I was purchasing a hand-signed item. Nope: the autographs shown on the front and back of these cards are pre-printed.

WB used the postmark to advertise their upcoming or current films. This one heralds A Summer Place, a 1959 melodrama starring Richard Egan, Dorothy McGuire and Sandra Dee. Postmarks on other JK cards I have advertise Auntie Mame, Sunrise at Campobello, and The Sundowners.

Yes, that's only four cards. The fifth JK postcard is "postally unused"--it has no postmark or mailing address, which means it was never sent by the fan department.

The other JK-related postcard I just received features a familiar grouping of Warner Bros. TV western stars. I've seen this pose before, but not in color like this:

Here's Clint Walker, Wayde Preston, Ty Hardin, Jack Kelly, John Russell, James Garner,
Peter Brown and Will Hutchins having a rootin' tootin' time
 on the Warner Bros. western street set

(How come JK is the shortest person on this card?!)

I think the image of Clint Walker ("Cheyenne") may have been inserted by WB into the color scene--he's usually not in other shots of this grouping I've seen, such as this one:

(BTW, this B&W photo was one of my first Kellectibles, before I actually had a Kellection! It was in a group of pix I bought at an antiques show before I "discovered" JK. :>)

The back of the color postcard has the pre-printed signatures of all the WB cowboys appearing on the front (with another pitch for A Summer Place):  

Well, I hope this post about JK postcards "sent" you. ;> Please stay tuned for more fun in TDS!

The Maverick Report

("The Maverick Report" will be a recurring feature where I review my favorite Maverick episodes starring Jack Kelly.)

"All This--And Puppies, Too?"

My current favorite JK episode is "The Witch of Hound Dog". It originally aired on November 6, 1960. I'm guessing it was intended as a Halloween episode, though, because there's some mighty spooky stuff going down here.

First, there's an alluring young mountain lass named Nancy who may or may not be a witch. She can apparently brew up thunderstorms at will and claims she put a "courtin' spell" on Bart so he'll fall in love with her. Then, there's Nancy's Pappy, who may or may not be a raven. And, finally, there are Nancy's two no-account brothers, who may or may not be "all there" and who enjoy using poor Bart as a punching bag.

The plot also involves a prized Bassett hound. And, let's not forget about the gambling debt Bart aims to collect, which is why he traveled to Hound Dog, Tennessee, in the first place. His winnings are in a safe stolen by Nancy's brothers, but they don't know his money is in the safe, so Bart has to play poker with them to get access to the safe...or something like that.

Bart eventually comes to his senses and sees Nancy "nevermore". He returns to his life as a gambler. But, he's reminded of his mountain interlude when he hears thunder--and spies a familiar bird in the saloon!

"The Witch of Hound Dog" is surprisingly racy for 1960--and for Maverick, for that matter. Bart is literally under Nancy's spell and comes this close to surrendering to her charms. There's lots of huggin' and kissin' and flirtin' between Bart and Nancy, and you have to hear the "poem" he recites to her. Don't worry, though: the whole thing is like "Maverick Meets Bewitched Meets Lil' Abner" and is wildly whimsical.

Jack Kelly is extra charming as Bart Maverick in this episode. He's courtly, yet witty and amorous, too. And, even when he's not under her "spell", Bart treats Nancy with respect, which is something the townsfolk--and her brothers--refuse to do.

The title character of "The Witch of Hound Dog" is smolderingly portrayed by Anita Sands, a talented young actress whom, frankly, I'd never heard of before seeing her here. She guest starred in another Maverick episode ("Family Pride" with Roger Moore) and in a handful of other television series during the same era.

Another interesting guest star in this episode is Wayde Preston, who'd starred in Warner Brothers' Colt .45 series.

So, is Nancy really a witch? Who knows. But, one thing is for sure--I wouldn't need a "courtin' spell" to fall for Bart Maverick. ;->