Jack Kelly: A Kornucopia of Kellectibles! :)

Hello Everybody,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I did. I traveled to visit family. It was great sharing a meal and memories with them. Never seems to last long enough, though. 

 I drove home on Friday, but I didn't stop at any antiques stores along the way like I did last year. However, on Saturday (11/27) I attended the same antiques show as I did last November. It was crowded with both vendors and shoppers. There's always a little bit of everything at this show, and you just never know what you might see. The most amazing item I saw was a 1931 Ford sedan. A real one, not a model. (I'm still wondering how they got it into the building.) Of course, I was on a kwest for Kellectibles, not kars, so I kontinued up and down the aisles. Finally, I kame upon a booth kontaining kowboy komemoratives of all kinds. I spied momentoes of Hoppy, Gene, and Roy, and even a few of Paladin's cards. And, after a little bit of digging, I found this:

This is one of the more unusual Maverick Kellectibles I've encountered. It's sort of a coloring book, only the drawings are erasable (hence the name "Eras-O-Picture"). Alas, the erasable crayons and crayon sharpener are long gone, as is the clear "magic screen" that made it possible for kiddies to color pictures from "magazines, funnies, or picture books" without actually marking on them.

Luckily, all of the drawings in the book are intact and many of them look like they were never colored in. Naturally, most of the drawings are of Bret Maverick, but there is one drawing of Bart:

When I went to pay for this Kellectible koloring book, the vendor asked if I kollected Maverick memorabilia. I answered "Yes," and then he asked, "Haven't I sold you stuff before?"

I remembered that he'd sold me a picture of Bart a little over a year ago.

"That's right...and I had a puzzle with Bart and Bret on it that I wanted to show you then, but I didn't have it with me. Well, I brought it today. I know I stuck it one of these boxes--let me see if I can find it for you."

The vendor quickly looked through box after box, and at last he came up with this:

It's a "Jr. Jigsaw Puzzle" that's "not too hard--not too easy". And, it's "for boys and girls who want REAL puzzles" (and for fans who want a REAL picture of Bart on the box). ;->

Speaking of pictures, here's a close-up of our boys:

I believe this now completes the jigsaw puzzle portion of my Kellection. :) As I paid for my purchases, we got to talking about the Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry festivals, both of which I attended this year. In fact, he gave me some "inside" info about the 2011 Hoppy fest. I don't know if I should mention the name (I don't know if it's been announced officially), but one of the guests scheduled to appear next year is an actor who co-starred in popular TV westerns which begin with the letter "L". :->

Jack Kelly - "Choose Accessories Carefully" :)

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

And "Welcome" to our newest follower. It's alway great to meet another Jack Kelly fan! :->

Now, here are the rest of the Kellys' home decorating hints from Photoplay:

"'Carpet,' the Kellys suggest, 'as many rooms as you can afford to, in the same carpeting.'

"'Pull furniture away from walls,' say the Kellys, 'and arrange it for easy conversation.' Jack and May wisely placed their living-room pieces around their fireplace, just as we have done in our composite sketch [below]. If you haven't a fireplace as a focal point, try grouping furniture around a window with a view, a painting or picture grouping, or a handsome music piece--piano, TV, phono.

"'Choose accessories carefully,' the Kellys urge, 'because they can make all the difference between a distinguished and run-of-the mill decorating job.' For their early-American home, they scoured antiques shops for a pair of wonderful old Spanish andirons, a fine old Boston rocker, and their prized find--two beautiful old still-life paintings.

"The Kellys believe that 'if you choose these small things because you love them and can see their value, others seem to, too, and treat them as you do--with T.L.C. (tender loving care).'"

Very interesting, and very inspiring! I think it's time to lose the milk crates and futons and redecorate Casa Bartista the Kelly way. ;->

Jack Kelly - "Be Brave With Color" :)

Hello Again!

Continuing with my adventures in antiquing:

I stopped at another antiques store before driving home, and, wouldn't you know, it was right before closing time. So, I scrutinized each aisle as quickly as I could. Nothing of interest seemed to appear.

However, bloodhound Bartista finally found a booth with some vintage Photoplays tucked away. I snatched up the ones that looked the most promising and made the trek home.

Later, I thumbed through my purchases. Hmmm...no JK in this Photoplay. How about this one? Nope again.

It looked like a strikeout, until I picked up a 1959 issue. Let's see, what's in this one?

"Has Debbie Reynolds Gotten Over Eddie?" (Apparently.)

"Will Connie Francis Get Bobby Darin Back Again?" (Nope.)

"Edd Byrnes Quazy Love Quiz: Are You Kookie, Too?" (Probably.)

I was just about to toss this one aside, too, when I saw this:

Hey! A picture of JK and May Wynn! They weren't listed in the table of contents.

So, I flipped back a few pages to the beginning of the article:

"Add a Touch of Hollywood to Your Home - 13 Decorating Ideas."

JK and May were part of "Photoplay's first decorating panel", comprised of "young Hollywood couples whose ideas are realistic enough to work within your budget, too." The panel gave their decorating advice on two rooms, the living room and the bedroom.

Here are the Kellys' recommendations:

"'Be Brave With Color,' advise the Jack Kellys, who acted on their own advice--using Jack's favorite and remembered-from-childhood color, watermelon pink, generously in their home.

"'Coordinate Color,' add the Kellys. "Let the color flow from one room to another, so that your home looks all of a piece instead of cut up.' Jack and May used some of their favorite pink in living room, dining room, and kitchen--and coordinated fabric colors throughout their home."

Next time: The Kellys' thoughts on carpet, furniture and accessories!

Jack Kelly - Best of the West! :)

Howdy!

Spring has finally sprung, and it was such a lovely day today, I thought I'd go antiquing.

There was an antiques show about 40 miles away. I made the pleasant drive in no time, but was disappointed by what I found when I arrived.

This recurring show is typically packed with sellers all around the grounds. Today, however, the selling area was smaller (maybe because another event was being held on the grounds) and there were far fewer sellers than usual.

I did manage to find a booth that looked interesting. The guy had a ton of old paper stuff, including comic books. I asked him if he had any Maverick comic books. No, he didn't, but my inquiry sparked a lively discussion of Warner Brothers TV westerns between the vendor, myself, and a chatty bystander.

Fellow Kelly fans, I'm afraid we may have an uphill battle in our efforts to obtain more parity as a Maverick for JK.

When I confessed I preferred JK and Bart, the seller winced and shook his head dismissively.

"Nope, James Garner is Maverick. That's all there is to it."

The chatty bystander wasn't much help.

"Is Kelly still around? Boy, he sure got heavy after Maverick."

Well, you're not exactly Mr. Svelte yourself, buddy!, I thought as I walked away. >:(

But, not to worry. After I left the antiques show, I visited a nearby antiques mall where I found a 1958 TV Guide with a very interesting story about the beginnings of the movie western. It also touches on the TV westerns of the day.

The story opens with a two-page color photo of some top sagebrush celebrities. And, guess who is featured on the first page of the photo:

Yep, that's Jack Kelly--not James Garner--who is standing next to John Wayne while surrounded by other Western royalty such as Gary Cooper, Gene Autry and James Arness.

It's the best of the west, and JK is literally right in the middle of it! :)

And, that wasn't the only Kellectible I stumbled upon. Next time, I'll share some helpful home decorating tips from Jack and Donna Kelly (which, strangely, don't mention clown pictures). ;->

The Kelly Pages: Additions to the Kellection!--Pt II :)

Greetings! :)

And off to the antiques show we go...

This particular show is held about four times a year and is especially well-attended during the holidays. I think that's because a lot of people are visiting from out of town and are looking for unique gifts.

Many dealers had vintage Christmas decorations for sale. One even had a silver tree with a rotating spotlight that projected colors onto it! (That brings back memories.)

My quest for JK memorabilia led me to a booth where a man was selling TV western DVDs. I asked if he had anything relating to Maverick. He said he wished he did, because he loved it. He'd taped the entire series from the Westerns Channel. I ended up buying two non-Maverick DVDs from him.

Back to the Kelly quest (Kwest?). I found a Saturday Evening Post containing an advertisement for Acme Golden Angus Boots (The most beautiful western boots ever created!). There's a very small pic of JK and James Garner and other Warner Brothers westerns stars at the bottom of the ad, because "Acme Boots are worn by stars and featured players of Warner Bros. western television and motion picture productions." Wow, the mens' boots could be had for only $16.95 a pair, and kids' boots ranged from $5.95 - $10.95. I guess grown-up cowgirls were out of luck, however. There are no boots shown in womens' sizes.

After more meandering up and down the aisles, I finally reached Valhalla. Or, at least its equivalent for the JK fan at an antiques show:

A booth with nothing...but...boxes...and...boxes...of...MOVIE MAGAZINES.

"Can I help you find something, hon?" the lady running the booth asked.

"Um...I like Maverick."

The lady's husband piped up: "Look under 'G' for 'Garner.'"

(See, these sellers categorized their magazines not by title, or year, or anything like that. They grouped them by what stars were inside. But, they didn't label each issue, so a magazine listed under "G" might have James Garner, or Greta Garbo. The mags were in snug plastic bags, too, so I couldn't skim the table of contents.)

Then, I threw the husband a curveball.

"Actually, I'm looking for Bart Maverick, you know, Jack Kelly?"

"Oooh, that's a toughie. I don't think we have anything with him. Gosh, we had a magazine with him, I think it had just him on the cover, too. But, look under 'K'. And, look under 'G' anyway, too, because he might be in there with James Garner."

O-kay.

I started thumbing through the "K"'s, but the filing system drove me Koo-Koo. I knew JK wasn't in a 1930 issue of Photoplay or a 1981 issue of Tiger Beat. I ditched the alphabetical method and let my instincts do the driving. I began looking for annuals and yearbooks from the Maverick era.

Passers-by probably wondered about the lady going though the magazines a mile a minute and pulling out titles like TV's Top Stars and Silver Screen Annual. But, I found six magazines with JK in them. :)

The sellers may have had an unorthodox filing method. However, they were very nice and even gave me a discount since I bought a bunch of magazines.

Now, here are some of the highlights from those JK magazines, starting with a small pic and blurb from Movieland and TV Time 1960 Annual (published in 1959):



Again, if the blurb doesn't read clearly, it says:

"Jack Kelly's real life started when he eloped with brunette actress May Wynn and married her, three years ago. That's what he says as he gazes romantically at May and thanks his lucky stars for the good fortune that has come his way.

His career boomed when he was cast in the already-going series Maverick. Catching up with James Garner's build-up was not easy, but Jack is doing fine.

He's a veteran actor who has played many types of roles and he's perfect as the casual, romantic, amusing Bart Maverick.

'Bart is Jack, playing himself', says May admiringly.

Among Jack's many hobbies are reading history, making model ships and cooking. When he gets outdoors, he is often found on the water sailing, or down below with his skin diving equipment. He also likes golf, riding and flying, too. Quite a busy man, this 'Maverick'!"

Wow, so many nuggets of JK knowledge gleaned from that little blurb! :)

Stay tuned for a glimpse of JK's unusual (and cozy) way of studying a script. ;->

The Kelly Pages: Additions to the Kellection! :)

Hello!

Home at last.

I had a wonderful time visiting with my relatives for Thanksgiving. I also got to visit an antiques mall and the antiques show. And--ta da!--I did find some Jack Kelly-related goodies for the Kellection. :)

First, on Friday, I stopped at an antiques mall that is a genuine antique. Located in a rustic converted warehouse, it's complete with creaking wood floors and the aroma of old books. It's the kind of place where people browse the shelves with their dogs in tow and no one raises an eyebrow. And, where the proprietor "rings" up orders on a battered adding machine.

I scoured the building (no, not with Ajax ;->), and, alas, was about to leave empty-handed. Then, I turned a corner and spied a rack full of magazines. Some of them were movie magazines from the early 1960's. I grabbed all that I could find.

I'm glad I did, because one of them was the TV Star Annual for 1960, and it turned out to have this inside:

If the blurb isn't clear, here's what it says:

"ABC's Bart Maverick, now 33, 6'1", 180 pounds, was a child stage actor, hit films in '50. He'd planned to be slow to marry and stalled when pal tried to throw him at May Wynn. She, disliking actors, stalled too. But four years ago they dated--wed in six weeks! Both rein in Irish tempers, love cooking. They have song-dance act to tour rodeos; will co-star and produce Trouble with Paradise."

Of course, JK really hit films back in the 1930's as a kid actor, and then hit them again as an adult. Also, I don't think Trouble with Paradise came to fruition. I'm not sure about the song-dance act. Maybe they performed it at the rodeo where Jack was grand-marshal? So many questions from one little paragraph!

Next time, I'll regale you with the tale of my adventure at the antiques show and the JK items I found there. :)