Happy Valentine's Day 2021 From "TDS"! :)

Maverick still of Jack Kelly and Patricia Crowley

 in "A Tale of Three Cities" 

autographed by 

Ms. Crowley

(colorization and caption added by La Bartista)

Jack Kelly's Other Job - Pt III :)

Howdy!

How is the incredible first-day cover below connected to Jack Kelly's political career in Huntington Beach? Let's find out:

PNC created by Eunice Alter/JONAL ArtCovers 

and autographed by Jack Kelly

 

I recently purchased this Kellectible and noticed the seller lived in HB. Naturally, I had to ask if they had more information about this item.

They sure did, because the cachet was hand-painted by Eunice Alter--the seller's mother.

Now, I wasn't too familiar with philately (the study of stamps) and its associated terminology. So, I did some research and found a Facebook page for Ms. Alter's work. From this page, I learned that (1) this first-day cover is more accurately described as a "Philatelic-Numismatic Cover" (PNC), because it contains a coin as well as a stamp, and (2) Eunice Alter has a unique place in the world of PNCs. Her FB page explains:

"Philatelic (stamp) Numismatic (coin) Covers are envelopes with cancelled stamps on them, a coin mounted inside and showing through a dye cut-out, and often times a silk screened or printed picture. First Day of Issue Covers have their stamp cancelled on the first day the Post Office makes the stamp available for sale to the public...PNCs are often designed to commemorate a historical, political, or social event - just as the stamps you buy at the Post Office which commemorate a President, end of a war, Nobel Prize winner, holiday, etc.

"Eunice Alter, founder of JONAL ArtCovers, has created a unique niche for herself in the world of Philatelists and Numismatists. Her First Day of Issue Covers and PNCs are each researched and designed so that the coin, stamp and illustration are all inter-related and celebrate an important event or famous person. Each JONAL ArtCover is HAND PAINTED and signed by the artist. You can see why JONAL ArtCovers are so popular among serious coin and stamp and art collectors! Also, some of JONAL's PNCs are autographed by great political, entertainment and sports heroes making them an incredibly unique and valuable collector's item!"
 
Eunice's daughter, Amie, graciously shared the story behind JK's PNC with me. It's coming up in the next TDS--please stay tuned! :)

Sure As Shootin'....

...today (4/7/2018) is the 90th anniversary of the birth of James Garner. To celebrate, here's a wonderful still of JG and Jack Kelly clowning as "Bret" and "Bart". And, look closely: this still is  autographed by Mr. G.

Flash-forward to 1982. JK and JG are shootin' the breeze on the set of Bret Maverick:


"HOLLYWOOD: Bret and Bart Maverick (James Garner - R- and Jack Kelly) reminisce about the original Maverick on the set of NBC-TV's new Bret Maverick currently being filmed at Warner Bros on the Burbank lot. Kelly is doing a cameo guest-star reprise of his Bart Maverick role in 'The Hidalgo Thing' segment scheduled for May 4. Garner and Kelly starred in the original Maverick which aired from 1957 to 1962. (UPI)."
 

Please stay tuned for more fun with JK (and maybe even JG) in TDS. :)

Violet Friday :)

Hello!

Some time ago, I bought an old photo album page containing a Jack Kelly pic and an autograph...with a bit of a mystery thrown in.

The pic isn't a mystery; it was clipped from an early 1950's movie magazine to accompany the autograph. The signature--well, it's definitely JK's. But, the inscription above the signature is a puzzler:

It reads, "First trip to San Francisco--Thank you Violet".

Naturally, I asked the dealer from whom I bought the page if they could shed any light on who "Violet" was or when JK gave this autograph to her.

Unfortunately, all the dealer could tell me was that he'd purchased a large collection of vintage celebrity autographs which were mostly inscribed to a woman named Violet. He knew nothing about her or how/when she obtained the autographs.

I'd love to find out more about this intriguing glimpse into JK's past. Who the heck was Violet? Was it JK's first trip to SF--or hers? Was he thanking her or was she thanking him? Such kwestions can drive a Kellector kwazy. If anyone out there knows anything about the mysterious autograph hound with a flowery name, please let me know! :)

Vintage violet image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Roy, Dale...And Jack! :)

Hi All!

As a rule, I generally don't post photos in TDS which aren't physically part of the Kellection.

However, I'm making an exception for the picture of Jack Kelly below because of its special and documented place in screen western history.

Its provenance: It was among a group of celebrity photos which sold for nearly $1500 at a live auction in 2015. Before that, the photos were part of the now-defunct Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum located in Victorville, CA, and later Branson, MO. The photos had been auctioned previously by Christie's in 2010.

As if the matted portrait isn't wonderful enough, it was autographed by JK himself! The Kelly humor is evident in the inscription which reads, "For Dale & Roy - You have no right to celebrate a fiftieth anniversary '45' years too early!! - Jack Kelly". (Roy and Dale were married in 1947, but the photo was apparently dated 10/16/81.)

Enjoy! :)

 

Hotter Than July! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Like most everyone else in the US, we've been hit pretty hard lately by the heat. In fact, the Bartistamobile is equipped with a handy-dandy thermometer that measures the outdoor temperature. Here's what it read the other evening (the temp is in the upper right corner):

That's hot, but here's something that's even hotter:

An autographed photo of JK as Bart Maverick that just joined the Kellection! I've seen this particular image many times, but I think this is the first time I've seen it printed in color.

The inscription reads: "To John - Best for your happiness!! Jack Kelly"

Now, I don't know about "John", but I know I'm pretty happy, just looking at this pic! ;-)