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

Hi!

As promised, here's a look at what was cookin' with Jack Kelly in 1961. But first, an aside.

JK's fans have the gift of 20/20 hindsight. We know his marriage to May (Donna) Wynn ended in 1964, so the rosy reports of "togetherness" and portraits of an inseparable pair in these fan magazine articles from the "Kellection" don't always ring true.

Actually, though, if you look at other "star" couples spotlighted in these magazines, many of them didn't stay wed forever, either. In the 1960 Silver Screen Annual article, JK and MW are pictured as devoted "Young Marrieds" along with eight other couples. Of the nine couples, only two remain married to this day: the Pat Boones and the James Garners! Like the Kellys, most of the other young marrieds split within a few years after the article was published.

It's not easy being married in Hollywood. Or, in Hoboken, or in Hartford, or in Honolulu, for that matter. I think the Kellys at least tried. JK told TV Guide in 1958, "The only way to keep a Hollywood marriage going is not to go anywhere without each other." Another article I have says JK had a clause in his Warner Brothers contract which stipulated that May be allowed to accompany him on personal appearance tours. I don't think JK would have insisted on such a clause if he didn't care about her.

But, sadly, couples sometimes change as the years pass. Ardor cools, tempers flare--and some marriages fail.

Obviously, Jack Kelly and May Wynn weren't always the astonishingly happy twosome portrayed in the movie magazines. However, I'll continue to post these vintage fan magazine articles because they contain many other intriguing "nuggets" about JK. And wonderful pix like this one:


Thank you for your understanding, dear readers. :)

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming:

"COOKING UP A STORM - (From TV's Top Stars - 1961 Edition)

When the wind is right, the neighbors of Jack and Donna Kelly are among the most frustrated people in the world. The Kellys like to cook, know how, and the smells that are wafted about in the air are enough to bring tears to the eyes of food-lovers. To some of them, as well as to relatives and friends, the Kellys cooking is irresistible, and when Jack and Donna cook up one of their Italian dinners (which take three days to prepare) there are usually 18 or 20 hungry people waiting for the bell.

Jack is, of course, one of the stars of Maverick, seen on ABC-TV Sunday evenings at 7:30 pm ET, but there are circles, it's rumored, where he is best known, not as an actor, but as a chef extraordinaire. Jack doesn't mind. He's making enough money so that even a 30-pound roast of beef doesn't dent the budget too badly, and it's good advertising for the cookbook he and Donna are whipping up, titled Love 'N' the Oven.

According to the Kellys, who were married on November 10, 1956, and have been living oh-so-happily ever after, cooking was a big part of their courtship. Neither of them cared much for eating in restaurants, so when Jack would call Donna for a date, she'd usually suggest he bring along a steak for a barbecue. But as Jack tells it, she'd call back later to tell him to make it a steak for eight. 'It got so expensive I finally had to marry her.'"

TO BE CONTINUED.... :)

The Kelly Pages: "I Almost Didn't Get My Man"

Howdy!

Here's one of my favorite magazine covers from the "Kellection". It's from a 1959 issue of TV Picture Life. I just love JK's smile in this pic.

The corresponding cover story inside is one of my favorites, too. In it, May Wynn confesses that she almost scared Jack Kelly away by saying those three little words: "I love you." But, he surprised her by writing a heartfelt 28-page letter "describing what he felt about love and marriage, the obligations of a husband and wife, and what he could promise me." They eloped shortly afterward.

Ms. Wynn goes on to describe Jack Kelly as an excellent swimmer who also enjoyed horseback riding, sailing and, of course, golfing. She adds that JK "is crazy about people--wants to talk to them, hear their problems, share all he can." :)

The Kelly Pages: In This Corner - JK?

I've read that Jack Kelly and James Garner had a good working relationship while filming Maverick.

But, what's this?

"HOLLYWOOD'S STRANGEST FEUD", the 1959 fan magazine headline blares.

Jack Kelly is shown staring knives at James Garner--who doesn't look too thrilled with JK, either.

Wait a minute: The pix are actually stills from Maverick. And, the article accompanying the headline is pretty strange itself.

The author goes to great lengths to explain that while some Hollywood actors feud, Kelly and Garner are not feuding, no sirree! Why, they're like the brothers they play on TV.

Then, he tells us that Garner supposedly dissed Kelly at a party, and Kelly reportedly fumed that Jimbo was garnering most of the Maverick press buzz.

But, they're not feuding, no way!

The pair has little in common, the author says. For example, country boy Garner craves home cookin'; city kid Kelly fancies fine cuisine.

So, they couldn't possibly see eye-to-eye on anything else, right? They're not feuding, though!

The author ping-pongs back and forth like this for two tedious pages. The only thing really newsworthy he reveals is that the highest-rated Maverick episode up to that time starred Jack Kelly ("Betrayal", 3/25/59).

Finally, the author confirms what we already suspected--he's pretty much clueless about the whole thing. He concludes, 'If there IS a feud, it's a strange one. If there ISN'T a feud--it's even stranger.'

What's strange is how these fan magazines stayed in business for so long with writing like that!

NEXT: Did Wally and the Beaver really get along? ;->