Jack Kelly - A "Plum" of a Post! :)

Hello All!

After a very hot summer, the weather finally seems to be cooling down a bit. And, it was so nice to have a holiday weekend. Last Sunday was a beautiful day, and I drove out into the country to visit The Olde Mill ice cream attraction. What a treat! :)

And, speaking of treats: I have a special one for you. It's the guest post from "Prof. Plum", the winner of my recent photo contest. And, it looks like she's got quite a cool "Kellection" of her own. Without further ado, here's the "Prof" to tell you about two of her treasures:

"Hi Everyone!

Thanks for your patience and a BIG thanks to La Bartista for not only holding such a challenging but fun contest but for offering such a great prize. [B27 - You're very welcome! :)]

A while back I came into possession of a deck of playing cards featuring the Maverick boys on the back of the cards.

I wasn’t able to find out any information about the release of these cards but I did come across a blog post that said that Warner Bros, as a promotional gimmick for the Maverick movie, sent out boxes of Maverick playing cards. Surprisingly, it was James Garner who was chosen as the King, not Mel Gibson.

If you don’t know how to play poker, Poker According to Maverick should do the trick.

Although it doesn’t officially appear anywhere in the book, the author is none other than Bret himself. The secret to poker according to Pappy is to 'wait, wait, and wait some more until a fightin’ hand shows up. Then if it’s a big one, underplay it; it it’s second-rate, overplay it. That’s all there is to it, exceptin’ one thing: Every once in a while mix it up, to keep wise guys like me from catchin’on.' Bret went on to say 'Bart and me took Pappy’s advice to heart.' Bret explains how to play draw and five-card stud and poker etiquette, and every once in awhile a familiar name like Samantha pops up in one of the many stories sprinkled throughout the book.

One last bit of Maverick poker trivia … the playing card combo, 'QJ' has the nickname Maverick. It comes from the theme song … 'Livin’ on jacks and queens. Maverick is a legend of the west.'

Long Live the Legend!

(P.S. Professor Plum is the non de plume of Sue Ketcham.)"

Thanks so much for your informative guest post, Prof./Sue! Those cards sure are interesting. I like the "bullet" hole in them and the caption, "The last fellow who used this deck dealt off the bottom!"

I have two copies of the Maverick poker book. I think the only time Bart is mentioned is in the line Sue quoted above. I guess Bret forgot that Bart played poker, too! I think it would have been a better book if Bret and Bart could have written alternating chapters. But, it's still an entertaining read. (And, it does have that sweet color pic of the Mavericks on the front, including Bart and his, uh, wedding ring! ;->)

Wow, I had no clue about the QJ! :) I guess we learn something new every day.

Well, thanks again, Sue. I'll try to come up with more contests in the future.

COMING SOON: A "Date" with the Maverick Brothers! :->

Jack Kelly - We Have A Winner! :)

Hello All!

And "thanks" to everyone who entered the guest blogger contest.

We have a winner:

Reader "Prof. Plum" has correctly identified Jack Kelly's mystery date as Cora Sue Collins.

JK and Ms. Collins, a former child actress, were an "item" at one time. Newspaper gossip columnists had them this close to announcing an engagement or an elopement. However, as we know, JK moved on to May Wynn, and the rest is history.

While still together, a beaming JK and CSC walked the red carpet at the premiere of JK's 1955 film To Hell and Back, where they were captured in our captivating contest photo.

And, JK's bandage? According to the caption on the back of the photo, it was there because JK burned his hand in a barbeque accident! (Poor baby!)

So, well done and congratulations, Prof. Plum. We're looking forward to reading your guest post. :->

Jack Kelly - Be My Guest...Blogger! :)

Howdy Everyone!

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at blogging? Would you like to review your favorite Jack Kelly movie or TV performance, or do you have an item of JK memorabilia you'd like to discuss here on The Tall Dark Stranger There?

Well, here's your chance to be a guest blogger! All you have to do is identify JK's mystery companion in the photo below:

A couple of hints: Obviously, the lucky lady is not May Wynn, although she is an actress. The toothsome twosome was snapped at a glamourous Hollywood event. (And, poor JK has a bandage on his hand!)

Please post your answer in the "comments" section. (And, to be fair, please don't post the correct answer on Facebook until after I've announced the winner here--thanks!)

The first person to correctly identify JK's mystery date will be my guest blogger. I'll contact you to confirm you're the winner. Then you can send me your Jack Kelly-related write-up--including photo(s), if you wish--and I'll post it here instead of my usual nattering. ;->

So, take a good look--and good luck! :)