JK Goes "Commandos"! :)

(I've been waiting a long time to use that line!) ;>

A set of original British lobby cards and a British pressbook for Jack Kelly's World War II drama Commandos (a.k.a. Sullivan's Marauders) just landed in the Kellection, so let's take a look at this 1968 Italian-German co-production.  

According to the book Cinema Italiano: The Complete Guide From Classics to Cult  (2011) by Howard Hughes, Commandos was filmed on location on Sardinia, a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea, during July and August 1968. Interior scenes were filmed at Incir-De Paolis Studios. 

Here is the cast and credits list (from the British pressbook):

 

Set in 1942, Commandos stars Lee Van Cleef as testy, battle-hardened "Master Sargeant Sullivan" and JK as career soldier "Captain Valli". Although Valli is higher-ranked than Sullivan, he has no combat experience.

Sullivan resents Valli's presence at the "secret Mediterranean base" where both men are tasked with training a group of Italian-American commandos whose mission is to seize an oasis in North Africa which contains the only well for miles around, disguise themselves as the Italian soldiers holding the oasis, and secure the site for two days until the Allied landings occur.

The first part of the mission goes as planned and most of the Italians guarding the oasis are killed. Despite Sullivan's protests, Valli orders that the handful of Italians who survived the siege be imprisoned instead of being put to death.

The Captain's decision to spare the Italians comes back to bite him when the POWs escape in a truck. The truck explodes after hitting a mine, but one of the Italian escapees survives and blabs to a German patrol about the American commandos' switcheroo at the oasis.

Then, the Americans receive orders to abandon the oasis, since their mission is no longer considered necessary. However, before they can leave, the oasis is attacked by a heavily armed German outfit equipped with tanks. The ferocious battle which follows leaves only one American and one German soldier alive. (Neither Sullivan nor Valli survive.)

Although Commandos was released in Italy in 1968, it took its sweet time getting to the rest of the world. The British pressbook dates to 1972, the same year the film was exhibited in Canada.

A reviewer in the Ottawa Journal was dismissive: "...Commandos stars Lee Van Cleef and is possibly the worst war film ever made in Italy. The commandos are Americans who land in Italy, sloppily massacre an entire section of the Italian army and pose as the murdered men in order to capture a water hole in North Africa. The soldiers do a great deal of grunting and hard breathing. This is obviously director Armando Crispino's idea of neo-realism. Dreadful."

The film arrived in the US later in 1972, playing towns such as Hallettsville, Texas, and Burlington, North Carolina. It was usually paired on a double-bill with another "macaroni combat" film titled Salt in the Wound (a.k.a. Il dito nella piaga and War Fever).

Today, Commandos is sort of a cult classic, earning favorable fan reviews such as this one and this one (which has a display of color fotobustas for the film).

Of course, Commandos is worth watching because of JK. He looks great and does very well with the role of Captain Valli. But, don't take my word for it--here's a preview, and the entire flick can be purchased for peanuts online.

Incidentally, you may have noticed the "X" on the lobby cards. It signifies that Commandos was rated "Certificate X" by the British censors, meaning one had to be over 16 to see the movie in English cinemas. 

Well, Jack Kelly fans of all ages are welcome at TDS. What's coming up next? Please stay tuned! :)

Honk Honk Affair :)

Hello All!

Now, here's something you don't see every day:

Not only is this a still from Jack Kelly's 1958 starrer Hong Kong Affair, which is rather rare in itself, but it's a still showing the movie being filmed on location!

I love the car (honk honk!) in the foreground. I think it's a 1953-'55 Triumph TR-2. 

I've shared other publicity material in the Kellection from Honk Honk--I mean Hong Kong--Affair in previous TDS posts. There's much more to see, however, so let's take a tour, shall we?

Here's a color lobby card view of the fight scene being filmed above (note the car behind JK). JK's opponent is giving him a right hook (I hope he used Right Guard, too!)  

I've never seen Hong Kong Affair--has anybody?--but JK apparently does lots of fighting in the flick, judging from the stills and lobby cards (that's his real-life wife May Wynn/Donna Kelly as a character named "Chu Lan"):

Here he is getting roughed up on the cover of one of the two German programmes I have:

Fortunately, it looks like he breaks free:

 

Now, if he can only remember where he parked the car...

In Hong Kong Affair, JK plays "Steve Whelan", the part-owner of a mysteriously failing tea plantation. Steve suspects something is amiss with the oolong. Chu Lan looks on as he inspects the product:

 

(I'm curious about the hues on the lobby cards. Were color images used, or were the black-and-white images tinted/colorized?)

 

JK does some other stuff which I haven't quite figured out yet, like:

Another head scratcher: what is he showing to her here?
 

 

It doesn't make any more sense in color. (A blue lobster? A paper mache octopus?) Whatever it is, she doesn't look too impressed.

 

She seems more interested in JK (and who wouldn't be):

 

 

 



  And, that concludes our tour of Hong Kong Affair for now. :)

The Kelly Kollection - From the Telly to the Cinema

Although my interest in Jack Kelly dates back only a few months, one corner of my desk is already precariously piled with JK kollectibles. (Don't panic - I'm going to find a proper place for them.)

One of the items I've found is a set of British lobby cards advertising a film called Ellie. Now, if you glance at any of Jack Kelly's filmographies, you probably won't find a movie by that title. I didn't. But, the info on the lobby cards made me wonder if this was originally a TV production. Sure enough, Ellie is actually an episode of JK's short lived Kings Row series that was released as a feature film in English cinemas. I did some sleuthing, and the plot involved a fearful older lady who keeps her daughter near by pretending to be ill and broke.

It's doubtful that Ellie will be appearing on a TV screen or theatre near you any time soon, but here's a look at how Jack Kelly appeared in the episode as psychiatrist "Parris Mitchell":

I'm wondering about this picture -- is she trying to figure out if he likes butter?


This one is my favorite.

I think JK looks very Humphrey Bogart-ish here.

Smilin' Jack!