Jack Kelly on TV - Come Fly With Me!

This rare clip from The Chrysler Theatre was posted on YouTube because of lovely Lee Meriwether's appearance--however, the real star here is high-flyin' Jack Kelly (and his pilot is pretty well known, too). The episode is titled "Double Jeopardy", with JK playing private eye Fred Piper. Incidentally, the year is actually 1965:

 

The Kelly Pages: How Bret Maverick Got A Brother!

I found a very nice article about JK in Google's newspaper archives. It was authored by Janet Kern and was originally published on March 17, 1958--so it's another oldie but goodie.

The story is far too long to post in its entirety, but here are some of the highlights:

"Just 18 weeks ago, a 30 year-old star was born--a miracle which can happen only on TV and which has happened only on ABC-TV, under the guiding hand of Warner Brothers.

"What happened was: On November 10, 1957, Warner Brothers' new ABC western, a Sunday night sensation called Maverick, unveiled a second star. Where, previously, 'Bret Maverick', as played by James Garner, had been the week-in, week-out star of the series, on November 10 along came 'Bart Maverick'--played by Jack Kelly.

"Viewer reaction was instantaneous--Bart was no Bret; Kelly was no Garner; the 'new' was not the 'familiar'. Now, just 18 short weeks later (one-day weeks, according to TV's manner of doing things like Maverick), fans are agog with questions about 'that handsome Bart Maverick'."

The article goes on to give a lot of background on Jack Kelly's life and career up to that time and explains how he came to be on Maverick. And, it concludes by answering some of those questions about Bart Maverick (which some JK fans are still asking today!):

"So, Bart Maverick was born 18 Sundays ago, in the person of Jack Kelly, who'll be 31 on September 16. And now, ga-ga girls all over the US are writing to me and asking 'How tall is Bart Maverick?' (He's 6'1", girls); 'What color is Jack Kelly's hair?' (It's brown--and so are his eyes); 'How old is Bart Maverick?' (I've just told you); and--sigh--'Is Jack Kelly married?' (Yes, he married actress May Wynn on November 10 [1956]--the day viewers first met Bret Maverick's brother.)

"Final bit of helpful information: May calls Jack 'Kelly' because he doesn't look like a 'Jack' to her. Which is May Wynn Kelly's business...I know only that looking like James Garner was worth a lot of jack to Kelly."

The Kelly Pages: A Recipe for Romance

Here's a tasty tidbit from Orange Coast magazine (3/86). Various Orange County notables including Jack Kelly (then a Huntington Beach city councilman) were asked to describe their ideal romantic dinner. JK's answer is delectably different:

"Kelly's dinner fantasy commences in 'any apartment, home or condo in which I reside.' His idea of romantic atmosphere is somewhere '...between kitchen and den, some candlelight, soft string jazz, the fireplace ablaze....'.

"A California Korbel Brut, Chandon, or 'the good Dom's concoction, Perignon,' should be served with an hors d'oeuvre of 'cavier, finely minced hard egg, onions and sour cream, individually heaped on crust-trimmed diagonals of dry toast, with fresh lemon wedges.'

"The first course is to be 'a tad of fettucine Alfredo followed, in time, by a demi-salad of crabmeat with avocado strips, gently tossed in gourmet-seasoned rice vinegar and champagne.'

"The humble connoisseur deems a main course unsuitable--he states that, '...An entree in this ambiance I would consider somewhat less than tres chic. Yogurt, selections of fresh fruit, cheese and dampened Armenian cracker bread are the eclectic dessert selection. Black coffee, laced with a twist of lemon peel, and various liquer options are for lingering over,' Kelly explains, '...by firelight only--to encumber her vision.' Viewing old Maverick tapes is the evening's finale, he decides, shown to 'remind my wife how 'macho' I was.'"

Jack Kelly on Ebay

Jack Kelly has quite a presence on eBay. There are usually dozens of JK photos, magazines, autographs and DVDs up for bid each day.

This has to be the most unusual Kelly-related item I've seen on eBay yet. It's good to see that someone has finally corrected Hartland's omission--I guess I'll have to save up my pennies for this one. ;->

UPDATE (7/16/09) - This item sold with "Buy it Now/Best Offer" for $125. Oh well, maybe they'll make another one someday. ;->

The Kelly Pages

(Another recurring feature that looks back at Jack Kelly in magazine and newspaper articles.)

Here's an article that I found in a "TV Magazine" from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. It's dated December 22, 1957, so it's a very early story about JK in Maverick. He had debuted as Bart only about a month before. The Encore Westerns Channel is re-running the first "Bart" episodes now, and I thought it was interesting to see how the public reacted to the new Maverick on the block back in '57. The good-natured kidding between JK and James Garner is also interesting:

"Mavericks Steal Thunder
From Sullivan and Allen
by Vernon Scott (UP)

Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen have called off their rating feud to battle a common enemy, a pair of Mavericks named Bret and Bart.

A big surprise of the 1957-'58 TV season is the way Maverick has stolen the thunder and audience from the two big variety wheels.

On the air only 13 weeks, the hour-long horse opera passed Allen in the Trendex rating the second week out of the barn. It took six weeks to catch Sullivan.

The success of the new entry is credited to its rough-and-tumble stars, James Garner (Bret) and Jack Kelly (Bart).

...Both are delighted that their show is whipping the opposition, but they refuse to needle either Allen or Sullivan.

During lunch the big guys spent their time ribbing one another about Kelly joining the show six weeks after it went on the air.

'Turning out an hour show on film was too much for one actor,' Garner explained. 'I was working 14 hours a a day, and we were falling behind schedule. So we decided to write a brother into the script.'

'That's his story,' Kelly put in brashly. 'The ratings were lousy and they needed some real talent to pull it out of the hole.'

'He's crazy,' Garner fired back. 'We needed comedy relief, and believe me, Jack's funny in this role, even though the script doesn't call for laughs.'

Warner Brothers studio, which films the ABC-TV show, says Kelly is 30, Garner 29. Both stand over 6-feet tall. Garner might get the best of it in a free-for-all. He outweighs his TV brother by 20 pounds.

If Warners decides to write more brothers into the script, they might consider Sullivan and Allen. They still have fairly large followings."

The Maverick Report

("The Maverick Report" will be a recurring feature where I review my favorite Maverick episodes starring Jack Kelly.)

"All This--And Puppies, Too?"

My current favorite JK episode is "The Witch of Hound Dog". It originally aired on November 6, 1960. I'm guessing it was intended as a Halloween episode, though, because there's some mighty spooky stuff going down here.

First, there's an alluring young mountain lass named Nancy who may or may not be a witch. She can apparently brew up thunderstorms at will and claims she put a "courtin' spell" on Bart so he'll fall in love with her. Then, there's Nancy's Pappy, who may or may not be a raven. And, finally, there are Nancy's two no-account brothers, who may or may not be "all there" and who enjoy using poor Bart as a punching bag.

The plot also involves a prized Bassett hound. And, let's not forget about the gambling debt Bart aims to collect, which is why he traveled to Hound Dog, Tennessee, in the first place. His winnings are in a safe stolen by Nancy's brothers, but they don't know his money is in the safe, so Bart has to play poker with them to get access to the safe...or something like that.

Bart eventually comes to his senses and sees Nancy "nevermore". He returns to his life as a gambler. But, he's reminded of his mountain interlude when he hears thunder--and spies a familiar bird in the saloon!

"The Witch of Hound Dog" is surprisingly racy for 1960--and for Maverick, for that matter. Bart is literally under Nancy's spell and comes this close to surrendering to her charms. There's lots of huggin' and kissin' and flirtin' between Bart and Nancy, and you have to hear the "poem" he recites to her. Don't worry, though: the whole thing is like "Maverick Meets Bewitched Meets Lil' Abner" and is wildly whimsical.

Jack Kelly is extra charming as Bart Maverick in this episode. He's courtly, yet witty and amorous, too. And, even when he's not under her "spell", Bart treats Nancy with respect, which is something the townsfolk--and her brothers--refuse to do.

The title character of "The Witch of Hound Dog" is smolderingly portrayed by Anita Sands, a talented young actress whom, frankly, I'd never heard of before seeing her here. She guest starred in another Maverick episode ("Family Pride" with Roger Moore) and in a handful of other television series during the same era.

Another interesting guest star in this episode is Wayde Preston, who'd starred in Warner Brothers' Colt .45 series.

So, is Nancy really a witch? Who knows. But, one thing is for sure--I wouldn't need a "courtin' spell" to fall for Bart Maverick. ;->

Welcome

Welcome to The Tall Dark Stranger There..., a fan's simple yet sincere appreciation of Jack Kelly.

Mr. Kelly was an actor best known for his role in the television series Maverick. However, he had a long, varied career that stretched from Hollywood to City Hall (he served for a time as mayor and city councilman in Huntington Beach, CA).

Until a few months ago, I really didn't know--or care--much about Jack Kelly. Oh, I knew he was the 'other guy' on Maverick, but I never saw him on the show. Or, at least, I don't remember if I did. I only knew James Garner as Maverick.

And, for the longest time, I assumed Jack Kelly was Grace Kelly's brother. I later learned Princess Grace did have a brother named Jack, but he wasn't Jack Kelly the actor.

That was the extent of my Jack Kelly knowledge: Bret Maverick's brother, yes; Grace Kelly's brother, no.

Then, a very sad time in my life occurred. My mother was hospitalized early in 2009 during what turned out to be her final battle with heart failure. I would spend my mornings with Mom and go to work in the afternoon.

Before going to the hospital every morning, I'd turn on the television just to hear the sound of another human voice in the house. I had enough sadness in my life then, so I avoided the morning news shows.

One day, I clicked onto the Encore Westerns Channel. Maverick was just starting, so I watched it for a while.

Now, I was never really into Maverick before (I preferred 'serious' Westerns such as Have Gun--Will Travel and Gunsmoke), but I found myself tuning into it each morning. I could never watch an entire episode, because Maverick started at 9:00 am and I tried to be at the hospital by 10:00, when Mom's doctors usually made their rounds. But, what I saw of it, I enjoyed, and it helped lift my spirits a little.

At this point, Encore was airing the final episodes of Maverick, which means they all starred Jack Kelly (James Garner had left the show in a contract dispute by then).

I thought Kelly did a good job as Bart Maverick. But, he was just part of the series in general to me--I didn't take any special notice of him at that time.

Sadly, Mom's condition continued to deteriorate. I had no time or desire to watch television. I stayed close to Mom's side until the very end...

After a couple of months had passed, my life began slowly settling back into its normal routine. I worked full days again. When I came home, I just wanted to relax and get away from the world. I discovered that Encore showed Maverick in the evenings, too. They were showing some of the earlier episodes, and I became better acquainted with Bart Maverick.

There was one episode--The Jeweled Gun, I believe--where Bart removes his jacket and reveals his tall, lean frame clad all in black.

I was instantly smitten. And, I wondered, how on earth did I ever miss this Jack Kelly guy?!

I streaked onto the Internet and looked up everything I could find on the man.

Thus, The Tall Dark Stranger There... is here to share some of the stuff I've learned about Jack Kelly. And, to share some of the stuff I've bought pertaining to Mr. Kelly. Mostly, though, it's just a fun place for JK fans. I hope you'll mosey on over whenever you can. :)