Jack Kelly - Happy Birthday, JK! :)

"This should come in handy

when it's time to cut the cake."

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: JK on Upcoming DVD! :)

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give you a "heads up" about the upcoming DVD release of the complete 1975-'76 Ellery Queen TV series on September 28. Jack Kelly guest-starred in the episode "The Adventure of the Lover's Leap" along with his Forbidden Planet co-star Anne Francis.

Click here for more info and a couple of preview videos for the 6-disc set.

Jack Kelly - Who Is That Tall Dark...Stranger? :)

Hi Everyone!

The Jack Kelly Facebook page has posted links to an endlessly entertaining blog called "Inner Toob - A Look at TV as An Alternate Reality". This clever blog puts forth the notion that our favorite TV characters all live in one big universe and makes whimsical (but logical) connections between them.

The most recent postings focus on Maverick. One posting is about the most mysterious Maverick, Brent, the never-before-mentioned sibling who suddenly materialized in season four.

And, speaking of Brent:

Here's a picture of him and his brother, Bart. Bart seems to be thinking, "Who is the tall dark stranger there...and why is he wearing Bret's clothes?!"

Here's a close-up of Brother Bart, which is dedicated to JK fans everywhere, and one very special fan (and lady) in particular:

Jack Kelly - Kraft Made More Than Just Cheese :)

Hi All!

I wanted to direct your attention to an entertaining new blog I just found which is "dedicated to the NBC Television show Kraft Suspense Theatre that ran from 1963 to 1965". It provides a comprehensive look at the anthology series, which is currently rerun under the syndication title Crisis on the "Retro TV Network". Luckily, I receive RTV and have seen all three episodes of Suspense Theatre in which Jack Kelly starred. I've been meaning to review them here, but in the meantime, this blog has a brief review of "The Name of the Game", where JK plays a professional gambler. However, unlike Bart Maverick, the gambler plies his trade with dice rather than cards.

The author mentions JK several times throughout the blog and also points out a connection between Suspense Theatre and JK's film Forbidden Planet. Enjoy! :)

Jack Kelly - The Shoot-In Continues! :)

Hello Everybody!

Now, we continue with more screen captures of Jack Kelly in "The Shoot-In At NBC".

Here, Bob Hope nervously eyes the "enemy":

(They probably didn't use real booze in these scenes, but I get the feeling the participants may have enjoyed liberal libations before the filming started! ;->)

JK asks Phil Carey who the "two characters" are at the end of the bar. PC tells him they look like "Geritol hippies".

Bob Hope tries to cheer up Steve Allen by suggesting they watch this great comic on television--Bob Hope! So, he has the bartender turn on the TV.

Suddenly, JK remembers it's time for PC's show, too. ("So why are we watching Pappy Yokum?")

(By the way, doesn't Steverino's outfit kinda remind you of JK's costume in that Batman episode?)

PC isn't too happy with the Hope show, so he decides to shoot the TV, using JK's head to steady his aim:

Bullseye!

After this, JK and PC are seen no more. Which is too bad, because they both did a wonderful job as comical cowboys and it would have been nice to see more of them.

The special gets even sillier after this. The "comics" steal all the horses from the "cowboys", because you can't make westerns without horses. And, the horses end up hidden everywhere, even in Perry Como's bed (but this is not The Godfather, and it's a whole horse!) However, the cowboys rent more horses and charge toward the comics' hideout. Although the comics try to repel the invading cowboys with golf balls and seltzer spray, the westerners triumph at the end. (It's a wonder they didn't all catch Dodge Fever.) ;->

Jack Kelly - Breaking News! "Young Billy Young" on Hulu :)

Yep, it's the whole movie! JK plays a baddie, but he does a great job of it: