Jack Kelly - Jack the Joker :)

"Jack (Bart Maverick) Kelly tells of a fellow who went to a Halloween party as an olive and the host couldn't keep him out of the martinis all evening."

(Matt Weinstock, Los Angeles Times, November 3, 1960)

Jack Kelly: Happy Halloween! :)

Trick or Treat!

Halloween just wouldn't be complete

Without a JACK-o-lantern. ;->

Jack Kelly - The "Kellt" of the Cobra! :)

Howdy Everyone!

I'm not really a fan of the tasteless sitcom Two and a Half Men. I would never purposely watch it. However, it's one of those shows that I'm invariably subjected to when I'm a captive audience, like in the waiting area of the 30-minute oil change place.

The only laugh-out-loud moment I've encountered on Men is where a boy is watching the film Jaws on TV with his uncle. The kid complains because the movie has been on for 40 minutes and the shark hasn't appeared yet. He thinks Snakes on a Plane is a much scarier movie because the snakes are everywhere and they pop up when you least expect it. For the rest of the scene, the boy tries to scare his uncle by suddenly yelling "SNAKE!!!" while pantomiming a snake's mouth with his hand.

Now, what does all this have do with Jack Kelly? Well, not much, although it fits right in with today's post, which spotlights JK's 1955 film, Cult of the Cobra. It's a chiller about some American G.I.s who foolishly crash a secret snake-worshipping ceremony in Asia. Back in the States, most of the G.I.s meet strange deaths, which all tie-in to a mysterious woman who can change into a--SNAKE!!!

You can watch the entire film here:



Plus, here are some rare wardrobe test pix of JK as "Carl Turner" snapped during the making of Cult of the Cobra:

(Is that a cigarette holder?)

"Yay, it's bowling night!"

JK and a curvaceous kibitzer.

"Hi, your pal Smilin' Jack here, with an unbeatable deal on this 1955 Cadillac. It was driven only
on Sundays by a little old lady..." ;->

SNAKE!!!

Jack Kelly: A 'Date' With the Maverick Brothers! :)

Hello Everyone! 

How about a Date with the Maverick brothers? I have one right here. A Date Magazine, that is, from December 1960, with this fantastic full-page foto of Bart and Bret: Date was a teen magazine published weekly in England starting in 1960. I'd never heard of it until recently. It incorporated the more famous Picturegoer fan magazine.

Date offered advice columns, fashion tips, short stories and features about music, film and TV stars, which is how our boys ended up in its pages. (Maverick was popular across the pond, too!) 

The brief story accompanying the photo is titled "Oh Brother, Those Smooth Mavericks", and it explains the off-screen differences between "curly-haired" Oklahoman James Garner and "sleek-haired" New Yorker Jack Kelly. According to the story, those "smooth talking, smooth looking" Mavericks are as different as "bacon and beans" in their private lives.  

JG gets most of the text (big surprise), but here's what they had to say about JK: "Jack Kelly's upbringing was more sophisticated. Born in New York, the son of a top model, he traveled by smart car. He studied hard to be a lawyer, until he decided to be an actor.

"What of life now?...Kelly's spare time is zipped away on a merry-go-round of social life and sport. 'He's a human dynamo. Never happy unless he's doing something,' say his friends in Hollywood." 

Well, so much for our Date. Now, hopefully Bret will go eat some bacon and beans, and leave us to ride the social merry-go-round with sleek-haired brother Bart! ;->

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.