Come Fly Away With JK! Pt. II

"A Pilot, On Stage and Off" continues:

JK waits as technicians check the light (that's co-star
Lauren Bacall in the foreground)

"As a mechanical malfunction in the sound recording system shut down filming temporarily, Kelly explained, 'The first flight I ever made was as an enlisted weather forecaster for the USAAF toward the end of World War II. We were to go from Great Falls, MT, to Anchorage, AK, as passengers in a C-46. Some of my buddies were also making their first flight and were admittedly scared. But when you've done professional acting, there's always the challenge of making the part believable. So, I lied like a trooper and told my fellow passengers that I'd been flying for 15 years and that there was nothing to worry about.'

"'Actually, I'm afraid of heights--close to the ground--and a 10-foot diving board gives me the shakes. However, I never have a bit of trouble in the air.'

"For an amateur light plane pilot, actor Kelly has had more than his share of misadventures as a passenger.

"'I was riding in a C-47 one day on a landing at Cold Bay--that's out on the Aleutian Chain--when the pilot ground-looped because of extreme surface winds. We finally slid to a stop off the runway in about six feet of icy water. However, we could walk ashore by climbing up the wing before the cabin filled with water.'

"The actor's military background for flying included riding and occasionally piloting C-47s on 'buzz-jobs' of Alaskan moose. 'In looking back, I guess the experience was a blessing in disguise, since we lived through it,' Kelly said. 'It called for a type of precision flying that you don't especially need in the traffic pattern at Burbank.'

"Kelly completed his military service as a non-commissioned officer in charge of the weather station at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. 'I can still read a synoptic chart,' he said, 'and I've found the early training I had in weather has been a great help since I've had a chance to begin to learn to fly.'

"While Kelly is probably best known for working with one-horse-power films (he played the part of 'Bart' in the Maverick series on TV for several years), he has had the opportunity to portray a pilot or co-pilot in productions other than 'Double Jeopardy'. During the filming of FBI Code 98 for theater release, there was a North American 'Sabreliner' used for a 'set-dressing' and two Hughes 269A helicopters used on location. Kelly was able to fast-talk long enough and fast enough to get a Hughes pilot to give him 11 hours of dual [instruction] and he then spent 45 minutes solo in the helicopter.

"During the filming of Julie nine years ago, Kelly portrayed an airline [co-pilot] and was able to spend several hours in the United DC-6 simulator at Oakland. 'If you are going through the motions of operating a transport, you want to know which levers work the throttles and which work the props.'

[Bartista here: JK also appeared in the aviation-related feature film The Wild Blue Yonder in 1951.]

"It wasn't until the Maverick series came along that Kelly was able to stay in one place long enough to learn how to fly. He went to several instructor before B. G. O'Hara, a Flying Tiger Lines captain who worked with the Sky Roamers between the Pacific flights, took over and helped the actor smooth out his pre-solo problems.

"'Good instruction is important in everything you try to do, whether it's golf, swimming, flying or what', said Kelly. 'That ability to teach the right psychological approach makes all the difference in the world between just an airplane driver and a good instructor.'

"'After I'd shot just one landing with O'Hara, he pointed out that I was coming in with my left wing a little low because I was handling the wheel of the Cessna 150 by the hub instead of the outside. After a few minutes of practice, my landings improved 100%.'

"Jack Kelly looks upon flying as something active. 'My idea of flying isn't just to go out on a long cross-country trip where you climb to an altitude, turn on the autopilot and turn off your mind. I love to navigate by dead reckoning and, actually, I'm looking forward to the day when the omni goes out.'

"Kelly's other avocations are golf and fishing. 'Someday I hope to produce a 'home movie' on the fishing grounds of the Southwest because it's going to be a long time before they're fished out. I hope to take aerial footage of each of the locations and then follow up with scenes of actual fishing from the surface.'

"While he's an enthusiastic angler, Kelly admits that there's one species of fish that he honestly doesn't like to catch: the multicolored dolphin* that are found in great numbers in waters off both sides of the peninsula of Baja California. Dolphins are brilliantly-hued fish while in the water but lose much of their color once they're landed.

""I really hate to catch a dolphin,' he said quietly. 'When it's possible, I'll unhook them and put them back in the water.'

[*Bartista again: I think JK is actually referring to "dolphin fish", also known as "mahi mahi" or "dorado". They are fish and not dolphins like Flipper, which are mammals. A notable attribute of dolphinfish is their multi-hued iridescent coloring which fades when they're removed from the water.]

STAY TUNED FOR PART III and learn the main reason JK liked to fly.

Come Fly Away With JK! - Pt I :)

Hi!

I hope everyone's recovered from the party. :)

Now, fasten your seatbelts...because we're going flying with Jack Kelly!

An amazing article about JK finally landed (pun intended) in the Kellection the other day after I'd diligently searched for it for several years. When you read it, you'll agree it was worth the wait!

Published in an aviation magazine, this profile from the mid-1960s offers a fascinating look at JK's interest in flying. It also reveals information about his military service and about some of his appearances as an actor which involved aviation. Above all, it provides a different perspective on JK than the usual "fan" magazine story. It proves once again that he was far more than just a handsome face.

As an introduction, let's watch this clip from "Double Jeopardy", a 1965 episode of Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater in which JK starred as detective Fred Piper. The article explains how the flight scenes in this clip were filmed:

And, away we go:

"A Pilot, On Stage And Off
Written and photographed by
 Don Downie (c) The AOPA Pilot

Actor Jack Kelly enjoys flying as an avocation,
but he'd also like to be more closely involved with aviation in his television and screen activities.

"While filming a special television show for Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater, actor Jack Kelly shares the cockpit of a Piper Aztec with Fullerton, CA,  pilot J. Tom Brody." (Photo by Don Downie)
 

"It was quiet on the soundstage at Universal Studios near Hollywood, CA. In front of the cameras was a meticulous 'mock-up' of a new Aztec C. Actually, the motion picture prop was a production Piper fuselage from nose to baggage compartment, opened up like a sliced orange for proper camera angles.

"In the pilot's seat was Zsa Zsa Gabor, but her co-pilot knew a great deal more about flying than the Hungarian glamour girl. Flying right seat for Zsa Zsa was actor Jack (John A.) Kelly (AOPA 133779) who starred in the Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater TV film titled 'Double Jeopardy'. In addition to Kelly and Miss Gabor, the film included Lauren Bacall and Tom Poston.

"It would have been much more practical from a flying standpoint to have the roles in the cockpit reversed. Actor Kelly is an eager and active member of the Sky Roamers Flying Club of Burbank, CA, and an expert meteorologist.

"While he's working in Hollywood, Jack Kelly finds the Sky Roamers an ideal flying club for his purposes. 'There's everything a new pilot needs, including a Link trainer and lots of instruction,' he explained between takes of 'Double Jeopardy'.

"In this particular scene, which took 12 retakes, Kelly had to have a makeup artist remove Miss Gabor's lipstick each time. But Kelly is a professional actor who can switch quickly from camera capers to hangar flying.

"'I use the Sky Roamers' Cessna 172's and 175's to go golfing at Palm Springs or Borrego Springs, but I like to fly pretty high through Banning Pass,' he said.

"The basic idea for the script and lead character for 'Double Jeopardy' was Jack Kelly's.

"'I feel if we can keep private flying in the foreground of entertainment, we can influence more people to try it themselves,' he explained. 'At first, we kicked around the idea of having the lead character have the capability to fly himself. However, there seemed to be better plot opportunities to have him as an interested passenger involved with a great deal of flying and, of course, a great number of most attractive gals.'

"Even with his relatively brief experience in flying, Kelly doubled in brass as technical director on the set.

"'But what am I supposed to do, darlink,' asked Zsa Zsa, 'when I'm supposed to be piloting zis machine?' (Her on-camera accent is for real.)

"Kelly explained what the control movements would be to correspond with the rear projection color background that showed a landing at the Monterey, CA, Airport."

STAY TUNED FOR PART II and learn about JK's adventures (and misadventures) with military airplanes and some of his high-flying film roles!

It's Time to Celebrate! :)

"Time to get this party started!"

 

 "It sure was swell of La Bartista to throw this Maverick-themed shindig for my birthday.

I can hardly wait to enjoy a slice of my cake!

First, I'll go see who all is here--there's plenty of time for cake."

 

 "Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack--guess what day it is? It's hump day!

Oh, and it's also your birthday."

 

 "Happy Birthday, Jack! I know the invite said only one guest,

but the Moore the merrier." 

 

"I wasn't sure what gift to buy for you, Jack,

so I'm giving you this money I just won."

 

 "Your old Pappy says, 'Happy Birthday!'"

"Your old Uncle says, 'Where's the cake?'"

 

"STELLA! It's my birthday...can I please have my watch back now?" 

 

"This gift has a nice 'ring' to it!"

"Here, this ring looks better on you than it does on me."

 

"Cindy, you look like you could use some cake--and a bath."

 

"Now, it's time for cake!"

 

"Sorry, Jack...the cake is all gone!"

 

"Forgive me, Jack...I didn't mean to take the last piece of cake."

 

"SURPRISE!"

 

"I baked you another carrot cake, Jack!"

 

"Goldie, you saved the day--the birthday,

that is!"



Guess Who Doesn't Survive The "Alamo"? :)

Hi!

I always keep an eye out for episodes of TV shows where JK guest-starred. One such show--McCloud--popped up on Me-TV the other night. Since it came on pretty late, I had to DVR it. Yesterday, I was finally able to watch the DVR'd episode, titled "This Must Be The Alamo".

And guess what?

[Spoiler alert]

JK's character, a womanizing bookie named Manny Donner, gets bumped off before the first commercial! In fact, he barely makes it through the first three minutes of the episode.

Manny surprises his latest girlfriend while she's sharing a drink with a pro football player. Things go south from there. Manny gets mad; the girlfriend shoots the ball player, then shoots Manny, and runs off with the incriminating diary she's been keeping. Poor Manny ends up as a corpse dumped in front of a hospital and then as a sheet-covered stiff in a makeshift morgue at McCloud's precinct. The football player and the girlfriend meet similarly dire fates.

The rest of the episode revolves around McCloud (the cowboy cop from New Mexico played by Dennis Weaver) and his colleagues coping with a crippling heat wave in New York City. The mercury hits 108, but this was in 1974, so they couldn't blame global warming.

In addition to the heat and the homicides, McCloud and company must deal with power shortages, a shoplifter, a deadly hit-and-run case, and even an abandoned infant. Finally, nearly everyone in the precinct is held hostage by mobsters looking for Manny's girlfriend's little black book. Can McCloud save the day? You bet your Stetson he can!

The episode is chock-full of other familar faces including Van Johnson and Ray Danton. The only thing worse than Danton's hairdo (more like a hair-don't) is JK's jacket:

I know you'll still want to see JK if this episode ever comes on again. Just don't blink or you'll miss him! :)

Coming Up:

• "All the World's a Stage With JK" continues
• A colorful birthday salute
• Flying high with JK!
• And more...stay tuned :)

All the World's A Stage With JK - Pt I

Pt. I:  The Night Life Ain't No Good Life

In mid-1962, newspaper theater columns were sprinkled with items about a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sidney Kingsley. Kingsley, author of hits such as Men In White, Dead End and Detective Story, hadn't had a play produced since 1955. So, Night Life, his latest drama, was big news. The play would have a try-out run in Philadelphia before landing on Broadway in October 1962.

Kingsley described Night Life as "a realistic dream" about contemporary society. It was reported that Kingsley spent two years writing the play, which is set in a private after-hours "key" club in New York City.   

In a September 30, 1962, Pittsburgh Press interview, Kingsley explained, "This background is ideal for my subject and characters. Actually, these people and their problems would have no meaning in the daytime or in a place of normal atmosphere."

Kingsley was heavily involved in all aspects of Night Life, not only as the author, but as the producer and director as well. Before rehearsals began, Kingsley painstakingly constructed a detailed miniature version of the play's two-story set, complete with one-inch scale models of the actors and props, plus recorded snippets of dialogue. This no doubt proved invaluable when Night Life was actually staged, because there were to be 30 actors onstage at the same time, with no entrances or exits.

When the show opened at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theater on October 23, 1962, one of those actors was Jack Kelly, playing "Neil". However, the role almost wasn't his. According to a 10/10/1962 story in the Long Island Star-Journal, JK took over the part when Philip Bosco, who played Neil during the show's Philadelphia try-out, left Night Life in early October. A spokesman for the show explained in the Star-Journal story, "Sidney changed the concept of the role after the play opened in Philadelphia. Jack Kelly read for this part originally, flying to New York from California, but he didn't seem right for the part as it was then written. After Sidney changed the idea of the character, he called Jack and had him come to Philadelphia."

Actually, Kingsley made a lot of changes to Night Life. I know this because I own a typescript which was used during the production of the play. It provides intriguing insights into how the show evolved. Character names were changed (for example, Neil's last name went from "O'Bannion" to "Bennett"); dialogue was penciled in; entire scenes were added and deleted. The typescript says that Night Life is a "play in three acts". By the time the show reached Broadway, the Playbill stated it was a two-act play. The changes didn't stop on Broadway. I have two different copies of the Playbill and several characters were dropped or had different names by the time the show ended its brief run on December 15, 1962.

JK reportedly earned $2000 a week for Night Life, playing a character as different as night and day from Bart Maverick. Neil is an idealistic lawyer tormented by memories of his combat experiences in the Korean War. He wants to quit his law practice to work for nuclear disarmament at the United Nations.  His former girlfriend, played by Carol Lawrence, is an entertainer at the club.

Sidney Kingsley admitted in an interview that most of the characters in Night Life were "archetypes" and, indeed, the play is populated with some very recognizable types. There's a ruthless Jimmy Hoffa-type labor leader (played by Neville Brand; incidentally, Brand was slightly injured during the try-out run and Night Life ended up opening on Broadway at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis); an emotionally unstable Marilyn Monroe-type actress (played by Salome Jens); and an obnoxious Lenny Bruce-type "shock" comedian (played by real-life comic Murray Roman, who developed somewhat of a cult following of his own before his untimely passing in 1973). Other assorted roles were filled by Jessica Walter, Barry Newman and Raymond St. Jacques, whose faces later became familiar in movies and on TV.

Not much really happens in Night Life, except for a lot of drinking and yakking which eventually leads to a murder. Unfortunately, most of the dialogue is surprisingly stilted and trite although Kingsley does attempt to push the envelope with "motherlover" and other phrases that were quite daring in 1962. All in all, things probably would have been better if everyone had just stayed home and gone to bed early instead of pretentiously ruminating about the human condition into the wee hours.

Reviewers at the time described Night Life as "a long night" and "exhausting". JK didn't seem to attract much critical notice in the large cast, although he was mentioned as being "professional" and "appropriately tight-lipped" as Neil in a couple of reviews.

To no one's surprise, Night Life closed on Broadway after only 63 performances. It was Sidney Kingsley's last play, and Jack Kelly would give Broadway one more shot (in the even worse play The Family Way) before sticking to TV, films and local stages for the rest of his acting career.

As Willie Nelson sang, "The night life ain't no good life", but there is one good thing about this Night Life: they took lots of pictures during the production!

Please note:  The following series of photos from Night Life are part of the Friedman-Abeles collection and are copyright and courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collection. If shared, please respect the Library's ownership and properly credit the Library as requested in their Terms of Use. Thank you.

JK as troubled lawyer "Neil Bennett"

 

 

Neil and his former girlfriend Gia (Carol Lawrence),

a singer at the club

 

 

 

Anna (Salome Jens), an emotionally unstable actress

and client of Neil's

 

Neville Brand as Will Kazar, a ruthless labor
boss...and Gia's fiancé 

 

 

The main cast: Neville Brand, Carol Lawrence, JK, Carmen Mathews, Salome Jens (seated), Walter Abel (seated)

 

 A try-out rehearsal shot with Sidney Kingsley (far right) holding a playscript like the one now in the Kellection.

Stay tuned for Part II! :)

 

Back to School With Maverick! :)

Hi!

With the nation's kids either back in or getting ready to return to school, I thought it would be fun to share this article from 1958. It was written by a perceptive pupil for a New York newspaper (I like how she gives JK first billing):

"Maverick Found Interesting Show Among Students

by Arlene W.

At 7:00 pm Wednesday, Channel 8, and 6:30 pm Sunday, Channel 5, Maverick can be seen.

Jack Kelly and James Garner play Bart and Bret Maverick. Although Maverick is considered a 'western', it really isn't. The main characters, Bart and Bret, aren't robbers, sheriffs, or famous western persons. They earn their living by gambling. The stories take place anywhere, in California, Mexico and even New Orleans.

The girls are inclined to like Maverick. Jack Kelly and James Garner are two tall, dark, handsome and terrific actors. The [school's] girls chorus could have heard 'I'm Goin' Away', a song which they have learned, on a recent program.

The opinion of many people is that Maverick is an interesting and entertaining program. Do you watch Maverick?"

My New "Nephew"! :)

Hello Everyone,

You may remember that almost exactly three years ago I noted the passing of Tiger, my sister's cat. 

Well, I'm pleased to report that my sister decided it was finally time to welcome a new pet into her home. This past weekend I helped her pick out a kitten from a local cat rescue, and here he is.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Spike:

Spike's coloring reminds me somewhat of Tiger's. But, from his alert amber eyes to his long dark tail, this adorable ball of feline energy is definitely an original and not a copy cat.  

Here's to a long and purrfect life, Spike! :)